In the name of the Risen Lord. Amen.
“What
difference does the Resurrection make in your life?” That was a question that I
heard asked at a gathering recently. It’s a good question for us all to consider
this Eastertide- what difference does the Resurrection make in your life?
Notice that the question isn’t “what difference does the Resurrection make in
your death?” This isn’t about the Final Judgment or some philosophical pondering
on what happens to us once we cross the horizon of death. No, this is a
question about your life; a question about this very moment. What difference does
the Resurrection make in your life?
To
answer that question, we would do well to consider the Resurrected One. Today
is Good Shepherd Sunday, as all of our readings and hymns point to this ancient
image of Jesus as a shepherd. Despite the fact that being a shepherd wasn’t the
most prestigious vocation in the Ancient Near East, it is, nevertheless, a
common metaphor for God’s relationship with Israel. As the prophet Isaiah says-
“the Lord will feed his flock like
a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom.”
And Ezekiel writes “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make
them lie down, says the Lord God.”
And this theme of God as our shepherd is continued in today’s readings from
Psalm 23 and John 10.
But
before we consider the image of the shepherd in those passages, the context of
these readings is important to have in mind. Psalm 23 is perhaps the most
familiar passage in the entire Bible, but it does not exist in isolation. The
Psalms tell the story of Israel and their ordering is no accident. Psalm 22 is
also fairly well known and it begins “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I
cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest.” The Psalm
continues in a heartfelt prayer for deliverance from enemies and trust in God.
We can read Psalm 23 as the response- “The Lord
is my shepherd.” The context of Psalm 22 reminds us that it is precisely
in those moments of fear and anxiety that we have our greatest need of a
shepherd; following the pains of Psalm 22 and Good Friday, Psalm 23 and Easter
proclaim that our shepherd lives.
John
10, likewise, has a context that is important to remember. Several Sunday ago
in Lent we heard about the healing of a man born blind- that is what
immediately precedes this object lesson that Jesus offers on shepherding. That
incident ends with- “Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him,
‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you
would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.’” In
order for there to be a Good Shepherd, there must be some bad ones, or at
least, some less than good ones. This context reminds us that Jesus is a shepherd
unlike those who like to see themselves as being in charge of the flock. As we
consider the question “what difference does the Resurrection make in our lives?,”
let us consider what it means for us that the Resurrected Jesus is the Good
Shepherd.
The first thing to know about
shepherds is that they lead the flock. One of the interesting things that I learned
in preparing to preach this week is that there is a big difference between
western shepherds and eastern shepherds. Eastern shepherds don’t drive the
sheep from behind with their staff as we might imagine, but rather they lead
the flock from the front. This might be the first clue in providing a response to
the question about the Resurrection. Jesus has gone on ahead of us, and we will
find him wherever we are, whether by steams of water or the valley of the
shadow of death. It also means that we’re not forced to go anywhere, but
rather, that we are invited to follow Jesus.
One of the ways that the shepherd
leads the flock is by their voice. As the flocks traveled, they would often
intermingle with other flocks in the opens plains where they grazed. And so
when it is time to move on, the shepherd has to gather all of their sheep first. A scholar interviewed a shepherd and asked him, “do you know how to
count?” And the shepherd said “I have no formal education and I cannot count.” “Well,
how do you know if you have all of your sheep before you move on?” “I know
their names.” As Jesus says “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
The Resurrected Shepherd knows your name.
And when it’s time to move out, the
shepherd uses a call that only his flock knows and recognizes. When the sheep
hear the call of their shepherd, it catches their attention, calls them back to
the group, and beckons them to follow. Who in your life can do that for you? We
all have people in our lives that can speak hope to us when we are broke, that
can speak truth to us when we need to be corrected. Whose voice do you follow? Give
thanks for that relationship.
As the Psalm today mentions, the
shepherd leads us into different places- sometimes to the green pastures and
still waters of life, and at other times through the dark valleys. Where are
you? In a dark valley or a green pasture? If you are in a valley, you can take
solace in the fact that the shepherd would often take injured lambs and carry
them across his shoulders. And if it is near the still waters that you find
yourself, know that the shepherd is nearby as well. When we find ourselves in
those moments of rest and peace, let us always remember to give thanks. Matthew
Sleeth, the author of 24/6 that some
of you have been reading, says in that book that “no one finds Jesus on the day
they win the lottery.” Let us not fall into that trap. Give God thanks for
those moments of rest and vacation that you have. And know that as they will
inevitably come to an end, the shepherd is never far off.
