Mar. 21: Sheep You Can Count On

By Kathy Merkle-Raymond

Gospel John 10:19-42

¹⁹Again the Jews were divided because of these words. ²⁰Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?” ²¹Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

²²At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. ²⁴So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” ²⁵Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; ²⁶but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. ²⁷My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰The Father and I are one.”

³¹The Jews took up stones again to stone him. ³²Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” ³³The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” ³⁴Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’?” ³⁵If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ — and the scripture cannot be annulled — ³⁶can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God's Son’? ³⁷If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. ³⁸But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” ³⁹Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.

⁴⁰He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. ⁴¹Many came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” ⁴²And many believed in him there.

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The metaphor of Jesus as shepherd and Christians as obedient followers is familiar, often the topic of Good Shepherd Sunday, which is the third week after Easter.  In today’s lectionary text, verses 22-30 detail the exchange between Jesus and a group of Jewish challengers -- a tense argument in which Jesus is repeatedly threatened with stoning. It is ironic that this heated quarrel immediately follows a night’s celebration of Hanukkah, recalling how one-day’s supply of oil miraculously burned for a full eight days of Temple purification after ruin by Greek soldiers. The resisters couldn’t see the miracle right in front of them, completely missing out on the meaning and purpose of Jesus’ life.  In doubting Christ’s healing ministry, they demand that he identify himself as the Messiah, and then prepare again to stone him when he explains that “God is in me and I am in God”.   

Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 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.

At one level, these words offer great comfort and reassurance.  But, do we have to be sheep?!  How much do we relish our character roles in this story? As a child growing up on a Midwestern farm, I learned from my father that sheep are not the dim-witted, bleary-eyed followers that people often characterize them to be. Sheep are actually equally as intelligent as pigs and cattle, all of which my dad raised, and what is unique about sheep is their intense herd loyalty and preference for togetherness. If one goes missing, it really did get lost; by nature, sheep do not like to wander away on their own.  In general, sheep have excellent eyesight and far-broader peripheral vision than humans.  Their view covers some 300+ -degree radius, which explains why they don’t have to turn their heads to see around them and why they act skittish when approached from behind.  But my favorite part of this farm lesson was to learn that sheep recognize their owners and can actually read facial expressions!  The herd could tell if my dad was having a good day or an anxious one, and that made the sheep seem almost like family pets in my dad’s younger farming days.

Like us, sheep like to be together with their “peeps” when following their trusted shepherd.  By being loyal followers, they make the farmer’s work feel purposeful.  Jesus clearly lived his life with purpose and conviction.  When we herd together to meet someone’s needs or to address a crisis in our congregation, we are more than just contented, obedient sheep.  We become a loyal, loving clan whose strength is in our working together and in full commitment to one another as the body of Christ. And in walking our path humbly with God, we validate and give meaning to Jesus’ life and his ministry, right here in today’s messy world.

Rather than counting sheep to seek comfort on a sleepless night, maybe we can be the sheep that others count on to be present and loving, following the footsteps of our familiar, tenderhearted shepherd.

Isn’t That Something?

I like when the music happens like this:

Something in His eye grabs hold of a tambourine in me,

then I turn and lift a violin in someone else,

and they turn, and this turning continues;

it has reached you now.  Isn’t that something?

~  Rumi