Called by Name
Text: John 10:1-11 ~ Good Shepherd Sunday
Sheep to most of us are animals we see from a distance when we drive at 100 kilometres an hour through the countryside. We may get closer to them occasionally at petting zoos, the CNE and the like. Living in Toronto, sheep are not something we experience every day. They produce wool and are good to eat. So images of sheep for us are more about clothing and delicious food than anything else.
Jesus uses sheep imagery in our Gospel reading and unfortunately, because we’ve heard it often enough, it has become a romantic nice story about sheep and their shepherd in another time and culture. The impact of the relationship between the shepherd and their sheep is lost on us because most of us simply haven’t had this experience.
When we first met, my wife to be, Sarah, lived in a rural area of Ontario just outside of London, in a town called Thamesford. Even after Sarah and I got married, she continued to serve in that pastoral charge until we moved out here. During that time, I got a chance to know some of the people in Sarah’s two congregations. Two of the families she was privileged to get to know and work with were sheep farmers. Being the husband-to-be I also had a chance to get to know them. As a city-raised kid, I can say on some authority that unless you’ve really been out on a sheep farm, we have no real sense of what working with these animals is like.
I’ve often described being a shepherd as a dirty, thankless job. Perhaps I exaggerated the point, because so often we’ve made sheep in pastures such a clean, sterile image. Certainly ancient shepherding may well have fit the bill… but there’s one aspect that Sarah and I learned from this experience that I have to admit I found quite surprising. I think I had worked so hard to get the idyllic “green-pasture” image out of my head that I had completely ignored the possibility of the genuine affection that those who tend sheep have. For Richard, the sheep of his flock were actually like children to this family. Each one had a name, and they knew Richard’s voice and absolutely trusted him. They spent all day together, and were shelter in safety at night. They came when he called, and were able to tell his voice from the voice of an interloper like either Sarah or myself!
Granted, the experience of sheep in rural Ontario is probably quite different than that of the ancient Middle East. The climate is different, and searching for food and water is not the issue here that it is there. But even so, in those experiences with Richard, we caught a glimpse of what I think Jesus was getting at.
Jesus used this sheep analogy, because the people he spoke to were very familiar with sheep and shepherds. They understood the context, but even they were having trouble connecting the dots. So Jesus pushed the metaphors further. He added in slight variations between being the shepherd and being the gate. It is rather unfortunate that we have a new chapter for this story because it is really a continuation of the same situation that was going on in the chapter before. When the gospel of John was written, the verse and chapter numbers didn’t exist… that didn’t actually happen until the 13th Century. So starting at the beginning of chapter 10 is actually starting in the middle of the story.
So what we’ve missed is Jesus had healing the man born blind on the Sabbath and which raised the fury of the Pharisees. They were disputing Jesus claims about coming from God and being a prophet because He did not keep the Sabbath. The man born blind had been hauled before the Pharisees and after being interrogated he was excommunicated. They then turned on his parents and proceeded to intimidate them. The Pharisees had the power to excommunicate the parents from the synagogue if they confessed that Jesus was from God. This is not like being told “you can’t come to our church anymore,” which could be devastating enough anyway if you think about what that would do to you. But this was their community, their social network, their identity, their only connection with God; it was literally their whole world. They would become outcasts and rejects and they were powerless against this sort of leadership.
Consequently they had distanced themselves from their own son, their son who was born blind but now could see, which must have been painful enough in itself, for if he was my child I would be so excited I would want to throw a party for such a miracle and invite the miracle worker as guest of honour. But fear of the leadership paralysed them, and instead of celebrating together it brought a painful separation between them and their son. It must have created confusion and guilt within them, and they didn’t have the courage to oppose this intimidation for fear of the consequences.
