Latest / Belin Memorial UMC / Rev. Dr. Sandra Stevens Poirel - "THE Shepherd and THE Gate"
Transcript
- Belin Memorial UMC: The scripture lesson this morning comes to us from John chapter 10 verses 1 through 10, Jesus the Good Shepherd. The shepherd and the gate, John 10, one through 10, Jesus the good shepherd. Very truly I tell you, anyone who does not enter the gate by the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of the strangers. Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again, Jesus said to them, very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. ⁓ Today is the fourth Sunday of Easter. ⁓ It is also you have guessed, ⁓ from the 23rd Psalm and this John passage. It is also called Good Shepherd Sunday. And as you have noticed, that seems to be the theme and it runs throughout all the passages that are assigned to this day. The Gospel of John actually contains 11 passages in which the name of God is identified through an I Am statement. Today's text is one of those and it's interesting though, it's Good Shepherd Sunday and the actual statement that Jesus made, am the good shepherd, actually comes after the text that we read today. But don't be discouraged, it shows up next year. So you have a year to anticipate that it will show up. But in the text today, Jesus identifies himself saying, I am the gate for the sheep. And it emphasizes the connection between Jesus and his followers. Now as the church we understand Christ as both the shepherd and the gate and we understand that we of course are the flock. I don't know if there is a more recognizable image of Jesus than as a shepherd tenderly holding a lamb in his arms. It's an image that many of us might remember from Sunday school. You may have even made the sheet with the cotton balls. I've got some of those that I have saved over the years from little ones. The image of the shepherd holding the sheep is also found in churches often in the stained glass windows in sanctuaries. The 23rd Psalm is one of, if not the most recognized and one of the most beloved passages in scripture and for good reason. It has carried many through some of the most difficult moments and hardest times in life because it describes God's care and there is transition from care to provision. And in John's gospel passage, Jesus reminds us that the shepherd cares for his sheep. He provides rest, nourishment, and restoration. Jesus was a masterful storyteller and teacher. He perfectly would combine profound doctrine with simple, practical, everyday illustrations. Now in the passage today, Jesus used a very familiar scene in the first century. It comes from the everyday life of a shepherd tending sheep. But we're also told by John that in verse six, they did not understand what he was saying to them and Jesus being Jesus did not rebuke. He didn't give up on them and that is very good news for them and for us. It is for me. Jesus went on and took it a step further and declared he just said it very plainly. We're told they weren't understanding, so he just said it. I am the gate, not a gate, not just any old gate, but I am the gate through which the sheep come and go, come in and go out. That is an important detail. and sometimes it gets overlooked, the presence of the gate, the gate, is not to be restrictive. This particular contrast is one of the clearest in the gospels, all of the gospels, about Jesus' purpose and how he understands his purpose and conveys it to the flock. There is freedom to move in and out, and we're told that in the scripture. The gate is through which the sheep come and go. It is not isolation. ⁓ to find pasture, to find peace, to come and go with the fold and then providing rest and safety. The shepherd, the shepherd is the gate who guards the sheep. The gate, he watches over the gate to see who's coming and going. He's the caregiver of the sheep, not a custodian of captives. And that is very, very important. Those who pass through the gate, because they're going through the good shepherd, whether they're coming or going, they're moving toward good pasture. They're moving toward abundance and access, not being held in restraint. restriction. And this is Jesus' object lesson, which we're told, they didn't get it first. So, you know it's coming, so we'll just say it. The context, why this illustration, why all this talk about sheep, shepherd, gates, sheepfolds. Now, why did Jesus just launch into this particular teaching moment? Well, immediately preceding this passage sort of sets this up. It is the story of the man born blind. Jesus healing the man on the Sabbath had immediately put him squarely in the crosshairs of the Pharisees. Now, the Pharisees may have been Part of the group that he was addressing here we're not told, but we know that he has just had an encounter with them and now he has launched into this teaching. Well, the Pharisees, as you are aware, were considered gatekeepers and they considered themselves gatekeepers. They were the gatekeepers of the customs and the rules and the laws. They were also the enforcers and they took it very seriously. So Jesus healing a man on the Sabbath was considered work and this did not please them at all. So Jesus using this very familiar language about sheep and shepherds and sheep gates explained, anyone who climbs in by another way other than the gate and going through the gate He was really clear. They are a thief and a bandit. In other words, they have motives other than being a good shepherd to the flock. Then he goes on to say, he's very clear, a thief and a bandit come to steal and destroy. A shepherd cares for the sheep, offers life. protects and the Good Shepherd offers eternal life and presence in the presence of God. If you look at John 10, 10, the Good Shepherd grants access. That is the access to the good pasture and abundant and eternal life. Some sheepfolds may have not been constructed with an actual gate that could be opened and closed. A good shepherd, once the sheep were all in the sheepfold, would lie down across the opening. He became the gate. He literally risked his life to protect the sheep. He would do whatever it took to keep the sheep safe. That's what the Good Shepherd did. He has cleared the way for us. The Good Shepherd knows his sheep and the sheep know him. They know his voice. If they are grazing with a thousand other sheep, And their shepherd calls them. They will immediately separate themselves and come to him and follow him home because they know him, they know his voice, and they trust him, period. And that is relationship. That happens over time. That doesn't happen the first day the shepherd shows up. They come to know each other. even in a large herd. The shepherd knows his sheep by name, not by number like the mattress commercial. You know, they have the sheep numbered. I have one of those sheep. And we're told in Isaiah, I have called you by name. You are mine. I know who you are. Shepherds know their sheep. God knows you. Jesus knows you. Jesus knows your name. And if you have a first, a middle, and