The
Unique Jesus (4):The Good Shepherd
- Rev Norman Cameron
A few weeks ago I noticed in
the newspapers that there was a film shortly due for release called the
Good Shepherd. I wondered was it a film about Jesus as he was the only
one I knew who used that title of himself. Of course now that the film
is out I see that it deals with the early days of the CIA. I have not
seen the film but I assume the idea behind the title is that the Agency
is there to protect the citizens of the United States. It may
seem a secretive and sometimes sinister organization but ultimately its
intentions are good.
The Pharisees of Jesus day looked upon
themselves as shepherds. They were protectors of the people, guides
into understanding the law, leaders of Israel –
God’s flock. They were good shepherds, or so they thought,
but Jesus had other views on the matter. Indeed most of the clashes
that Jesus had were with the religious teachers; he thought that they
were hypocrites. It is a sobering thought to realize that most of
Jesus’ anger was directed not at ordinary people, not even at
those normally regarded as sinners – tax collectors,
prostitutes, roman governors and soldiers. No Jesus saved most of his
ire for religious leaders, which should cause those of us who are
religious leaders pause for thought.
THE
CONTEXT
As with the other I Am sayings I want us to see this saying within the
wider context of the Old Testament because that is certainly
significant here but before I come to that I want us to see this
conversation Jesus had in the immediate context of what has just
happened. The problem with chapter divisions – and remember
the OT and NT originally did not have chapters and verses, the problem
with divisions is that we see exchanges and conversations in isolation
and do not link it to what comes immediately before and after. But in
ch.9 we have just had the healing of the man born blind. The religious
leaders have interrogated him, like the CIA perhaps!, and because he
claimed to be healed by Jesus, a radical teacher and one who heals on
the Sabbath (which you should not do according to their code) they do
not accept him. They roundly abuse this poor guy especially when he
questions them and says that “if this man were not from God
he could do nothing.” He has a more correct theology that
they have and so in anger they kick him out.
Jesus hears about this and accuses the
Pharisees of being spiritually blind especially as they claim to be
able to see. In 9:41 he says “if you were blind you would not
be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see your guilt
remains”. Then immediately he begins to talk about sheep,
shepherds and gates into folds. So the context here is important and
should help us to see what Jesus meant here. He is wanting to contrast
himself as the good shepherd with the Pharisees who regards as bad or
poor shepherds. The implication of what he is saying is that the
religious leaders are misleading the people, especially as far as he is
concerned but from other things we see in the gospels he does not have
a high opinion of them generally. From John and the other gospels it is
clear that Jesus views the leaders as hypocritical, they will say one
thing and do another; they are fond of the best seats at the banquets,
they are fond of their flowing robes and prominent positions, they are
more interested in external purity than internal purity, more
interested in laws and regulations than actually knowing God.
But on this most key issue of who Jesus is, is
he from God, is he the Son of God, is he the messiah, they are proving
woefully inept. The prophecies are clear and yet they will not
countenance the suggestion that Jesus could be the messiah despite the
miracles. They are blinkered and prejudiced against him. They are not
open to God and to God moving in surprising ways and different ways.
They have God in a box. They have him sorted and he cannot be different
and he cannot heal people on a Sabbath and he cannot come from a
backwater town like Nazareth and he cannot look like this ordinary
looking man.
There were of course some notable dissenters
from the standard position – some men whose minds were open
and who had an honest spirit of enquiry. Men like Nicodemus. But in
general there were few who had time for Jesus and of course it was the
religious authorities who arranged for him to be killed.
THE
WIDER CONTEXT
But then let us view this saying in the wider context of shepherds in
the Old Testament. Shepherds and sheep were a common theme in the
scriptures. One of the best known and best loved Psalms is Psalm 23
where God is likened to a shepherd – “The Lord is
my shepherd”. We have well known shepherds who became
spiritual shepherds of Israel. David began life as a shepherd before he
became a king and shepherded Israel; Moses spent forty years
shepherding flocks for his father in law Jethro before shepherding
Israel from Egypt through the wilderness. Three times at least in the
Psalms the people of God are said to be the flock of the Lord
(Ps.79:13, 95:7, 100:3). Jeremiah weeps because “the
Lord’s flock will be taken captive” (Jer.13:17),
but Isaiah knows that when the Lord comes he will “tend his
flock like a shepherd, gathering the lambs in his arms and carrying
them close to his heart. He will gently lead those who have
young.” (Is.20:11) And then of course we have the long
passage in Ezekiel 34 which I have deliberately read this morning
because I have no doubt it was in Jesus mind as he spoke to the
Pharisees. I also think that it impossible tat it was not in at least
some of the Pharisees minds as Jesus spoke about being a good shepherd,
for these Pharisees knew their scriptures well.
The spiritual leaders of Ezekiel’s
day were bad leaders, poor shepherds, more interested in themselves
than in the people. Living off the people instead of feeding and
guiding the people with God’s word. God says that he will
step in and he will lead and feed them himself, he will bypass these so
called leaders and prophets and in a day that is coming he will give
them a new David, a messiah. (Ezek.34:23) “I will place over
them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will
tend them and be their shepherd. I the lord will be their God, and my
servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have
spoken.”
And here was that David, here was that prince,
here was that shepherd. Jesus says I am the good shepherd. I am the
true shepherd of Israel but you guys are like thieves and robbers. You
have not the best interests of the flock at heart – you are
more interested in yourselves. A True shepherd has a sacrificial heart.
You are more like hirelings – at the first sign of trouble or
difficulty you run.
JESUS
AS THE TRUE SHEPHERD
This is what Jesus was saying. This was the undercurrent of this story
of sheep and robbers. He was the true shepherd and people would
recognize the note of authority and authenticity in his voice. You see
you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool
all of the people all of the time. People would come to see that Jesus
was the true shepherd, the David who was to come. God’s flock
would recognize his voice but the Pharisees seem to be particularly
dull on this. It says in 10:6 “Jesus used this figure of
speech but they did not understand what he was telling them.”