Jesus is angry, marginalized people are being intimidated, and so this sheep story is directed to the Pharisees. By the time he has finished telling it the place is in an uproar with division over Jesus and his teaching. This is not a romantic nice sheep story. This is a dangerous and strong political and social confrontation… It is a cautionary tale told against the “shepherds” the Pharisees… the so-called spiritual leaders of the day. Those who were entrusted with of caring for the sheep were the very ones that Jesus was locked in a dispute with, about who was the “true shepherd”. These Pharisees figured out that Jesus was challenging them; for they were in the long honoured tradition of Israel of being the “shepherds” caring for the sheep. It has the same undertones as being entrusted as “pastors.” Originally it was most common as a metaphor for rulers, as for back as the Pharaohs, and the symbolism is clear when King David became the shepherd king and the model for future hope.
Jesus is making a statement that he is the long promised shepherd of hope, in the lineage of David. Unlike the present leadership, he’s not about keeping rules and regulations that lay heavy burdens on people. He doesn’t come and break the law, but he comes to fulfil it. His voice booms out fearlessly as the passage continues: “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, and I lay down my life for the sheep. The thief only comes to steal, and kill, and destroy. I came so that they could have life – yes, and have it full to overflowing.”
What does this mean for you and me? I believe Jesus not only knows the name our parents give us, but he has given us a special name, one that describes who we are and who we are meant to be, which is particularly good news. Discovering this name is like discovering our real life, a life that is full of purpose and meaning and significance and one that is in unity and love with Jesus. It is a life that is so real and so rich that it becomes the most abundant and precious experience we can only dream about - this is not experienced by knowing a lot about God and theology or about being a grade ‘A’ student. It is about love and intimacy and prayer – it is about “knowing God” in down to the core of who we are. That name: child of God… and Jesus calls each us by name.
Yet there is so much that can keep us from hearing his voice. It could be that we’ve gotten the idea that it’s somebody else… that Jesus could not possibly be calling our name. It could be a guilt trip laid on us by ministers or other authority figures who tell us to be more committed and be better Christians and then and only then God will hear us and bless us.
The Pharisees used that line when they told the healed blind man that God doesn’t listen to sinners but only to the devout and godly person who does his will – namely them and anyone who falls in line with their ideology… Something I constantly remind myself of is that the Pharisees were the teachers and religious leaders of the day… and that trap is so easy for a minister like myself to fall into. But this completely misses the mark of what God is about. Instead, it’s really an abuse of power. There are stories of women whose lives have been broken because they believed their husbands were given the power and authority from God to have control over them. Even when they were abused they didn’t know they could trust their feelings of humiliation and anger into which God’s voice was inviting them to expose the control and reveal the truth.
Jesus has come to release everyone from anyone who claims to have power and control over us that hurts or harms us, or keeps us from being free to be who God has called us by name to be. The Pharisees honestly thought they were righteous and were doing God’s will. But what we learn from the story is that they were the blind ones who couldn’t see who Jesus was… nor could they hear his voice. This is certainly a cautionary tale to anyone who has any level of authority within a church context… myself included!
David Benner, in his book “Surrender to love” offers this observation:
“God doesn’t come to control us but to love us. God’s love for us has nothing to do with my behaviour. Responsible behaviour does not increase the Father’s love, nor does irresponsible behaviour decrease it. Love is our source and love is to be our fulfilment. The Christian God wants the intimacy of our friendship not our fear. God loves sinners, redeems failures, delights in second chances and fresh starts and never tires of pursuing lost sheep or rescuing those damaged by life on the sides of its paths.”[1]
This is what resurrection means. It’s not simply Jesus getting up and walking around again after having died on the cross… It’s about redeeming failures, second chances, and fresh starts… but sometimes it’s so hard for us to see that. Sometimes our anger, fears, and anxiety from past hurts and mistakes will keep us from listening for the tender voice of Jesus. Yet, it is only by listening and experiencing love in the depth of our soul that we truly experience what resurrection means here and now. Trust this shepherd, he knows you and knows your name. We are called by name – Child of God, beloved of God.
Happy Easter!
Amen.
[1] David Benner Surrender to Love (Intervarsity Press:Illinois:2003)
Note: The original outline of this text was written by the Rev. Sarah Fanning. It fit very well with where I felt the text was leading that with Sarah's permission, I took it and revised it to suit the context at Clarkson Road. I am indebted to her timely insight.