a last, he knows all three of them. Shepherds know their sheep. They also know that their sheep have different personality traits. Does that sound a little bit like us? How boring would it be if we were all exactly the same and looked exactly alike? Will the sheep have their own personalities? And you know some of them you might identify and they're all needed. One might be called the escape artist. Who, me? Who, me? He's the one that's a little sneaky, but he's really adventurous. He knows where the breaks are in the fence. He knows when the gate has been opened just a little bit, and he's skilled at escaping through it. One of my ⁓ friends has a little tiny dog. and she calls him the escape artist. She said if the door opens, he is gone. If there is a break in anything, he is just adventurous. He doesn't run off. He just goes and visits the neighbors and comes back, and he is good at being an escape artist. And then there is the director. This is the sheep that can make a decision, keep things in order, and keep things moving. And then there's Crash. Crash still doesn't look where he's going, but he just keeps moving full steam ahead. He's forever falling in some of the holes, stepping in a hole, tripping over mounds of dirt and grass, but having a great time. And then there might be Ace, the rule follower, compliant, order and decorum. And then there's Penny, who is very organized. precise with the details when she balances her bank statement every month it has to be to the penny. And then there's chill. who's just casual, laid back, and unhurried. Well, you get it. There are lots of personalities among us, and there are lots of personalities among the sheep that the shepherd tinned. So this is why this illustration was so rich for Jesus. The shepherd does his sheep, warts and all, wonderful traits and all, but here's the good news about every one of them. Good Shepherd loves them, cares for them, looks out for them, and wants nothing but the best for them. That is the Good Shepherd. That's our Good Shepherd. There was a pastor from North Dakota. He told the story of having served a congregation in Nebraska. When he served there, he had a member who was actually a shepherd and tended sheep. And he had been gone for several years, but he returned for a visit. And on the visit, he had his two-year-old daughter with him. And he thought it would be a great object lesson for her to actually see sheep in real life in their own habitat. I can remember my daddy talking about seeing sheep for the first time ever in his life as a little little boy because he grew up in in a downtown city so there weren't many sheep just walking around and there were no pastures and the first time he saw one he thought it was the cutest thing and pointed out to his mother the fuzzy pig. So this little two-year-old is going to see sheep early. And as they drove in, the pastor was pleased to see at the gate that the sheep were all gathered near the fence. His daughter was excited. He gets her out of the vehicle and they approached the fence to have a closer look and off they went. The sheep scattered, running away, just as was described in the scripture. They ran and ran until they were out of sight in fear. They didn't know who was approaching them. Well, their shepherd came out of the house and as he neared the fence, all was right with the world. The sheep returned, he called them. The sheep returned peaceful and calm and smiling, if you will. You see, in a moment for the sheep, their dark valley, that shadow experience, was transformed. Now the valley didn't disappear. Nothing really changed. The people were still there, possibly a threat to them, they don't know. They're still in the sheepfold. The only thing that changed was the shepherd showed up. The valley did not disappear. The fear did. Sounds a lot like the 23rd Psalm and Jesus and us. And maybe that's why this is such a beloved Psalm and such a powerful illustration. The sheep knew their shepherd. The sheep knew the shepherd's voice and they completely trusted him. Their perception was that they were in danger. And I am here to tell you, when danger presents itself, whether it's real or perceived, if it is only perceived to the person who is perceiving it, it is very real. But the sheep recognized his presence among them, and they trusted him, and immediately there was calm. But very importantly, the 23rd Psalm reminds us, the Good Shepherd does not promise to prevent every valley. The Good Shepherd does promise to be with us and to walk through it with us. The Psalm does not say that the valleys will disappear. The Psalm says the fear does. Green pastures and still waters are not promise of ease and prosperity. They're actually far more than that. Jesus knew, we know, it was true then and it's true now. The valleys we face are real. The valleys we face are not the final word. The green pastures and the still waters are welcomed and they are gifts and they are provisions of the Good Shepherd. But through it all, the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd knows you by name. names and claims you as his own, laid down his life and rose for you and for us and shepherds us still toward abundant life. eternal life as we are dwelling in his presence even in this very moment. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all, not some, not just when things are good, not just when we're in a valley, shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Let us pray. Good shepherd, you give us life. You call us by name and you lead us to abundant life in you. We are grateful that you are not a distant shepherd but one who as fully human and fully divine walked through suffering and you transform even our suffering into something that is redemptive. ⁓ God, we acknowledge that we are too prone to wander, quick to stray, and slow to trust your guidance. Teach us, encourage us, remind us to trust in you alone and listen for your voice. You find us, you bring us back. Let us hear your voice and come and go through your gate. We pray for all of those who are in need. We pray for those among us who are hurting, who are sick, who are concerned about life, friends and family. May we be among those you set before them to feed and to comfort them and to remind them of your promise. I will never leave nor forsake you. We thank you. We thank you for the assurance that is contained in the 23rd Psalm. You prepare a table before us and our cup overflows with resurrection life. Our cup overflows with your goodness, your love, your mercy. You pursue us even when we run, even when we are afraid, even when we don't recognize your presence, and even then. May we continue to dwell in your presence. May we continue to be in your peace, the peace that only you can provide. We are grateful. We are grateful for your son, the greatest gift the world has ever known or ever will receive. We are grateful for the prayer that he, the good shepherd, taught us to say when we pray, our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.