Psalm
23 / I Peter 2: 19–25 / John 10: 1–15
This
is a homily provided for the people of St. John’s, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania by
Fr. Gene Tucker for Sunday, May 3, 2020.
This homily was not delivered as part of our Sunday morning worship,
because St. John’s is currently closed due to the COVID – 19 viral outbreak.
Instead, it was provided via electronic means and in hard copy to those without
email.)
“SERVANT/LEADER SHEPHERDING”
(Homily
text: John 10: 1-15)
Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, is informally
known as “Good Shepherd” Sunday. On each Sunday of our three-year cycle of
readings according to the Revised Common Lectionary which we follow, that theme
is the focus at this point in the progression of the Church Year.
If Jesus is the “Good Shepherd” as He says in our
Gospel text for this morning, then the question naturally arises: Are there
mediocre shepherds, or even bad ones?
It
turns out that the answer to this question is “Yes”, there are mediocre
shepherds. But more importantly, there are also bad shepherds, as our Lord
alludes to in His discourse on shepherds and shepherding.
Bad shepherds and poor leaders were much in
evidence in the time of our Lord’s earthly ministry. Led by a priestly caste,
the Pharisees and the scribes, Jesus described God’s people as being “sheep
without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). These prominent members of society didn’t
care for those in their charge, they cared more about their own prestige, their
own position, their own welfare and wealth.
Such a problem wasn’t a new one for God’s people. The
Old Testament prophet Ezekiel, writing a little more than five hundred years
earlier, described an appalling situation that was much like the one that
existed when our Lord walked the earth. In Ezekiel 34:1–10, we read about the
shepherds who look after their own welfare, even as they ignore the welfare of
the people, the sheep, in their care. (One has to wonder if Jesus had this
passage in mind when He spoke of Himself as being the “Good Shepherd”.)
Jesus’ self-description as a shepherd conveys important
understandings for the relationship between His leadership and our place as
sheep among the sheep of His pasture. Since many, if not most, of us have
little direct experience with sheep and with the herding of sheep, it might be
advisable for us to look a bit more closely into this relationship.
We might begin by noticing that the sheep and the
shepherd exist for one another. In fact, the sheep wouldn’t long exist without
the shepherd’s leading and protection. Jesus alludes to the protective nature
of the shepherd’s work when He talks about the shepherd entering the sheepfold
through the door, while imposters seek other ways of entering. The sheepfold
existed to protect the flock from predators, especially at night. If we turn
the relationship around and see it from the other angle, we can see that,
without sheep, the shepherd has no work to do and no role to play.
Another aspect of shepherding has to do with the
nature of sheep in general. Apparently, they are naturally inquisitive animals.
But where they are endowed with inquisitive skills, they lack judgment.
Consequently, they are also prone to getting into trouble. Recall Jesus’
Parable of the Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:10–14): Jesus tells the tale of the
shepherd who goes in search of one lost sheep. The shepherd’s job is to see to
the safety of the sheep, and, if necessary, to take risks to ensure their
wellbeing.
Shepherds lead, but they also serve. Jesus likens
His work to that of the servant who looks after the welfare of those in His
care. The welfare of those entrusted to Him is so critical that, if necessary,
the risks the shepherd must be willing to take reach all the way to being
willing to risk His own life. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus leads those who have
come into His care, putting their welfare ahead of His own.
The servant/leader aspect of Jesus’ example is one
that all followers of Christ are called upon to emulate. As those who are
sensing a call to ordained ministry go through the evaluative process, one
aspect that is closely examined is the individual’s ability to model that
servant/leader role.
But the call to be a servant/leader extends beyond
a concern for the suitability of those who are seeking ordination. That call
extends to each and every one of us. It extends to us in any ministry or work
we undertake. One example from our parish’s life will illustrate the point: When
we serve others in a ministry like the Community Soup Kitchen, held on Thursday
evenings each week here in town, then we are there precisely for the purpose of
serving those who come to receive a hot meal. (For some of the clients of the
Community Soup Kitchen, it will be – quite likely – the only hot meal they may
eat that week.) In so doing, we lend our expertise, our knowledge, our
judgment, and our skills in leadership to ensure that the meal is well prepared
and is properly served.
As we serve others in the Lord’s name, then we act
as “good shepherds” to those who need our concern for their welfare. We place
ourselves in their service, but in the Lord’s service, as well. We do so,
making use of the talents, abilities and skills that God has entrusted to us.
No task in such serving is too small to serve others as we also serve the Lord.
As the Lord has served us, so we serve others in His name.
AMEN.
