Following the Shepherd’s Voice—Lectionary Reflection for Easter 4A (John 10)
John 10:1-10 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
10 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
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The
Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. All three cycles of
the lectionary feature readings from the tenth chapter of John. In these
readings, we hear Jesus define his ministry in terms of the shepherd and the
sheepfold. Each of these readings from John 10 is accompanied by the reading of
Psalm 23. In this particular reading, Jesus addresses the thieves and bandits
who seek to enter the sheepfold with the intent to steal, kill, and destroy.
We’re told from the outset that the sheep will follow only their shepherd’s
voice and that he is not only the shepherd but the gate as well. Thus, Jesus is
the sole point of entry and exit, and the sheep will follow only the voice of
their shepherd.
The
tenth chapter of John offers both a word of encouragement and some troubling
words about the Jews, or at least the Jewish leaders. Part of the problem is a
matter of translation. John uses the phrase “hoi Ioudaioi” seventy
times. It appears everywhere except the Farewell Discourse (John 14-17) as well
as John 21. While this is often translated as “the Jews” there are several
other possible meanings, and the meaning is not the same in each instance. On
this issue, you might consult the appendix to Jaime Clark-Soles’ Reading
John for Dear Life. It is important to remember as well that the Johannine
community, the recipients of this Gospel, were most likely Jews who embraced
Jesus as Messiah. As we read in John 9:22, John records, in the story of the
healing of the man born blind, that “the hoi Ioudaioi” had ruled that
anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.
This statement reflects a situation present late in the first century as
division over whether Jesus was the Messiah. This theme is present throughout
the Gospel of John, so we must be careful that we do not read into the story
here anti-Jewish sentiment. The tension present in the Gospel is rooted in two
related communities who believe they represent the truth, and thus find
themselves competing for the loyalty of God’s people. Of course, this is
something that has been passed on within the Christian community from the
beginning to the present day, as competing voices seek to define truth.
There
is another issue present here and that has to do with the nature of leadership
and who is qualified to lead and teach in the community. As John shares with
us, Jesus warns the reader against the presence of bandits and thieves who seek
to infiltrate the community by bypassing the gate and climbing into the
sheepfold by another way being intent on harming the sheep. Jesus warns
his followers to beware of these interlopers who seek to mislead the flock. So,
listen carefully for the voice of the true shepherds, those who emulate Jesus
the Good Shepherd.
Regarding
the relationship between the sheep and the shepherds, Jesus tells us that the sheep
know the voice of the true shepherds and will follow only the true shepherds. The
message here concerns the importance of training one’s theological ear so that
one isn’t swayed against the teachings of the Good Shepherd.
John
mixes his metaphors, so that not only is Jesus the good shepherd (Jn. 10:11),
but he is also the gate through which the gatekeeper allows the shepherds to
enter. The gatekeeper would be the leaders of the community who only allow into
the sheepfold those with the proper credentials. That is why the false
shepherds/teachers have to climb over the wall/fence to get into the sheepfold.
Now, the identity of the gatekeeper is not revealed, but Paul speaks of the
gift of discernment (1 Cor. 12:10), so perhaps the gatekeepers are those gifted
with discernment, such that they make sure that falsehood is not disseminated
within the community. Now, in modern progressive Christianity, the faith
communities that I tend to inhabit, which value individual discernment and
chaffs under hierarchy, this word may be difficult to hear. However, do
those called to leadership, especially pastoral leadership, not have a
responsibility to make sure false teachings don’t enter the community? Think
about such things as Christian nationalism or racist ideologies. Shouldn’t
leaders address such things?
In the
verses that follow our reading for Easter 4A, Jesus identifies himself as the
Good Shepherd who lays his life down for the sheep (Jn. 10:11). The hired hand,
however, is not like the Good Shepherd, for such employees will run away in the
face of danger (when the wolf approaches). The message here is that the true
shepherds will emulate the Good Shepherd and stand fast in the face of danger
(and in Jesus’ case, that would be the cross). But what does John intend here
when speaking of the role of the shepherd in relation to the sheep?
