(John 10: 1-10)
Back when I was the Drug Court prosecutor for Jefferson County one of my responsibilities was that of gatekeeper. Because I was the prosecuting attorney, it was my decision as to whether or not anyone could be considered for entry into Drug Court. A person would get arrested and charged with a felony crime and, after talking with their defense attorney, they might request admission into Drug Court. One of the prerequisites of entry into Drug Court was that you had a drug problem that contributed to your current legal problems. Many times, I would extend a Drug Court offer before the defense attorney would ask, as we either already knew the person or had been contacted by their family, who were often the victims. As the gatekeeper, I had sheep to protect and I was very protective of my sheep. It’s not that I wanted to keep anyone out, but I had an obligation to protect the sheep already in the fold, and there were some wolves in sheep’s clothing that would have done great harm to the sheep. My Drug Court sheep knew my voice and knew that I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to them. And, even though my sheep have moved on, and I am the shepherd of a new flock, some still keep in touch and we rejoice when we see one another.
And that’s where we find ourselves in our scripture reading for this morning. The scripture for today comes right after Jesus had restored sight to a man who had been blind since birth. The Pharisees refused to believe this miracle and questioned the man and his parents extensively. Jesus springboards off this incident to take the Pharisees to task and make a point regarding theirs and our responsibility to God’s lesser children, his untended sheep.
Jesus begins by saying; I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. Sheep pens of the day were enclosures for the sheep to go into at night. The walls were just high enough so the sheep couldn’t jump the walls and there was only one entrance. It would be easy for a predator to get over the walls and Jesus is saying that anyone who enters by any means other than the gate is a thief and a robber. The shepherd often slept across the doorway of the pen to protect the sheep, putting himself between the sheep and danger. The listener would have understood this and would have known about individuals who would sneak over the walls at night to steal sheep. He says; The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. The sheep know their shepherd and trust him to look out for them. Jesus tells them that the sheep will not follow a stranger because they do not know the voice of the stranger.
We are told that Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but that they did not understand what he was saying to them. So, Jesus gets blunt with them and says; Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. Just as a shepherd cares for his sheep, Jesus, the good shepherd, cares for his flock, those who follow him.
I think Jesus has at least three audiences here. He has his followers who need to understand his role as the good shepherd, the gatekeeper. Then there are those who are seeking a relationship with God, and he wants them to know that it can only be done through him. And then, he has the Pharisees, the religious leaders, who have not been doing a good job of shepherding God’s people. In fact, they have been fleecing the sheep and getting fat off them. God was well aware of this as hundreds of years earlier, the prophet Ezekiel took the shepherds of Israel to task for not taking care of the flock. In chapter 34 the prophet says; The word of the Lord came to me. Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. Ezekiel goes on to berate the religious leaders for neglecting God’s people, and in verses 22-24 he tells them that the Lord will save his flock so that they will no longer be plundered. The Lord will judge between one sheep and another. He will place over them one shepherd, his servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. The Lord will be their God, and his servant David will be prince among them. Ezekiel is prophesizing the coming of the Messiah, out of the house of David, and how he will lead his people as a loving and protective shepherd.
When Jesus began his ministry, God’s sheep were scattered and the shepherds, the ruling religious authorities, weren’t doing a very good job of tending the flock. They were doing exactly what the prophet Ezekiel said; they were using and abusing the defenseless sheep, not taking care of them as they were supposed to. The sheep were looking for another shepherd, one who would lead and protect them, the long-awaited Messiah.
In the absence of a strong shepherd, the sheep will fall prey to those who want to do them harm and take advantage of them. The Apostle Peter, the one that Jesus said he would build his church upon, got that, and in 1 Peter 5: 2-4 he says; Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers, not because you must but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve, not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. You got to love Peter. A simple man who gets it and can explain it so beautifully. The shepherd-sheep relationship is one of intimacy, guidance, and care.
Sometimes we are the sheep, needing to be protected and led by a strong and loving shepherd. Other times we are the shepherds, the overseers, of God’s flock, entrusted with the care and protection of his most vulnerable sheep. During these difficult times when it seems as if the shepherds who have been put into power to protect and serve the sheep are failing in their responsibilities, other shepherds are called upon to step forward and be the protectors and providers for the defenseless and dependent. I look at the lost sheep who come to our church on a weekly basis looking for the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter and our ability through the relationships we’ve developed over the years to be shepherds to them, bringing them into the fold. I look at the work we are doing in assisting the shepherds at the Quilcene Food Bank in their effort to be loving shepherds to God’s hungry and frightened sheep, and feel blessed that we can help tend their flock as associate shepherds, as they learn to trust us and know our voice.
As I said, the shepherd-sheep relationship is one of intimacy, guidance and care. It takes time, patience, understanding, commitment and love, love for the sheep. God needs gatekeepers, associate shepherds to help tend the flock and rescue his lost sheep. What flock out there needs you, needs your church, as a shepherd? How can you answer God’s call to be the kind of shepherd where the sheep will know your voice as you lead them to the Good Shepherd?
Please pray with me.
Savior, like a shepherd lead us, much we need thy tender care. Keep us in thy pleasant pastures, feed us, for our use thy folds prepare. Loving God, how we want to be led and tended to by your firm and loving hand. We know your voice and willingly follow the Good Shepherd where he leads. Through your Holy Spirit, show us how to be your associate shepherds moving us to tend your sheep with the same love, compassion and grace you have bestowed upon us. Show us how to be the gatekeepers defending and protecting your sheep from those who would do them harm so that goodness and mercy shall follow them all the days of their lives so that they too may dwell in the house of the Lord their whole life long. In Jesus’s name, the Good Shepherd, we pray, Amen.