delivered 3 May 2009
by Rev Dr John Evans
Acts 4:5-12
Psalm 23
1 John 3:16-24
John 10:11-18
Carlton does not have much to do with sheep. There might be a sheep at the zoo; the Collingwood farm has some. You might see a dead one on a rack in Donati’s in Lygon St – but there are no sheep here. With no sheep, there are probably no shepherds who live here either. Not that in Australia we really go in for shepherds. We sort of assume the sheep can look after themselves . . there are no real natural predators like in first century Palestine. Sheep and shepherds are not part of a our daily experience; and yet the image of the good shepherd, for us city slickers, remains still a very powerful image, perhaps the image of our faith and within the life of the church.
From Psalm 23 the shepherd provides, revives the spirit and guides. If there are difficult times this good shepherd protects and comforts, and although the metaphor changes to a meal within the psalm, we can also assume there is blessing, mercy and joy with this good shepherd. Quite a list of things the Good Shepherd does – provides, revives, guides, protects, comforts, blesses and brings mercy and joy.
So when Jesus announces, “I am the Good Shepherd,” all these qualities and attributes we apply to Christ and they become part of understanding of who God is for us in Jesus. It is little wonder the image of Jesus being the Good Shepherd is such a powerful and popular understanding of the Christian faith.
Dr Peter Selby, Bishop of Worcester
And indeed the church as taken the image further. The Good Shepherd becomes the model for all those in leadership within the church and for life within the church itself. We have pastors, bishops have shepherd’s crooks, there is pastoral care to emphasise this connection. In the Uniting Church service of ordination the “pastoral image of the shepherd” features prominently. The candidate is asked: ‘Will you endeavour to be a faithful pastor of God’s people?’ And we used to say in the ordination prayer that Jesus was “the Shepherd of our souls”.
Later in the service today, when we come to commission Bev and Sue we will use similar language. Being an elder means there is a pastoral responsibility and in the prayer of commissioning we pray that the new elder will “give example to Christ’s flock”. Jesus, the Good Shepherd has become the great model for the church and how leadership is to be exercised and applied.
‘End of sermon,’ you might think, ‘Heard that before.’ And it sounds about right. Jesus is our good shepherd – and for those in leadership here is the model of leadership to follow.
While that is all true, is that what our gospel reading is actually saying to us? After all, John records in the verses immediately following our passage that Jesus says he was the Good Shepherd,
Again the Jews were divided because of these words. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?
Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
There was an edge, a poignancy to these words about being a shepherd which provoked profound controversy, division and hatred. Perhaps we should not be so dewy eyed and readily accepting of this image. Is there something we are missing? Pastoral care, and the role of caring for the flock remain an important and valid image, and role of an elder – but is this really what this gospel passage is getting at?
Prof. O'Day
Gail O’Day, a scholar at Emory University in Atlanta, contends that we can gain an image of pastoral ministry within the church from other Bible references, and need to be careful how we understand this passage.
So when Jesus says to Peter, right at the end of John’s gospel (21:15-19): “Feed my sheep”, there is a call to pastoral ministry, but here the passage is more about who Jesus is for us and the very nature of the church itself.
O’Day is concerned we may lose insights if we just think of Jesus as being the Good Shepherd and that is our model and especially as a guide for a range of people with certain responsibilities within the church.
So in this passage from John’s gospel, Jesus says that he is not only the Good Shepherd, but he is also the gate or door of the sheepfold (1-10). Jesus is thus more than the one anticipated by the prophet Ezekiel, or the perhaps the psalmist, as the good shepherd (a new and better kind of leadership). He himself is also the entry point, the way to life.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
The point O’Day makes is that this image of being the shepherd, and being the gate or door, are intensely relational – they have no meaning without the presence of the sheep.
In other words, being the Good Shepherd is all about who Jesus is in relationship to those who follow him. Jesus here is saying that his own identity, and the identity of the community who follow him, are inextricably linked. The identity of the community is determined by the shepherd’s relationship to it, and the community’s relationship to the shepherd. This is far more than the good shepherd being a good model for us.
So what image of communal life does it present?
First of all, everyone gains their identity by their direct relationship to the shepherd. Nowhere in our passage are there pictured among those who follow Jesus other shepherds, or assistant shepherds, or even apprentice shepherds. Rather, all who gather around Jesus receive their identity as members of the flock. Equality.
Secondly the community that gathers around Jesus are the ones who share in the mutual knowledge of God and of Jesus, and whose relationship to Jesus is modelled on Jesus’ relationship to God. So Jesus says:
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.”
Mutuality.
And then thirdly listening to Jesus’ voice is the source of the community’s unity. The flock holds together, indeed is a flock, because they will listen to my voice.
So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Unity.
And why would they do that? This goes back to the image of Jesus being the door and gate. Jesus is the access point – yes, he stops thieves and bandits getting in (who are really the false teachers), but more importantly, he provides access, the access to life.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (10:10)
Life-giving.
And how does this happen? This is the most important aspect of this statement about our community. The community gains its identity through Jesus’ gift of life. That is, to be a member of Jesus’ flock, is to know oneself as being among those for whom Jesus is willing to die. In Jesus’ freely chosen death, Jesus shows the way to life, and offers abundant life by the example of his love, by being a good shepherd . . . and not as a hireling. Indeed it makes sense of why we have this reading each year in the middle of the Easter season – it is another reminder about Jesus’ willingness to die for the community and offer new life.
However, his offer of life is not just for his sheep, his own flock – it is for all, it is for the sheep. After all, he says he has other sheep that do not belong to this fold. As he says, “I must bring them also.” Throughout John’s gospel the love of Jesus is for the world, the whole world – it is inclusive and not exclusive.
In chapter 6 he speaks of being the bread of life and giving his life for “the life of the world”. And of course we know from chapter 3, God so loved the world he sent his only Son.
Jesus makes the love of God fully available by expressing that love in his death. His love is for all – his flock are those who hear his voice – however, that might be expressed.
The Good Shepherd is a powerful and comforting image for us personally. It is an important image for the church as a model for ministry and leadership. However, John 10 is really about the church and the community who follow Christ. All are accepted as equals. There is a mutuality of love. There is a unity because there is one voice. There is life – the freely offered gift of life.
