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The Work of The People | Film | Abundant Life

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We arrive once again at "Good Shepherd Sunday," the fourth Sunday of Easter.

The focus of this portion of John 10, however, is on Jesus as the door or gate of the sheepfold.

Admittedly, the image of Jesus as shepherd makes for a far more natural comparison than comparing Jesus to a gate. And how can Jesus be both at the same time? These two images are part of a richly layered, extended metaphor that speaks of sheep, shepherd, gate, gatekeeper, strangers, thieves, bandits, and wolves. All of these except for the wolves are introduced in the first ten verses, and all of the elements of this extended metaphor contribute to understanding who Jesus is, and who we are in relation to him.

Jesus begins by describing who he is not. Those who climb into the sheepfold in a furtive way are thieves and bandits who do not care about the sheep but only about their own gain (10:1). By contrast, the shepherd enters the sheepfold openly, by means of the gate (10:2). He is recognized immediately by both the gatekeeper, who opens the gate for him, and by the sheep, who know his voice (10:3). When he calls his sheep by name, they follow him, and he leads them out to pasture (10:4). The sheep will not follow a stranger but instead will flee from one whose voice they do not recognize (10:5).

At this point the narrator comments that those listening did not understand the figure of speech ( paroimia) that Jesus was using (10:6). Rather than change tactics, Jesus "doubles down" on this figure of speech, saying to them, "Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep" (10:7). He describes all who came before him as thieves and bandits to whom the sheep did not listen (10:8). Again Jesus says, "I am the gate," and then adds: "Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture" (10:9). Whereas "the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy," Jesus says, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (10:10).

The function of the gate is to keep the sheep together in the sheepfold during the night, safe from thieves and predators. During the day the gate is opened so that the sheep can go out, following their shepherd, to find pasture. The gate and the shepherd work together for the well-being of the sheep, so that the flock thrives. Jesus is both the gate and the shepherd at the same time; he guards and protects his sheep from danger, and he provides for their nourishment, for their life in abundance.

As Karoline Lewis rightfully emphasized, this discourse of Jesus follows directly after his healing of the man blind from birth in John 9. Though chapter divisions might obscure the fact, there is no break after Jesus' comments to the Pharisees in 9:41. Rather, Jesus launches immediately into this discourse about sheep and gates and shepherds. The shepherd discourse, then, interprets the sign that he has enacted in restoring sight to the blind man. ¹

Although there is no one-to-one correspondence between elements of the metaphor and the narrative it follows, certain associations are hard to miss. The Pharisees who have interrogated the blind man in John 9 are supposed to be the shepherds of Israel, those who care for, protect, and nourish the people. Instead, they expel the healed blind man from their community, refusing to believe that Jesus and his healing work come from God. They are more concerned about guarding their power and authority than about the well-being of the people.

Having already restored the sight of the man, Jesus seeks him out again after his expulsion from the synagogue and brings him into the community of his followers (9:35-38). For the blind man, salvation is not only receiving his physical sight but also spiritual sight, recognizing who Jesus is, believing in him, and becoming part of his community. He followed the voice of Jesus before he could see him, and it led to new life. His days of isolation are over; he now knows himself to be a valued member of Jesus' flock, cared for and protected.

One direction for reflection on this text might be to ask: What does it mean for us as followers of Jesus today, in our context, to be protected by the gate and the shepherd, to be "saved," to have life in abundance?

It is important to note that the metaphor of the gate is not one of exclusion, not a license to think of ourselves as Jesus' true sheep and others as outsiders. (If we use it that way, we become like the Pharisees who expelled the blind man from their community.) The purpose of the gate is not to keep out other sheep. Indeed, Jesus says in verse 16, "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." Rather, the purpose of the gate is to guard against all that threatens the well-being of the sheep - thieves, bandits, and wolves.

It goes without saying that there are many thieves and bandits in our world who seek to steal and kill and destroy. There are also "wolves in sheep's (or shepherd's) clothing" - for example, preachers who proclaim the abundant life that Jesus offers as a life of continual health, wealth, and success. This message often leads to much wealth for the preacher, but deception and despair for those who follow and find that life is still full of struggle.

What, then, is the life in abundance that Jesus promises? The whole of John's Gospel is focused on this gift of life:

"In him was life, and the life was the light of all people" (1:4).

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (3:1).

"I am the resurrection and the Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live" (11:25).

"And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (17:3).

"But these are written so that you may believe... and that through believing you may have life in his name" (20:31).

"Life" or "eternal life" in John's Gospel is not just about life after death. It is life that begins here and now; it is knowing the one true God and Jesus Christ whom God has sent. It is knowing the voice of the good shepherd who truly cares for us. It is life in community, finding security and nourishment as part of his flock. It is life that abounds in meaning and value and endures even beyond death.

