The Good Shepherd
The readings appointed for this Sunday morning present what is surely an image familiar to all of us, that of the Good Shepherd. The image of the caring shepherd is known to us from the Old Testament, most especially through the 23rd psalm: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” The image of shepherd in scripture was applied to caregivers, whether divine or human, and had both a political and a spiritual dimension; kings and governors were frequently called shepherds in secular writings of the period. Moses was described as a shepherd. Through the image of the shepherd, scripture makes quite clear the responsibility of leaders to care for their followers.
The lesson of the Good Shepherd is not difficult to understand, but it’s very difficult to do; it’s simple, but it’s not easy. A relationship with God as known in Jesus involves our heart, soul, mind and strength.
This OT image was of course known to Jesus, and when he adopts the image of the shepherd to describe his ministry, he is distinguishing himself clearly from the image of the warrior-king, the Messiah who would lead Israel to freedom through armed rebellion. Jesus’ model for the Messiah is the caring shepherd of the flock. His love is faithful and true, for unlike the hired hand, he does not abandon his people in times of danger (John 10:12), does not lead for the sake of personal gain, like the Pharisees; indeed, he is willing to sacrifice himself for them. Jesus draws an intimate connection between himself, his followers and God: “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” The story about Tabitha in Acts emphasizes what our response to Jesus’ love should be: “She was devoted to good works and acts of charity.” God’s love must be seen in our loving actions to others. Jesus models for us the way we should live; when he tells us that he is “the way, truth and life,” he calls us to follow his way, to be like him in the pursuit of truth, of abundant life for all. We all have to become shepherds—good shepherds. We are called to be faithful and true, to him, to each other, to all of creation.
During this Easter season we focus much on the passion of Christ, on his suffering and death; one way of understanding Christ’s passion is to recognize what he was passionate about, what led to his execution. Clearly, he was passionate about justice and peace; the Gospel passage is addressed to the Pharisees and thereby contrasts Jesus with the leaders of the synagogue who collaborate with the Romans and steal, take money & goods for themselves from the poor and marginalized. Jesus demonstrated peacefully, non-violently, against the injustice he witnessed in his society and he died for his efforts. So too must we pursue divine justice in our world, in our society. We who are blessed with so much must do all we can to ensure a fair distribution of the world’s goods, to call attention to exploitation of people and places, to strive to feed the hungry, clothe the naked. The Christian faith is a transformative faith, a transformative way of life, for us and for those we love in God’s name; as his love changes us, so too our love changes the lives of others, spiritually, politically, and physically. Note the hospitality and sharing in the early church as described in the book of Acts (4:32-35).
The lesson of the Good Shepherd is not difficult to understand, but it’s very difficult to do; it’s simple, but it’s not easy. A relationship with God as known in Jesus involves our heart, soul, mind and strength. It should transform us and our community. The Bible from beginning to end is both personal and political, concerned with both spiritual matters and social matters, and our life of Christian faithfulness involves both as well. When Jesus is asked what must be done to inherit eternal life, his answer is to love. Love is at the centre of Creation, because God is love. Love is at the heart of Christianity because that’s who Jesus is. As the Body of Christ, we try to embody God’s love in and for the world. It’s not who we are naturally. Living according to our own nature, we operate selfishly, cruelly, dominating others for power and profit. But God through Jesus calls us to live compassionately; as the Good Shepherd, he models for us a life of peace and justice. Warrior or shepherd: the choice is clear and clearly still needed in our world. We are called to keep trying to embody God’s love to this broken world. The Church of Transfiguration can move forward together, knowing the Good Shepherd is with us, calling us to lead others along “right paths,” at a time of life when “still waters” are probably most desired. “With goodness and mercy” the promise of our Lord, we can overcome obstacles, doubts and fears in order to further the kingdom of God in this place, in this time. This moment in the Church’s history is a time for joy and thanksgiving, not fear and trembling. Love is the way the faithful live; love is the way forward.