Sermon by Felicity Thompson, Seminarian, 4/21/2024, Easter 4
Throughout the gospels, Jesus uses images and metaphors that would have been familiar to His original audience in describing the kingdom of heaven, His mission, or the nature of God.
When I was much younger, I grew up in a beautiful town, Jos, that was a rapidly growing city whose occupants were expatriates from every corner of the world. Right outside town were pastures with shepherds and their sheep.
Notice the round mud houses in the background with what looks like a small door. Too small for a tall guy to pass through. It’s a built-in security measure. See the grains are stored in the huts. The kitchen might be one of the clusters and another used as sleeping quarters for the most vulnerable family members and animals. When the fire in the kitchen is put out at night, having the cluster keeps inhabitants of the other huts warm on a cool night. I didn’t forget about the door. It looks small and low. It’s intentional. If an intruder walks in and is trying to escape, they will forget about the size and height of the door, usually finding themselves trapped or hurt. You can’t run backwards or forwards without much effort when the door is that small. You would have to watch your head and almost have to crawl out.
I remember the Hausa and Fulani shepherds seemed to have no friends, as their sheep kept them engaged 24/7. They were good shepherds busy taking care of their sheep. There were the nomadic shepherds who rotated their pastures and moved from place to place with their sheep. There were also communities formed by a few families who depended on the sheep for their livelihood.
This particular metaphor of Jesus as the good shepherd would have gotten nods of the head, not only from the shepherds in the crowd, but from everyone present, all of whom would have been familiar with the life of the shepherd.
The problem for us is that 2000 years, after an industrial and technological revolution, and hundreds, if not thousands of stained glass windows and icons later, in this time of artificial intelligence, the image of the good shepherd has lost much of its power. Today when we encounter the image, we see Jesus, with perfectly coiffed hair; clothed in gleaming, pure white; holding a fluffy, clean white lamb in his arms.
Every morning the shepherd leads the sheep to a pasture to graze, finds a good source of water, protects the sheep from predators, and makes sure they are healthy. During the afternoon, the shepherd finds a shaded area, a place for all to rest. As the sun sets, the sheep are led back to a sheepfold. This is an enclosure, sometimes with thorns on top to keep the sheep safe, safe from predators. As an extra measure, the shepherd sometimes sleeps across the entrance of the fold so predators can’t bother them while they sleep. They are well taken care of, kept safe, and form a close bond with the shepherd. The shepherd knows his sheep and his sheep know him.
In our passage today, there is no sign that the life of a shepherd is difficult, dangerous, and dirty. In the winter, exposed to the elements for days on end, the life of the shepherd was cold, wet, and miserable. In the summer it was hot, dry, and miserable. Summer and winter, the days would have been long, lonely, sometimes dangerous, and always dirty. If it wasn’t the weather to be contended with, it was boredom and loneliness, on the one hand, and the dangers of predators on the other hand, and always there was the dirt, muddy terrain during the rainy season or dust from the sands of harmattan. Let’s not forget the flies and smell of the sheep. The combination of the lanolin in their wool and dirt is worst during the fall breeding season. And then, there were the sleepless nights and days during lambing season.
Despite all this, Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Two thousand years ago, the audience listening to Jesus probably would have been nodding their heads. They would not have had the romantic picture in their minds that we do. Instead, they would be nodding, knowing the harsh, sometimes dangerous, reality of the shepherd’s life.
The good news for us today is that we don’t need to be perfect. We only need to be found, and today we give thanks, not only that the Good Shepherd has found some of his lost sheep, but in spite of everything, (conflicts, wars, political differences, personal failures), He continues to search for us, so that one day we too will be found, and gathered into His arms, and led to a spiritual community.
Wait a minute, that’s not it. As we reflect on Jesus' profound declaration that he is the Good Shepherd, how about the hired hand. In the passage, Jesus discusses the care and dedication of the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep. This sacrificial love is very different from the description of the hired hand, whose actions are motivated by self-interest rather than the care and responsibility for the sheep.
The hired hand, we are told, sees the wolf coming and flees, leaving the sheep vulnerable to attack and scattering. Unlike the Good Shepherd, who is deeply invested in the well-being of the flock, the hired hand might as well not have shown up to work because his commitment is superficial. When faced with danger or adversity, he prioritizes his own safety over the welfare of the sheep. The hired hand is like the pagan gods we encounter that we have to pay to have a relationship with. You know, the gods that we pay homage to when we have to have retail therapy. The gods we pay homage to when we exclude others from certain activities. The gods we pay homage to, to appear good, caring, and successful.
In many ways, the hired hand represents those who may occupy positions of leadership or authority within our communities but lack the genuine care and sacrificial love consistently shown by Jesus. They may fulfill their duties out of obligation or for personal gain, but when faced with real challenges or risks, they fly under the radar, abandon their responsibilities and distance themselves from those under their care.
As we reflect on the hired hand, let us consider our own roles and responsibilities within our communities of faith. Are we committed to caring for one another with the same sacrificial love demonstrated by the Good Shepherd? Or are we more concerned with our own comfort and security, like the hired hand?
Let’s work to care for each other, following the example of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for us, his sheep. Jesus calls us to love one another as he has loved us. Let us work towards showing each other God’s selfless love and compassion in all that we do, knowing that in him, we find the ultimate source of strength, security, and guidance for our lives."
It’s a lifelong journey. In this season of resurrection, the only questions you want to respond to are whether you love and are loyal to God, if you love your brothers and sisters, and if you are not allowing the enemy to infiltrate God's plans for you. Knowing it may be challenging and smelly, the situation filled with flies, the path muddy or dusty, it’s not going to be easy. Together, we can do this!
Respectfully submitted by:
Felicity Thompson
04/21/2024