I’ve been taking a slow stroll through John 10, pausing
frequently to digest the richness and depth of meaning behind the initial reading.
Told at a moment when the Pharisees were in a flurry of tense and defensive
tempers, I can imagine how they looked with postures of arms crossed and
shoulders hunched in the body language of dissent. Jesus speaks with authority
to them, confronting and teaching, challenging and storytelling; using a
culturally familiar account of a shepherd, a wolf and a flock of sheep.
Three dogs bound out of the door each morning. One runs to
the bushes, searching with great enthusiasm for a rabbit or squirrel to chase.
Another ambles up the driveway at her own pace looking for butterflies to hop
after. The third waits at the door for her owner to appear, like a permanent
attendance taker who wants her paw held. When all three are running at full
speed, and in opposite trajectories, it can be challenging to capture their
attention and regroup them to move in the same direction again. A slight distraction
appears and off they go, scattered across the yard.
Animals grouped into flocks, herds or schools all have their
own instinctual response to the presence and attack of a predator. In the case
of the sheep in John 10, we are told that the wolf scatters them. If it can
take considerable effort to return three happy dogs to one spot, I would
imagine it would be very difficult to recall many scared sheep running in
terror. Hold that thought for a moment, allow your senses to play a role in
taking in the scene. Imagine the vibration in the earth as hooves hit the ground,
the stinging smell of adrenaline and dust heavy in the air, hearing the low
growl of the wolf and the panicked bleating of the runners. It is a scene of
chaos, where on top of it all, the employee who has been hired to care for the
sheep decides to make a run for it to find a safer job.
The Pharisees are not happy, they have just been compared to
ones who are part of scattering the flock with fear and not protecting them as leaders
are called to do. Middle class businessmen, trying to uphold the strictest
interpretation of the Old Testament laws and traditions; I can understand why
they were perturbed. It is easy to hold onto something that we feel is concrete
and correct, something that is safe and steady to guide ourselves and others
by. However, when we let tradition become law, become an idol in and of itself,
we run a risk of scattering and causing serious wounds.
Standing there insulted, they now hear Jesus telling them
that not only is he known by and knows his sheep, but he will gather them to
Him. The image takes a drastic change. Instead of creatures running in
terror, we are comforted with the true shepherd who does not abandon the sheep
in time of trouble and does not bring about predatory attacks, laying down his
life for the sheep instead. Just like a big smile appears on my face when I
speak to a dear friend whose familiar voice I love to hear, there is comfort for
the gathered sheep in hearing the voice of the shepherd, it is not that of a
stranger.
Then, Jesus goes one step further. He speaks of more sheep
in a different pen who are going to be gathered to him as well. A different
pen? More sheep? Where are these sheep coming from? What is he talking about?
Can’t you imagine the questions flying through the minds of those listening? They
might have drawn two different assumptions. As this was coming on the heels of
the man who was just ostracized from the synagogue (and now a large part of his
social and spiritual world) due to an act of healing, some might have thought
the reference was to him and others like him. Some may have grasped that this
could have referenced a group other than the Jews, the gathering of the
Gentiles. Thoughts are churning, it is not a comfortable moment to be listening
to these words.
In the hindsight of a vast amount of time I still find the
thought of scattering and gathering very relevant today. We need to consider if
we are part of the scattering or the gathering. Are we so reliant on tradition
and social assumptions that we turn out sheep that do not meet our self-imposed
prerequisites and niceties? Do we follow employees who run and look for safer
jobs when the wolf comes around or the shepherd who will defend his sheep? Are
we so caught up in law that we forget the true heart and voice of the law, instead
making up our own imprisoning interpretations as we go? The questions can pinch
any who look at them honestly. But, after taking that long look, I would
encourage us to focus on the ending of this part of John 10, at the second part
of verse 16, “… and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” The gathering
is happening – exciting times!
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives
His life for the sheep. But a
hireling, he who is not the
shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the
sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The
hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am
known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and
I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not
of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there
will be one flock and one
shepherd." ~ John 10:11-16
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