Perhaps you noticed that something
is missing from our Gospel reading today- Jesus never actually says “I am the Good
Shepherd.” That is verse 11, and our reading ended at verse 10. Instead, we
read one of the lesser known “I AM” statements of Jesus- “I am the Gate.” Or a
better translation is “Door.” Now I promise there is a connection between a
door and a shepherd, but before we get there, let us remember the context of
this passage, of the man born blind, and the Scribes and Pharisees.
They thought they were the door.
They controlled the Temple and were the gate keepers. They controlled who was
in and out, who was clean and who wasn’t. Jesus heals a man born blind and
suggests that it is, in reality, them who are spiritually blind. They are the
bad shepherds to which Jesus will contrast himself. Sadly, we haven’t done much
better. Many churches make exclusive claims that it is their doctrine that
provides the only door to salvation. But Jesus makes it rather clear, he is the
Door. We all know the pain of a door being slammed in our face, or perhaps we
know of what it’s like to close a door on another person. It might be that the
door was slammed on your career by a dishonest coworker, or maybe you weren’t
given a shot that you deserved, perhaps a family member wrote you off after a
fight. Jesus makes it clear that he will not be a slamming door in anyone’s
face though, as he proclaims “I came that they may have life, and have it
abundantly.”
So how is it that the Jesus being
the Door relates to him as the Shepherd? That scholar that I mentioned earlier
who asked about counting sheep also questioned the shepherd when they came to
the sheepfold. It was a circle of stones with branches and thickets piled on
top of them, forming a makeshift fence. He asked “but where is the door that
you use to open and close the fold.” The shepherd then laid down across the opening
of the rocks and said “I am the door. The sheep know not to walk over me and I’ll
know it if a wolf tries to sneak past.” Jesus says “I am the door,” and later
in chapter 10 will say “The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” As
it turns out, he meant that quite literally.
If we can muster up the strength to
trust Jesus to be our shepherd, he can take away the sting of death and the
anxieties of life. Remember, as the Psalm points out, we’ll still have those dark
valleys to pass through, but we won’t do it alone. I’ve said it many times
before, but it is worth repeating- what God provides is maximum support with
minimum protection. The Good Shepherd’s job isn’t to hunt down all the wolves
and eliminate the threat, but it is to be with us. Eastern shepherds, before
laying down to become the door, would make each sheep pass under their staff
before entering the sheepfold. As they would pass under the rod, the shepherd
would inspect them for injuries. The Good Shepherd knows our wounds and pains,
and he can carry those burdens for us if we can have the trust and dedication
to follow him, knowing that he is leading us into green pastures, even if we
have to pass through the dark valleys to get there.
Writing from prison, Dietrich
Bonhoeffer wrote about the advantage of celebrating Easter from a locked cell.
This metaphor took on a new meaning for him, as he became aware that the door
is the only way out of captivity, and that it can only be opened from the outside.
Whatever it is that traps us- sin, death, fear, anxiety, doubt, Jesus is the Door
that opens to the abundant life of green pastures. When we are in the places
where predators are all around, such as the setting of Psalm 22- “Many bulls
encircle me… they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring
lion,” we know that the reality of Psalm 23 follows- “I fear no evil; for you
are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table
before me in the presence of my enemies.” Many false shepherds will call our
name and try to lure away with the calls of wealth, prestige, and power, but
Jesus will likewise call us towards the Door of his abundant life of grace and
living for the Kingdom of God as it is coming on earth as in heaven.
As Psalm 23 ends, the translation we
read says “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” “Follow”
really isn’t a great word to use, it’s actually something more like chase, pursue,
or even, persecute. As I said a few weeks ago in a sermon, the Resurrection
shows that God will not give up on us. As Jesus says in another parable “Which one
of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the
ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds
it?” This Good Shepherd is dedicated to you, the Good Shepherd loves you, and
the Good Shepherd is going to keep calling your name to join the flock so that
you might travel safely through the valleys and rejoice in the pastures.
So having all of this in mind- “what
difference does the Resurrection make in your life?” You might say “all;” it
makes all the difference. The Resurrection proclaims that the Good Shepherd,
who laid down his life for us as the Door, has been redeemed through the grace
and might of God. The Resurrection means that the Good Shepherd has battled
with the wolves of sin and death and fought them off. The Good Shepherd lovingly
calls us to his flock, that we might have abundant life. The Good Shepherd leads
us beside still waters and comforts us with his staff in dark valleys. The
Resurrection is the crowning of our Shepherd as our King, and that makes all
the difference.
This week, spend some time
reflecting on that question about the Resurrection in your life. Each day this
week, pray Psalm 23. “The Lord is
my shepherd.” Thanks be to God.