Much has been written about how sheep are rather unintelligent animals. It is true that without a shepherd, they will not necessarily be able to find food or water, and that they will easily get lost and not be able to find their way home. However, the thing that Jesus emphasizes about sheep is that they know the voice of their shepherd. Whatever else one can say about the mental capacities of sheep, they have this in their favor: they recognize the voice of the one who cares for them. They follow their shepherd, but will not follow a stranger whose voice they do not know.

What about us? Do we recognize the voice of the good shepherd over all the other voices promising abundance? How might you as a preacher help us to recognize that voice?

Notes:

1. See chapter 6 in the excellent commentary by Karoline Lewis, John ( Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014), 123-146.

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Commentary on John 10:1-10 - Working Preacher from Luther Seminary

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We arrive once again at "Good Shepherd Sunday," the fourth Sunday of Easter. The focus of this portion of John 10, however, is on Jesus as the door or gate of the sheepfold. Admittedly, the image of Jesus as shepherd makes for a far more natural comparison than comparing Jesus to a gate.

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The beloved "fourth gospel" presents a portrait of Jesus that it is at once engaging and profound.

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We begin the retreat by reflecting on God’s faithful, unconditional love for each of us. We consider who we are most fundamentally—or rather, whose we are. Each one of us is God’s beloved son or daughter: this is the core of our identity.

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We begin the retreat by reflecting on God’s faithful, unconditional love for each of us. We consider who we are most fundamentally—or rather, whose we are. Each one of us is God’s beloved son or daughter: this is the core of our identity.

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We thank You, Lord, for re-igniting the flame of hope within us,

for filling our hearts with light and evicting the darkness,

and for giving a new vision of Your glory. Amen.

Go now, as light-bearers to a world in darkness,

Go now, as hope-carriers to a world in despair;

We go in the name of Christ,

and in the power of the Spirit.

from Food For The Road: Life Lessons From The Lord's Table,

For additional worship resources for the third Sunday of Easter on this blog, click on Easter 3 in the list of "Labels" to the lower right.

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We thank You, Lord, for re-igniting the flame of hope within us, for filling our hearts with light and evicting the darkness, and for giving a new vision of Your glory. Amen. Go now, as light-bearers to a world in darkness, Go now, as hope-carriers to a world in despair; We go in the name of Christ, and in the power of the Spirit.

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How can we deal with this difficult situation we're in? In this helpful reshow, Mandy Bayton tells us to depend on what is unseen

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The Work of The People | Film | Creation Heals

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Jesus doesn't give an explanation for the pain and sorrow of the world. He comes where the pain is most acute and takes it upon himself. Jesus doesn't explain why there is suffering, illness, and death in the world. He brings healing and hope. He doesn't allow the problem of evil to be the subject of a seminar. He allows evil to do its worst to him. He exhausts it, drains its power, and emerges with new life.N T Wright

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Jesus doesn't give an explanation for the pain and sorrow of the world. He comes where the pain is most acute and takes it upon himself. Jesus doesn't explain why there is suffering, illness, and death in the world. He brings healing and hope. He doesn't allow the problem of evil to be the subject of a seminar. He allows evil to do its worst to him. He exhausts it, drains its power, and emerges with new life.N T Wright

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Parker Palmer writes: My depression was partly the result of my own schooling, partly due to the way I was formed – and deformed – in educational systems of this country to live out of the top inch and a half of the human self.We are a culture that values mastery and control. But in the shadow of these values lies a profound sense of isolation from our human wholeness…. It is only human to trade our wholeness for societal approval… Education at its best …is not just about getting information or getting a job. Education is about healing and wholeness. It is about empowerment, liberation, transcendence, about increasing and renewing the vitality of life.

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Parker Palmer writes: My depression was partly the result of my own schooling, partly due to the way I was formed – and deformed – in educational systems of this country to live out of the top inch and a half of the human self.We are a culture that values mastery and control. But in the shadow of these values lies a profound sense of isolation from our human wholeness…. It is only human to trade our wholeness for societal approval… Education at its best …is not just about getting information or getting a job. Education is about healing and wholeness. It is about empowerment, liberation, transcendence, about increasing and renewing the vitality of life.

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God does not leave us....

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The Work of The People | Film | Life After Death

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Scholar, author and activist Monica A Coleman on life after death and the a very personal relationship with God.

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Search the photos on your phone taken in December/January to reflect on life while on leave.

What do you most remember about that time?

What do the photos suggest about what matters most to you?

What hopes did you have for the new year?

Post or share a special photo with family and friends.

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What has been the highlight of the year so far?
What has been a lowlight?
What gives you life?

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What film captures your imagination in relation to the experience of life?

