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P I R I T U A L F O R M A T I O N |
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CHILDREN'S EDUCATION |
SERMONS The
Fourth Sunday of Easter By David Christian The great showman P. T. Barnum is credited with first stating the truism "a sucker is born every minute." The history of religion certainly provides ample evidence to support that claim. From the well-meaning and generous people who were fleeced by the likes of Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart, to those who sold or gave away everything in the certainty that they knew when Jesus would return, to the tragic deaths of the followers of the David Koreshes and the Jim Joneses, people have been plundered by thieves and robbers claiming to come in the name of God. These were sincere and devout people. They were people who took their faith seriously. Most were intimately familiar with the Bible, probably more familiar than most of us are. What went wrong? How did their searching for God lead them to such disaster? What is to keep us from making such a fatal error? In today's gospel, Jesus talks of sheep and shepherding. He is speaking to the pharisees, to leaders of the people in Jerusalem. In speaking with them he uses an image that is very familiar to them. The depiction of the people of Israel as a flock of sheep with God as their shepherd is found again and again throughout the Old Testament. Jesus uses this image to draw distinctions between true shepherds and thieves and robbers. Sheep are dumb. They apparently need someone to show them where to go and what to do. As the psalm tells us, it was the job of the shepherd every day to lead the sheep to good pastures for grazing, and to lead them to the water. At night the shepherd would lead the sheep to an enclosure, where there would be some protection from predators, and where they would not wander off. In the morning he would lead them out again. The true shepherd, Jesus says, enters and leaves the enclosure through the gate. He knows the gate keeper and the gate keeper knows him. The thief, on the other hand, avoids the gate and climbs in another way in order to steal the sheep. The thief exploits the sheep. He uses them for his own purposes and is not concerned about their well being. The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy. In contrast to this, the safety of the sheep is the shepherd's primary concern. He knows the sheep individually and carefully counts them every morning as they leave the enclosure. If one of the sheep is missing he searches for it diligently. The true shepherd does everything he can to keep the sheep from harm. He is even ready to risk his own life, if necessary, to protect his sheep. I am the gate, says Jesus. To come through that gate is to follow the true shepherd to good pasture and abundant life. Any other path leads toward death. But how are we to recognize the gate? The primary characteristic of the gate, of the true path, is love. Love, says Jesus, is the greatest commandment. Love God, love yourself, and love your neighbor. Sometimes true love can be difficult to recognize, but it is the most certain sign we have. "Where true love and charity dwell," the ancient hymn says, "God himself is there." One characteristic of this love is that it is not limited to only a small circle. It is not a love that excludes, a love that divides. The hymn goes on to say:
We are sheep; we need a shepherd. If we do not follow the true shepherd, we may find ourselves following the way of the Jim Joneses and David Koreshes of this world. As we seek to follow the good shepherd, let us love one another all the more, for it is in loving that we are loved, and it is through love that we will find the way to the abundant life of God. David
Christian Acts
6.1-9, 7.2a, 51-60
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Chapel
of the Cross · 674 Mannsdale Road · Madison, Mississippi
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