John 10: 1-10
Sheep do not follow strangers.
- They only follow the Shepherd…whom they know.
- This is a fact.
Since the shepherd is known by the gate keeper.
- The shepherd comes directly to the gate that is opened for him.
- Then he goes into the sheep and lets himself be known.
- After which he leads them out of the pen…into the open pasture.
- The shepherd has no need to climb over the wall in the dead of night…to steal the sheep.
Jesus wants his followers to know him as the Good Shepherd…not as a thief.
- Simplistic as it sounds…
- Jesus wants people to know him as one who comes without pretense…as the authentic one.
As simple as this sounds…Jesus’ disciples did not understand what he was saying to them.
- So…Jesus had to try again.
- Telling them that he was the door to the sheep.
- The reality through which the sheep must pass to get to pasture.
- Jesus had to tell them that he was not like the thief who comes to steal the sheep.
- His purpose…as the Good Shepherd…was to give life and to give it abundantly.
- Unfortunately…the disciples would not know this for some time to come.
- Not until after the crucifixion and the resurrection.
OK then.
- Most of us make things very difficult for ourselves.
- We tend to deal in confusion.
- And so…it is very difficult to understand what really is happening in our world…to ourselves…or to others.
When we suffer loss…we tend to muddy and confuse what has happened to us.
- We ask questions that are confusing to ourselves and to others.
- We want answers.
- “What is the meaning?”
- “What is the purpose?”
- “Why me?”
- “Where is God in all of this?”
We say that we want to know the truth that can make us free.
- But at the same time we become more confused by our anxiety.
- And we may turn to people who say that they know the answers to our questions…our problems…
- And they may even try to give us all the answers we are looking for.
As in our time…it was also true in the time of Jesus.
- There were many people popping up all over the place who said they knew all the answers.
- “Lo … here… and Lo … there” they would say.
- “I am the answer! I am the one who can lead you to the truth!
- Trust me!”
- It all sounds familiar.
- It happens in every age.
- It is happening in our world right now.
We become involved in complicated situations.
- Turning to this person or that person for answers.
- And sometimes there is just enough in some of the answers to make us think that we have finally discovered the truth.
- But then we find out that this is not so.
- The answers are not what we wished or hoped them to be.
- And we become disillusioned again.
We look for leaders.
- As we are doing again today in this country and in this world.
- We hope that someone is going to rise out of the ashes of our perversity and lead us into the light.
- Where everyone will have a job…and food…and peace…and prosperity.
We want to believe that a leader can do this for us.
- Can save us from our folly…our sin.
- He or she may be an evangelist on television or a political leader.
- We want to believe that someone can save us.
Recently…a presidential candidate stood before a large crowd of people and said:
- “What this country needs is someone to lead…and I am the one.”
- The audience clapped.
- Even though everyone kind of knows that this is game playing.
- That there is no such thing as a leader who can lead us.
- Not in the sense that we want to be led.
- And those who claim that they can do this for us are like thieves and robbers.
- And we…who seek them out…are responsible for accepting more opiate.
Jesus was very well acquainted with the history of his people and aware of what was going on in his country at the time.
- His people also longed for a leader.
- For a Messiah.
- For someone to lead them out of their pain.
- And in those times…the would-be Messiahs…were popping up everywhere.
- And Jesus had to warn about this because sometimes…
- The would-be messiahs led people into rebellion and slaughter.
Well…our life experiences are adapted to this wolfpack approach of going over the wall at night.
- Rather than through the gate during the day…to lead the sheep…to lead us.
The name of the game is to develop the answer and to perpetuate it.
- Sell the idea that a particular kind of ointment on my scalp can make me look younger.
- Well…at $40 for 3 ounces I tried it.
- And you can see that it did not work.
- I am still bald…bald…bald.
- Or if you drink the right kind of colored water…you can be more…
- Well…you fill in the blank.
- You can be MORE of whatever you want to be.
- You and I know that MORE is Satan’s favorite word.
- Because if there is any MORE…then GRACE is not alone.
- MORE…I am happier because I have a turbo charged automobile.
It is always the same promise we are being given by the thieves.
- They tell us that we will escape pain and enter into pleasure.
- That there is no cross…and no reason why any of us should endure suffering.
- “You deserve the best there is”…we are told.
- Before holding out a bottle or a pill or anything else we are being asked to buy.
- It is all an illusion.
- And the tragedy is that we can be so eager to believe it.
- And even to perpetuate it.
But…there is hope.
- Jesus is saying something very good here.
- Jesus is giving us hope.
- He is saying that there are people in this world who have a gift to discern the Truth.
There are people who see through the illusions and will respond to the voice of the Good Shepherd.
- Who will follow no other leadership than that of love.
- Rather than manipulation and exploitation.
- There are people who will not follow the thieves and the robbers.
- Through them…we will know the truth…and that truth will make us free.
- They are the people of peace who pick up the broadcast of love and hope that are the essence of Christ’s gospel.
- And these people are eager to become the servants…to serve.
It is important for us to affirm these spiritually minded human beings who say:
- “Yes” after the final “No” has been uttered.
- They are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
- And they are here…among us.
By nature…we are functional atheists…all of us.
- We tend not to believe the voice of Truth…even to avoid it.
- But Christ affirms the reality of divine intuition.
- There are those who hear the voice of love…of light…of truth.
- Who follow the Good Shepherd.
- And so…Jesus’ message for us this morning is one of profound hope.
- Thanks be to God.