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Forrest Gump - #1 - "Life's like a box of chocolates"

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The words God speaks are the life and sustenance of all that exists. The life Jesus gives is the re-creation and renewed birth of all that is broken and worn. The Spirit’s stirring in our souls is the inspiration for creativity, compassion, joy, and community.                           Life-giving, life-restoring, life-fulfilling God; may our whole lives be worship.In all things, may we seek to connect with and to reflect your love and your hope. 

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The words God speaks are the life and sustenance of all that exists. The life Jesus gives is the re-creation and renewed birth of all that is broken and worn. The Spirit’s stirring in our souls is the inspiration for creativity, compassion, joy, and community.                           Life-giving, life-restoring, life-fulfilling God; may our whole lives be worship.In all things, may we seek to connect with and to reflect your love and your hope. 

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The UK Blessing — Churches sing 'The Blessing' over the UK

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Lauren Daigle

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Shepherd (Official Lyric Video) - Amanda Cook | Brave New World

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"Be Still and Know" from Scripture Lullabies

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1. Explore John 10:1-10 taking note of any phrases that connect with you.
2. Consider different translations. How do they enhance understanding?
3. Read John 9 to explore what happened before and provides the context for Jesus discussion.
4. Read Ezekiel 34 as this provides  the background for the concept of shepherd and especially the 'good shepherd'.

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Lord you make all things new, the Creator who is continually nurturing, renewing, and developing every aspect of our remarkable universe.

Lord you make all things new. I rest in your creative arms, I dwell in the hope of this renewal, I hope in the strength of your mighty hand.

Lord you make all things new. Take all I am, all I care for, and all I love into your gentle arms. Come to touch and heal, mend and restore, release and minister.

Lord thank you that you make all things new. Thank you that there is always a new start in you. Thank you that today my life is being remade anew.

Amen.

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Lord you make all things new, the Creator who is continually nurturing, renewing, and developing every aspect of our remarkable universe. Lord you make all things new. I rest in your creative arms, I dwell in the hope of this renewal, I hope in the strength of your mighty hand.

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Ezekiel                                     The shepherds of Israel

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Ezekiel                                     The shepherds of Israel

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Christ continues to lay down his life for us,so that we might have life.                             Christ continues to show us the way,so that we might live into the truth and the life. Christ continues to love us,so that we might love God and love our neighbours as ourselves.                            Know that you are forgiven, loved, and given new life. Amen.        

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Christ continues to lay down his life for us,so that we might have life.                             Christ continues to show us the way,so that we might live into the truth and the life. Christ continues to love us,so that we might love God and love our neighbours as ourselves.                            Know that you are forgiven, loved, and given new life. Amen.        

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Jesus is the good shepherd? What does that mean?

In our culture, religion is an optional religious experience for those who like that kind of thing. It's good clean fun, time with friends, decent music, more inspiring than Ted Talks. Australia views church as a recreational activity, a time of being refreshed after the work and political struggles of the week, a bit like binging on Netflix except you have to dress up and go out.

So when we read Jesus talking about the kingdom of God, we can't make any sense of it. We copy the Psalms and sing, "God reigns," but we don't think of ourselves as a kingdom.

Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11), but we don't understand what that meant to Israel. A shepherd was a ruler, one who led the herd. In Jesus' day, the Sanhedrin had that responsibility. So if he claimed to be the good shepherd, what was he implying about Israel's other shepherds?

Thieves, robbers, strangers, hired hands! Ouch! The bad shepherds don't care for the flock. They make terrible decisions, like locking the sheep out of the sheepfold (9:22), so the good shepherd goes to find them (9:34-35). The whole "good shepherd" imagery is Jesus publicly shaming Israel's leaders and calling people to follow his leadership instead (9:40 - 10:5). The good shepherd gives abundant life to his flock, whereas the bad shepherds kill and destroy the sheep to feed themselves (10:7-18).

Because we have not understood Jesus' claim to be Israel's true leader, we have not understood what he said about the bad shepherds either. He warned, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (10:10), but he didn't mean the devil as Christians often suppose. Jesus was referring to the bad leaders characterized by self-interest, those who feed on the flock to support themselves.

The bad shepherds would have known Jesus was critiquing them. Ezekiel had explained that Israel had gone into exile because the shepherds of Israel had been feeding on the sheep (Ezekiel 34:2). The bad shepherds scattered, killed and destroyed the sheep; yet God would rescue his people, restoring a descendant of David as their ruler:
And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.
We have no chance of understanding Jesus if we don't understand him as this king, the ruler chosen by heaven to rescue his people from the reign of evil, into heaven's reign.

He is heaven's appointed king. We are his kingdom, the community under his kingship. That's the kingdom of God - the flock living under the governance of the good shepherd.