In my
years as a pastor, I often heard folks talk about the desire for the pastor to
be a shepherd. It’s an attractive image—very “pastoral.” We have this image of
Jesus the Gentle Shepherd who carries the lamb upon his back. It’s a very
non-threatening image, that too often suggests that pastors/ministers are
nothing more than chaplains. But if we attend to the true image of the shepherd
as found in scripture, the shepherd isn’t a chaplain doing whatever the sheep
desire. Instead, the shepherd is the one who leads, guides, and protects the
sheep, guiding them to the pastures, to places of safety and sustenance (Psalm
23). In other words, this is a word
about leadership in the community, a form of leadership in the church, that is
to emulate Jesus. As such this is a great responsibility. Rubén
Rosario Rodríguez
offers this word of wisdom from his own experience of being called to serve as
a pastor of a small rural congregation at the very young age of twenty-five.
No one is born a leader. Like all things in life, it takes work and dedication to nurture the virtues that make one a good shepherd, and character—while at first taken on trust—is quickly exposed by our actions. The text makes it clear that a shepherd speaks truth, is reliable, and works for the good of the flock. Accordingly, when the shepherd calls, the sheep not only recognize the voice; they trust it and follow it, because they have come to know that voice as reliable and constant. [“Commentary 2” in Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship (Kindle Locations 8329-8333).]
The sheep know the voice of the true shepherd because it is
“reliable and constant” and therefore it is trustworthy and worthy of
following.
Now, on
this Good Shepherd Sunday in Year A, our reading ends in verse 10, so we don’t
get the full effect of the reading from John 10. Rather than being the
shepherd, Jesus describes himself as being the gate into the sheepfold. In
other words, he is the entry point into God’s realm. There is, in this passage,
only one gate. Those who seek to enter by climbing over the wall are nothing
more than bandits and thieves who seek to deceive and do harm. They are like
wolves intent on killing the flock. But the sheep know the voice of their
shepherd, and they will follow only that voice.
The
theme of this passage focuses on the relationship of the shepherd to the sheep.
The sheep know the voice of the shepherd. They’ve trained their ears, so they
won’t be deceived. So, what might this mean for the contemporary church? How
might we train our ears, so we attend to the truth revealed in Jesus? What is
the role of our leaders to help train our ears, so we are not easily deceived? Molly
Marshall offers this important insight into Jesus’ vision of the community and
its relationship to the shepherd:
In this passage, the shepherd seeks to keep the sheep together—as one community. This is a clue to Johannine ecclesiology. Forming a flock and protecting it from scattering portrays Jesus’ intention for an indestructible relationship between sheep and shepherd. Likewise, the church must be known by its relationship to Jesus. When Christological awareness ebbs in congregational life, that is, when the story of Jesus is neglected, the church becomes unmoored and rudderless. Christology teaches us that God is not willing to remain at a distance from us; rather, in God’s humility the Trinitarian history of God includes creation. The Word becomes flesh as God is made “after our likeness,” as the prologue of John narrates. [Feasting on the Word: Year A, Vol. 2: Lent Through Eastertide, p. 446]
The message of John’s discussion of the Good Shepherd reminds us that our spiritual health as a community is deeply rooted in our relationship to Jesus. If we neglect that relationship, if we do not see ourselves as the Body of Christ, to use Paul’s image, then we will lose our identity and then fall prey to dangerous ideologies that run contrary to the ways of God. Those of us called to be shepherds, that is leaders in the church, hear in this passage a reminder of our responsibility to attend to that relationship.
This reminder is important because we face many different ideologies that desire our allegiance. It’s easy to drift into places where the church in its various manifestations, is being lured into places that are spiritually and materially destructive, such as nationalism (as opposed to patriotism or love of one’s country). So, let us enter through the Gate, which is Jesus, into the Sheepfold (the realm of God), so that we might find safety in the presence of the true shepherd, whose voice rings out with clarity. If we do so then we will receive the abundant life Jesus came to provide us.
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