Sheep to most of us are animals we see from a distance when we drive at 100 kilometres an hour through the countryside. We may get closer to them occasionally at petting zoos, the CNE and the like. Living in Toronto, sheep are not something we experience every day. They produce wool and are good to eat. So images of sheep for us are more about clothing and delicious food than anything else.
Jesus uses sheep imagery in our Gospel reading and unfortunately, because we’ve heard it often enough, it has become a romantic nice story about sheep and their shepherd in another time and culture. The impact of the relationship between the shepherd and their sheep is lost on us because most of us simply haven’t had this experience.
When we first met, my wife to be, Sarah, lived in a rural area of Ontario just outside of London, in a town called Thamesford. Even after Sarah and I got married, she continued to serve in that pastoral charge until we moved out here. During that time, I got a chance to know some of the people in Sarah’s two congregations. Two of the families she was privileged to get to know and work with were sheep farmers. Being the husband-to-be I also had a chance to get to know them. As a city-raised kid, I can say on some authority that unless you’ve really been out on a sheep farm, we have no real sense of what working with these animals is like.
I’ve often described being a shepherd as a dirty, thankless job. Perhaps I exaggerated the point, because so often we’ve made sheep in pastures such a clean, sterile image. Certainly ancient shepherding may well have fit the bill… but there’s one aspect that Sarah and I learned from this experience that I have to admit I found quite surprising. I think I had worked so hard to get the idyllic “green-pasture” image out of my head that I had completely ignored the possibility of the genuine affection that those who tend sheep have. For Richard, the sheep of his flock were actually like children to this family. Each one had a name, and they knew Richard’s voice and absolutely trusted him. They spent all day together, and were shelter in safety at night. They came when he called, and were able to tell his voice from the voice of an interloper like either Sarah or myself!
Granted, the experience of sheep in rural Ontario is probably quite different than that of the ancient Middle East. The climate is different, and searching for food and water is not the issue here that it is there. But even so, in those experiences with Richard, we caught a glimpse of what I think Jesus was getting at.
Jesus used this sheep analogy, because the people he spoke to were very familiar with sheep and shepherds. They understood the context, but even they were having trouble connecting the dots. So Jesus pushed the metaphors further. He added in slight variations between being the shepherd and being the gate. It is rather unfortunate that we have a new chapter for this story because it is really a continuation of the same situation that was going on in the chapter before. When the gospel of John was written, the verse and chapter numbers didn’t exist… that didn’t actually happen until the 13th Century. So starting at the beginning of chapter 10 is actually starting in the middle of the story.
So what we’ve missed is Jesus had healing the man born blind on the Sabbath and which raised the fury of the Pharisees. They were disputing Jesus claims about coming from God and being a prophet because He did not keep the Sabbath. The man born blind had been hauled before the Pharisees and after being interrogated he was excommunicated. They then turned on his parents and proceeded to intimidate them. The Pharisees had the power to excommunicate the parents from the synagogue if they confessed that Jesus was from God. This is not like being told “you can’t come to our church anymore,” which could be devastating enough anyway if you think about what that would do to you. But this was their community, their social network, their identity, their only connection with God; it was literally their whole world. They would become outcasts and rejects and they were powerless against this sort of leadership.
Consequently they had distanced themselves from their own son, their son who was born blind but now could see, which must have been painful enough in itself, for if he was my child I would be so excited I would want to throw a party for such a miracle and invite the miracle worker as guest of honour. But fear of the leadership paralysed them, and instead of celebrating together it brought a painful separation between them and their son. It must have created confusion and guilt within them, and they didn’t have the courage to oppose this intimidation for fear of the consequences.
