The Shepherd and the Gate
(Free Version)- Eastertide, Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10
This Sunday is often called “Good Shepherd Sunday," and each of our readings this week point us to the transformation that take place because of the shepherding heart of Christ by the Spirit. If you are looking to go deeper with this week’s readings (including a deep historical look at some of Israel’s “false shepherds” throughout history), check out our paid subscription tiers.
The Spirit empowers his people and flips our entire value system upside-down. For the early Christians (Acts 2:42-47), this meant that they centered their life on the good news of Jesus as passed down to them by the apostles, the sacrament and sharing in meals together, and in prayer. It led to counter-intuitive economic practices. Someone in need? I better sell that property that I have so that they have what they need to make it through. This is a reordering of their time (much of it is spent together), their energy (living in community requires much more discipline than living in isolation), and their money (long-term security and luxury become way less important). Rather than asking “How is this possible?” We might consider asking, “What is it that might lead a group of people to do such a thing?”
In a reading difficult for our modern sensibilities (1 Peter 2:19-25), Peter tells slaves (verse 18 is left out of the lectionary reading so we are initially blind to the fact that it is addressed to slaves) to bear under the pain of unjust suffering because they are aware of God. It is important to acknowledge that this passage has been used in evil ways over the years, telling slaves that they must remain oppressed. This and other scriptures like it have also been used to tell women to remain in abusive marriages. In our Deep Dive this week, we look in detail at the differences between first century slavery and the North American Slave Trade of more recent times. And, they are some significant differences including duration (in Peter’s time, slavery was often a temporary situation). However, it is important to clearly say that all slavery is wrong because of its fundamental dehumanization.
Speaking to a minority church full of many slaves (in urban areas, up to 1/3 of the population were slaves), Peter’s emphasis is not on slavery but on suffering. In this world, those who do good will experience suffering. Just look at Jesus! Those suffering must remember that all of a Christian’s behavior is to be unto God, regardless of the harsh intent of oppressors. Throughout his life, especially on the way to the cross, Jesus trusted that justice is in God’s hands and he did not need to retaliate.
This certainly does not preclude the quest for justice. If God is a God of justice, we ought to promote the ways God is at work, liberating and healing. We are anchored in knowing that our work is unto the Lord. Many justice-seekers throughout history have shown a surprising way of seeking justice and showing the fruit of the Spirit simultaneously (indeed, in God’s new world, they must be intertwined).
In our gospel reading (John 10:1-10), Jesus describes himself as a good shepherd and a sheep gate. Other fake shepherds try round about ways of stealing sheep. But the sheep hear the voice of the true shepherd. Why? Because he is also the gate! This is an image of protection. He lays down his life for them.
This voice is not flashy or sexy. It’s the voice of the more difficult way. We will always follow some shepherd. The choice is not between becoming “lions” or “sheep” but in what voice we listen to. Whatever voice we listen to, will form who we are. It is impossible to listen to one voice all day everyday and then, at the end of the day say, “Well, I’m not really going to heed the advice of that voice.”
When you are formed by the shepherd who ultimately laid down his life for the sheep... literally by going to the cross, being devoured by the predators, and yet then leading us into new life...when you are formed by that shepherd, you become the person who lays down your life. You become less concerned about what the false shepherds are saying.
When the shepherd’s voice is not clear, when things seem murky, we can place in ourselves in the position to hear him. We listen for this voice in God’s story. The words of Jesus always challenge. We listen for this voice in prayer, in Christian community, ultimately centered at the table of the Lord. We seek to be formed by the voice of God. We listen for his voice in the voice of the poor and the vulnerable.
No pattern is a guarantee that we will hear God’s voice. And we certainly will not hear it in the way that we expect to; that’s not how relationships work. When I pick my daughter up from school, she knows my voice. Why? Well, I could say its because I spend time with her. That’s true, but that’s not the whole story. She knows my voice because I’m always the one who picks her up from school. That’s true, but it is still not the whole story. It is more complete to say: she knows my voice because I’m her dad.
We know God’s voice because He is our Father; and Jesus and the Father are one. He is the Good Shepherd. We are dependent on the relationship that we have in Jesus and by the Holy Spirit. There are no “Steps to Hearing the Shepherds Voice” because that’s not how relationships work. We ultimately hear the shepherds voice because we know him.