What others are saying

Craig Keener, Who Comes to Steal, Kill, and Destroy? (Christianity Today, 2017):

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy," Jesus says in John 10:10. "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

A quick quiz: Who is the thief?

When I ask my students this question, they almost always give the same answer: "The Devil."

The problem is that the Devil doesn't appear anywhere in the context of the passage, but other thieves are clearly identified.

Timothy S. Laniak, Shepherds after My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions and Leadership in the Bible (England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press; Apollos, 2006), 215:

Here [John 10:7-10] the contrast in motives and result is made explicit. The religious leaders are serving themselves with the result that the flock is destroyed ( apollymi). This is precisely the picture at the beginning of Ezekiel 34: shepherds who feed themselves (v. 2), slaughter the sheep (v. 3) and use force to overpower them (v. 4). The result is the scattering ( diaspeirō) and destruction ( apollymi) of the flock (vv. 4-5). Jesus' expression 'life to the full' corresponds to Ezekiel's image of sheep lying down in lush pastures (Ezek. 34:13-16)

D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1991), 382:

In the context of Jesus' ministry the thieves and robbers are the religious leaders who are more interested in fleecing the sheep than in guiding, nurturing and guarding them. They are the leaders of ch. 9, who should have had ears to hear Jesus' claims and recognize him as the revelation from God, but who instead belittle and expel the sheep.

[previous: God's kingdom and salvation]

[next: The key posts of 2016/2017]

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Jesus is the good shepherd? What does that mean? In our culture, religion is an optional religious experience for those who like that kind of thing. It's good clean fun, time with friends, decent music, more inspiring than Ted Talks.

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This post is by Becky Eldredge, author of Busy Lives & Restless Souls, as she begins An Ignatian Prayer Adventure.

[There is a] kind of knowing that afterward you can never not know. The kind that, no matter what anyone says, you know what you know, and that deep foundational knowledge is unshakeable. You can stand on it. It is a rock.

-Margaret Silf in The Other Side of Chaos

Every time I read this quote, it reminds me of what it felt like to come to understand God's love for me. Once I awakened to God's love for me, something shifted. My life's foundation went from what felt like shifting sand to solid rock that has only continued to strengthen over time. Knowing that I am deeply loved by God is something I cannot un-know, even when I try to forget it.

I came to understand God's love for me slowly, just as I came to fully grasp the love my husband had for me and I had for my husband. Both grew over time, nurtured through the gift of spending time together. Coming to know God's love for me happened through the time we spent together and by immersing myself in God's words. Over time, I trained my ear to God's voice, and the words I read from the Bible were not just words on the page. They became words that God was speaking to me and about me:

"You have searched me and known me" -Psalm 139:1

"The LORD is my shepherd" -Psalm 23

"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." -John 10:10

"You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you." -Isaiah 43:4

Even as my love for my husband developed, I awakened to the fact that even our relationship was not the firmest foundation in my life. God's love was the unshakeable foundation, and it was upon this rock that our marriage was built. It was out of God's love for us that we could love each other. As Psalm 62 reminds me, "My soul finds rest in God; / my salvation comes from him. / Truly he is my rock and my salvation; / he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." (NIV)

Of course, I sometimes forget the depth with which I'm loved by God, and instead try to measure my worth by a project completed or a certain gift I have or even compared to a person in my life. Thankfully, the deep knowing of God's love for me draws me back and reminds me my foundation is still there, solid as a rock, even if I forget I'm standing on it. It is often the restlessness I feel when I do temporarily forget God's love for me that serves as a reminder of God's gift of love, because it is then that the Holy Spirit reminds me to look down and remember that God is the rock on which I stand.

Becky Eldredge is a writer and spiritual director in Baton Rouge, LA. The author of Busy Lives & Restless Souls and The Inner Chapel, Becky holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Education from Louisiana State University and a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University New Orleans. She has her Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Spring Hill College. Becky has been involved in ministry for more than 15 years, with the majority of her work in retreat ministry and adult faith formation. While ministry is one of her passions, her greatest joy is sharing life with her husband, Chris, and her children, Brady, Abby, and Mary.

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The Depth of God's Love for Me - Ignatian Spirituality

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This post is by Becky Eldredge, author of Busy Lives & Restless Souls , as she begins An Ignatian Prayer Adventure. [There is a] kind of knowing that afterward you can never not know. The kind that, no matter what anyone says, you know what you know, and that deep foundational knowledge is unshakeable.

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Life Without Limbs: Nick Vujicic Ministries

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Verse of the Day - John 10:10 | Life Without Limbs

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Parker Palmer

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The Work of The People | Film | Choosing Life

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Parker Palmer on making life-giving decisions.