Jesus is angry, marginalized people are being intimidated, and so this sheep story is directed to the Pharisees. By the time he has finished telling it the place is in an uproar with division over Jesus and his teaching. This is not a romantic nice sheep story. This is a dangerous and strong political and social confrontation… It is a cautionary tale told against the “shepherds” the Pharisees… the so-called spiritual leaders of the day. Those who were entrusted with of caring for the sheep were the very ones that Jesus was locked in a dispute with, about who was the “true shepherd”. These Pharisees figured out that Jesus was challenging them; for they were in the long honoured tradition of Israel of being the “shepherds” caring for the sheep. It has the same undertones as being entrusted as “pastors.” Originally it was most common as a metaphor for rulers, as for back as the Pharaohs, and the symbolism is clear when King David became the shepherd king and the model for future hope.
Jesus is making a statement that he is the long promised shepherd of hope, in the lineage of David. Unlike the present leadership, he’s not about keeping rules and regulations that lay heavy burdens on people. He doesn’t come and break the law, but he comes to fulfil it. His voice booms out fearlessly as the passage continues: “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, and I lay down my life for the sheep. The thief only comes to steal, and kill, and destroy. I came so that they could have life – yes, and have it full to overflowing.”
What does this mean for you and me? I believe Jesus not only knows the name our parents give us, but he has given us a special name, one that describes who we are and who we are meant to be, which is particularly good news. Discovering this name is like discovering our real life, a life that is full of purpose and meaning and significance and one that is in unity and love with Jesus. It is a life that is so real and so rich that it becomes the most abundant and precious experience we can only dream about - this is not experienced by knowing a lot about God and theology or about being a grade ‘A’ student. It is about love and intimacy and prayer – it is about “knowing God” in down to the core of who we are. That name: child of God… and Jesus calls each us by name.
Yet there is so much that can keep us from hearing his voice. It could be that we’ve gotten the idea that it’s somebody else… that Jesus could not possibly be calling our name. It could be a guilt trip laid on us by ministers or other authority figures who tell us to be more committed and be better Christians and then and only then God will hear us and bless us.
The Pharisees used that line when they told the healed blind man that God doesn’t listen to sinners but only to the devout and godly person who does his will – namely them and anyone who falls in line with their ideology… Something I constantly remind myself of is that the Pharisees were the teachers and religious leaders of the day… and that trap is so easy for a minister like myself to fall into. But this completely misses the mark of what God is about. Instead, it’s really an abuse of power. There are stories of women whose lives have been broken because they believed their husbands were given the power and authority from God to have control over them. Even when they were abused they didn’t know they could trust their feelings of humiliation and anger into which God’s voice was inviting them to expose the control and reveal the truth.
Jesus has come to release everyone from anyone who claims to have power and control over us that hurts or harms us, or keeps us from being free to be who God has called us by name to be. The Pharisees honestly thought they were righteous and were doing God’s will. But what we learn from the story is that they were the blind ones who couldn’t see who Jesus was… nor could they hear his voice. This is certainly a cautionary tale to anyone who has any level of authority within a church context… myself included!
David Benner, in his book “Surrender to love” offers this observation:
“God doesn’t come to control us but to love us. God’s love for us has nothing to do with my behaviour. Responsible behaviour does not increase the Father’s love, nor does irresponsible behaviour decrease it. Love is our source and love is to be our fulfilment. The Christian God wants the intimacy of our friendship not our fear. God loves sinners, redeems failures, delights in second chances and fresh starts and never tires of pursuing lost sheep or rescuing those damaged by life on the sides of its paths.”[1]
This is what resurrection means. It’s not simply Jesus getting up and walking around again after having died on the cross… It’s about redeeming failures, second chances, and fresh starts… but sometimes it’s so hard for us to see that. Sometimes our anger, fears, and anxiety from past hurts and mistakes will keep us from listening for the tender voice of Jesus. Yet, it is only by listening and experiencing love in the depth of our soul that we truly experience what resurrection means here and now. Trust this shepherd, he knows you and knows your name. We are called by name – Child of God, beloved of God.
Happy Easter!
Amen.
[1] David Benner Surrender to Love (Intervarsity Press:Illinois:2003)
Note: The original outline of this text was written by the Rev. Sarah Fanning. It fit very well with where I felt the text was leading that with Sarah's permission, I took it and revised it to suit the context at Clarkson Road. I am indebted to her timely insight.
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