Perhaps they feared what he was telling them and did not want to know,
they were suppressing the truth which is what we often do as people.
Now clearly there is here a word to us who are
leaders. We must be careful not to fall into the trap of the Pharisees.
We need to guide and lead correctly. We need to be so close to God and
reading the scriptures with an open and Spirit-led mind that we can see
when God is moving and follow him. The Pharisees were blind and deaf
and they missed it. God was beside them and they missed it. God was
doing great miracles and they refused to believe it. God was in their
neighbourhood and they slighted him.
How ironic is this – that those who
knew the most recognized the least. God bypassed the sophisticates and
he came to the children. He bypassed the wise in their own eyes and he
came to the unlearned. This is often the way. Today the academics and
the sophisticates of our culture pooh pooh the idea of a creator God.
They do not need God. God is an idea to appease the stupid and the
fearful. Modern science has shown that we do not need God. We will lead
you into a better future. Technology now is our shepherd. But these
scientists are robbing people of their soul. They also are thieves and
robbers.
But here is another irony. In Jesus’
day shepherds had fallen on hard times. Shepherds were depreciated and
devalued. Their status in society was rock bottom. Someone has said
this – “A nation, whose history begins with the
nomadic herds of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and for whom the former
shepherds, Moses and David, were heroes, was latterly taught to condemn
shepherding as an occupation. Civic privileges, including those of
being either a judge or a witness, were withdrawn from
shepherds… and from tax collectors”. ( Frank Lyall)
So not only is Jesus contrasting himself with the religious leaders but
he is also setting himself against the current attitude that has
developed around the occupation of shepherding. The rabbinic commentary
on Ps.23:1 says “No position in the world is as hated as that
of shepherd.” So here Jesus identifies himself with a
grouping that were as despised as tax collectors. Do you get the power
of this? He might as well have said I am the good tax collector, or I
am the good prostitute. Do you see the shock value to this culture.
And of course is it not significant in the
light of this knowledge about shepherds that it is to shepherds that
God announces the birth of the messiah. Talk about the upside down
kingdom. Talk about God loving to surprise us, talk about a god who
turns the values of people on their head. This is the God that we
worship. He is the shepherd king. He is for shepherds. He is for the
poor and the downtrodden and the lowest in society. He wants to
shepherd sinners and lead them to new pastures.
JESUS
IS THE GATE
Jesus is not only the shepherd he is also the gate. He is the way into
the fold and the way out of the fold. We shall look at this idea more
fully when we discuss the Way the Truth and the Life. But he is the one
who saves. In those days when timber was scarce the shepherd often
literally was the gate. A gate does two things – it protects
and it gives access. Jesus protects the flock, but he also gives access
to the flock.
JESUS AS PROTECTION
The blood of Jesus protects us from the
judgement of God just as the blood of a lamb protected those in the
days of Moses when they smeared it around their doorposts. Jesus is the
gate, he is the shepherd who lays down his life, but he is also the
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Is his blood around
the door of your home? This is the only thing that will protect you and
your family from the judgement of God against sin.
Just as the gate protected, just as the
shepherd was that gate, so Jesus will protect you. Harm may come to
your body, physical injury or disease or accident may befall us, all
that is part of living in a fallen and imperfect world, but Jesus says
to us “Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but
cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the One who can destroy both
soul and body in hell. Whoever acknowledges me before men… I
will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever
disowns me before men, I will disown him before my father in
heaven.” (Mt.10:23,32-33)
When we sing the Lord is my Shepherd, is he
really your shepherd? Is he “mine”? You may know
the Psalm but perhaps you do not know the shepherd. Jesus protects
– “there is no condemnation for those who are in
Christ.” (Rom.8:1) “Even though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with
me, your rod and your staff they comfort me.”
JESUS AS ACCESS TO PASTURE
But finally can I say that the gate is also about access in and out. He
is the way into the fold, and he is the way out into the green pasture.
Jesus said in Ch.10 verses 9-10 “whoever enters
through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
I have come that they may have life and have it to the full”.
Jesus intends that we discover life in all its fullness. He intends
that we discover and live out the purpose for which we were created. To
glorify God by enjoying him and enjoying the life he has given,
imperfect and often painful as it is here.
So often Christianity is seen as narrow, negative, constricting and
life restricting rather than life enhancing. This is our fault. Jesus
came so that “they can have more and a better life than they
ever dreamed” (The Message)
Pastoral care is about bringing people into the
life that God wants for them and helping to keep them there. Someone
has defined the goal of pastoral care as “to bring the
practical, unconditional love of Christ to broken or fallen people and
to help restore them so that once again they become fully functioning
disciples.”
PASTORAL
CARE
God has so much for us. He wants us to enjoy him and his creation. But
sadly too many are following those who are robbing us of our souls. Now
we are all under-shepherds. As Christians we are here to gently guide
people to God, and once people have found God, then to restore them
when they wander away from him. Pastoral care begins here, from the
pulpit, it continues in your private devotions, in your small groups,
in prayer triplets, in the various meetings and organisations where you
are interacting with brothers and sisters in Christ. We do not want
people to be dependent on us. But sometimes when the flock are hurting
we need to give extra care to someone. As Jean Vanier says in his
commentary on John “we are loving people to life. It is a
challenge to help another gradually to accept responsibility for their
own life, to trust themselves, to become less and less dependent on us,
and more dependent on Jesus, the Good or the Wonderful
Shepherd.”
I hope you know the Shepherd for “he makes us lie down in
green pastures, he leads us beside quiet waters, he restores our
souls.”