4 Easter, Year A

Acts 2: 42 – 47
Psalm 23
I Peter 2: 19 – 25
John 10: 1 – 10

A homily by: Fr. Gene Tucker
Given at: St. John’s Church, Centralia, Illinois; Sunday, May 15, 2011
(by Mr, Tom Walsh Licensed Lay Worship Leader)

“LIKE SHEEP, LIKE FAMILY”
(Homily text: John 10: 1 – 10)

Greetings, everyone, from Maryland, where we have been spending time with our children and grandchildren.

Since we don’t get the chance to be around our family all that often – the distance makes that difficult – each time we do have the opportunity, we are able to see with fresh eyes just what being parents – and now grandparents – involves.

So, with lots of fresh impressions of the parenting and grandparenting process in mind, allow me to compare what our Lord says in today’s gospel reading about shepherding with being a parent (or grandparent).

As you might have guessed already, the Fourth Sunday of Easter is Good Shepherd Sunday.

As Jesus’ teaching begins today, we hear a stark warning: “Ttuly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.”

Jesus’ condemnation of the false shepherds allows us to find the context of His teaching: It seems that He is condemning the false shepherds of the nation of Israel – the Chief Priests, the Scribes, the Pharisees, and their allies – who are leading God’s people not out of concern for the people’s welfare, but out of narrow self-interest.

Corrupt and self-serving leaders were a problem at various times in Israel’s history….as we read Isaiah and Jeremiah in the Old Testament, we find similar comments about shepherds who lead people poorly.

So as these words fell on the ears of Jesus’ original hearers, perhaps Isaiah’s and Jeremiah’s words were brought to mind.

But Jesus might have another group in mind, as well: People who came forward, claiming to be the Messiah, God’s anointed one. At another point in His teaching, Jesus says to beware of those who come, saying, “I am he.” Perhaps there was no shortage of people who claimed to be God’s chosen leader. Oftentimes in troubled times, such people appear, and we should be reminded that the times in which Jesus Christ came to visit us were troubled times, as were the times in which Isaiah and Jeremiah lived, as well.

Now that we’ve established the context for Jesus’ comments, let’s turn now to the positive example that He establishes for the one who is to be the Good Shepherd. Of course, Jesus is referring to Himself in these comments. As we do so, let’s set Jesus’ example alongside the positive aspects of being a good parent. My reasoning for doing so is simply because most of us have little-or-no experience with sheep or with shepherding, while many of us have experience with parenting, or with being around children.

And as we set, side-by-side, the concept of the business of shepherding and parenting, let’s remember that both occupations involve a mutual relationship between shepherd/parent and sheep/children. That is to say, the shepherd owes his occupation to the presence of the sheep who are gathered into the flock. The parent owes his/her occupation as parent to the presence of children in the family. But as we look at it from the other direction, we can see that sheep without a shepherd would be lost and vulnerable. So too, our children would be lost and vulnerable without the presence of the adult who cares for and who nurtures them.

So, let’s begin.

The first thing we notice is that Jesus says that the Good Shepherd calls the sheep, that they know the shepherd’s voice, and that he calls each one by name and leads them out. In the world of sheepherding, the relationship between sheep and shepherd is deeply relational. As we are reminded by the saying, “You herd cattle, but you lead sheep,” the reality is that the sheep follow the shepherd that they know. Jesus will amplify this reality in chapter 17, verses 10 - 19 of John’s gospel, asking that God the Father protect those who have been given to Him as His own.

In similar fashion, children respond to and follow the parent – or the adult – that they know. Our 18 month old grandson, Jesse, for example, lights up when he sees his mommy or his daddy. He gets excited, dancing around, pointing to them, and calling them “momma” or “dadda”. Their relationship is deeply personal, deeply loving.

The next thing we notice is that Jesus says that the Good Shepherd is that He is the door of the sheep, adding another comment about false shepherds. Here, Jesus explains that it is He who controls which sheep enter, and which do not. “I am the door of the sheep,” He says. In John 14: 6, Jesus will reiterate this reality in another way, saying, “I am the way….”

This comment relates to the nature of the sheepfold, which is created by the shepherd. The sheepfold not only identifies the sheep that are within, but it also offers protection from predators who are outside.

By the same token, parents establish the home in which children are raised and nurtured. The home becomes the place where the intimate task of parenting is carried out. The family gains its identity from the parents’ establishment of the home, and the home offers the place where children’s own identity can be established in a safe environment.

Our gospel passage ends at verse ten today. But it’s worthy of individual reading and study to pick up the Bible and read what else Jesus has to say about the business of being the Good Shepherd. There, He describes the reality that the Good Shepherd is willing to lay down his life for the sheep, while the false shepherd abandons them when danger appears.

Likewise, what parent or grandparent wouldn’t sacrifice everything – including their own lives, if the need arose – for the sake of their children or grandchildren?

Jesus’ teaching offers us a reminder that the initiative that we see in the sending of Jesus Christ, the one who “dwelt with us” (John 1: 14) is entirely God’s. For it is God the Father who sent God the Son, the one who is the Good Shepherd.

The Good Shepherd calls His sheep by name, and they follow Him, because of the deeply personal relationship that exists between shepherd and sheep.

The Good Shepherd allows those who are known by Him to enter the sheepfold.

The Good Shepherd leads His sheep out of self-giving, selfless motivations, seeking always the welfare of the flock.

The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep, and this laying down becomes the ultimate expression of self-giving, selfless, love for the sheep.

Thanks be to God!

AMEN.