Homily for the Week of May 11, 2014

The Fourth Sunday in Easter, 2014

Acts 2:14a, 36-41  Psalm 23: 13a, 3b4, 5, 6 1 Peter 2:20b-25 John 10:1-10

         One of the easiest to remember descriptions of Jesus is what I just read.  It is the story of Jesus as a shepherd. Jesus speaks about himself as the shepherd of the sheep who enters the pasture properly, through the gate rather than the thief or the robber who scrambles into the pasture some other way. He will have no success in getting the sheep to follow him. He is a stranger, and the sheep will run away from him; they do not recognize his voice.  Jesus elaborates further the image of himself as the Good Shepherd.

         The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is one that is used frequently, especially when associated with funerals. In the context of a funeral, we think of “The Lord” in the psalm as Jesus. We should remember that Jesus had not yet been born when the psalm was written. “The Lord,” in Psalm 23, is God the Father. This is a prayer that Jesus himself would have prayed expressing absolute trust in His Father.

         Most likely the only shepherd that any of you have seen are persons dressed up as shepherds in Christmas plays. One of the oldest paintings of Jesus represents Jesus as gently carrying  an injured sheep on his shoulders back to the pasture. This is an image of Jesus which has always appealed to Christians.  There is something innocent about all animals whether they are cows or horses or llamas or sheep.

         Sheep, however, need a shepherd, a person who they recognize and who cares for them. As shepherds walked, they often with sing a tune, and the sheep followed. Whenever one of the sheep would wander off the path looking for grass, the shepherd would whistle a series of different tunes. With each tune an individual sheep’s head would pop up from the grass, twitch its ears around until it located the shepherd, and then would come back to the flock. What became clear was that the shepherd had a distinct whistle for each and every one of his sheep.

         Shepherds carried two items with them. One of these was a rod and the other a staff. The Good Shepherd Psalm which we just prayed refers to the staff of the shepherd. The rod was usually quite long and had a hook at one end so that the shepherd could pull the sheep pack into the flock.  The staff usually hung from the shepherds belt.  It was a short wooden club with a lump of wood at the end. The shepherd used this to defend himself and the sheep against thieves.  At times the shepherd might have the help of a sheep dog, but that was not very common when Jesus was living.

         Most towns and villages in Palestine had a common place where shepherds would bring their sheep for the night.  This was call the sheepfold. These were open air enclosures walled in by stones on top of which was a barrier of briars or thorn bushes. The gate was small.  Only one sheep could go though the gate at a time. Once the flock was inside there was no heavy door or gate.  A paid gate keeper or shepherd would take turns at night so that no one would come to steal the sheep,  or no animals would come to kill the sheep. They would stand at the gate, or at times even lie down across the opening. An important aspect of this image is that the gate swings in two directions.

         Shepherds with sheep are very different from cowboys with cattle.  Cowboys stay behind and alongside the herd to keep it moving forward as a group. They typically avoid riding in front of the herd because, if the cattle suddenly stampeded, anyone in front of the herd could get hurt. Sheep follow. Sheep develop deep trust in the one voice of the shepherd who guards them, and they respond quickly when they stray.

         There are many among us today who foolishly think they need no shepherd. They think they know all the facts of life.  They are in total ignorance of the most basic fact of all- what is our purpose in life? They try to ease their consciences by immersing themselves deeper and deeper in the affairs and the passing pleasures of this temporary life.

         Following in the footprints of Jesus is not always hard. At times following Him is very easy, especially when all is going well. When things do turn difficult, perhaps we really should learn to pray to the Good Shepherd. He will carry us if necessary.

         If Jesus were here today in 2014, he would not use the image of the shepherd and the sheep.  What image would Jesus use today to illustrate his love and caring? Might he speak of a mother and father, of a teacher, a fireman or rescue squad volunteer, a nurse or doctor, a young person helping out at home, or with the shut ins? 

         On this second weekend in May we honor mothers. The tradition of honoring mothers is a revival of a practice that dates back to the Early Christians who celebrated a festival in honor of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ. They adorned the churches with flowers, jewels, rich metals, and expensive gifts. On this day we recall the best our mothers have done for us. We also celebrate an idea of the perfect mother and cast our own mothers in that light.

         For most of us it is our Mother who introduced us to Jesus when we were a young child.  When we gather as a family to share a meal together on this Mother’s Day perhaps we should also find the time to pray together in gratitude for the gift of life and love. It is also a time when we can listen to one another. Our own stories may not sound very different from the stories of the hundreds of people who came to Jesus because they needed him.  We are invited to tell Jesus our stories and to listen to one another. Jesus is always our Good Shepherd!