John 10:1-10
The gospel
of John likes to take the parables of the other three gospels up a notch to be more
of a riddle than life lesson. I thought
I knew exactly what I was going to preach on today the first time I read the
scripture, but the more I read it, the more complicated it seemed.
We like the
image of Jesus as the shepherd. It is a
warm, intimate, comforting and loving image.
But then Jesus says “I am the gate”, a gate keeps the sheep safe but
also one that separates the sheep from the world. Then there is the odd phrase that some know
his voice but others don’t. Are there
some sheep that don’t belong to God? Aren't we all God’s children? Then we have the image of Jesus who came to
give us a full and abundant life.
How can all
these be true? We aren't the only ones confused. The people listening to Jesus say these words
were so confused he had to tell them twice and they still didn't get it. And we as believers have been reading it for
thousands of years and still find it confusing and perplexing.
Maybe the
confusion comes because we try to think about it too hard. We try to analyze every little detail and in
the effort, we miss the big picture. In
the passage just prior to this in chapter 9 Jesus is criticizing the Pharisees
for being blind to whom Jesus is. Maybe
in our effort to study, scrutinize every detail and find the “real” Jesus, we
over stimulate our brains and in our efforts to know everything we possibly
can, we become blind to what the gospel is speaking to our hearts.
For me the
truth in this scripture reading is the very last sentence- “I came that they
may have life, and have it abundantly.”
But this in and of itself is vague and confusing. What does it mean to live life
abundantly?
For some,
this may mean wealth and luxury or as Robin Leach used to say “Champagne wishes
and caviar dreams.” The freedom to make choices and do whatever to whomever
they choose -bar the consequences, eat what they want, buy what they want, work
when and where they want, or not work at all.
Sleep in and watch TV, find pleasure in whatever way they fancy at the
moment.
I have to
admit that sounds pretty good to me, maybe that sounds like a good life to you
too. Maybe that is your dream life. But this is not what God intends when we are
told Jesus wants us to live life abundantly.
When we go back to the scripture we realize that all the sheep, those
who know the voice of Jesus and those who don’t are all in the sheepfold. They are all hemmed in and there are always
limitations to the freedom we experience in that place.
Those who
desire to live in abundance outside the will of God are still hemmed in- but by
a desire for money, things, the consequences of their ruthless pursuit of the
next greatest thing is what traps them in.
Maybe they think that the next Dr. Oz show or self-help guru will be
what helps them feel fulfilled and loved, or it is the most up to date
technology which will make their life easier but in reality they are continuing
to run on the hamster wheel of life, bound by the limits of credit, never
really going anywhere and this endless pursuit adds stress and worry preventing
them from experiencing what God truly desires for them.
It is the
sheep who hear and listen to the voice of Jesus, the one true shepherd who are
led out of the confines of the pin and into a world of experiences and
nourishment beyond the wildest dreams of those still confined.
Maybe it is the unknown of the great big world
out there that scares us. We feel safe
as long as we are in the confines of this building, our homes and our
jobs. We know that there is a nice fence
around us to protect us from the dangers “out there” but this is a false sense
of security. The analogy in our
scripture tells us there will be thieves and bandits who come to steal and kill
and destroy, even entering the confines of perceived safety to do so, but it is
the shepherd which keeps them safe, not the walls and fences of the pin.
It is a
natural tendency to want to stay safe, to not take any chances or not trust
that which we cannot see or understand.
We want to protect ourselves and those we love. It is scary to take risks on others and on
our-selves.
There is a
phenomenon in modern day parenting called the helicopter Mom- maybe you know a
few. The one who refuses to let their
child out of their sight-they are over protective, over cautious, overly
worried and they try to create this protective barrier around their child with
the hope that they never have to face the disappointments and challenges of
life. While I understand this desire, the problem is that this doesn't work. We cannot put ourselves or others
in a bubble. They will have their
feelings hurt, they will get sick, they will get disappointed, not make the
team or get the job they want, and they will have their hearts broken. That is just the way life is.
It takes a
leap of faith and a great amount of trust, to let our children go but also to
allow ourselves to wander out into the world, following the voice of our
shepherd and teaching our children to do the same.
Currently,
one of the young adults from this church is on a whirlwind mission experience,
11 countries in 11 months. I am sure
when she told her parents and grandparents she wanted to do the world race as a
missionary it took every ounce of their being not to lock her in her room and
refuse to let her go. Letting your
child, no matter how old travel the world without you to protect them is a
scary thing. But instead, they decided
to pray about it and trust that wherever she goes- God goes with her. And the result has been an amazing transformation
of her life; and the abundance she is experiencing could have never been experienced
had she decided not to follow the voice of God and stayed in the safety of her
home town surrounded familiarity and the people who love her.
Accepting
the freedom to roam is a scary thing. It
comes with the sacrifice of control, the possibilities of failure, real fear of
the unknown and the likelihood that we will make mistakes and others might hurt
us and those we love. Taking the risk to
live life in abundance with Christ has its rewards but you don’t have to travel
the world to partake in this adventure that leads to abundant life.
What it takes
is more than just listening to the voice of God and reading the words of
scripture- it calls us to action. Jesus isn't calling all of us to travel the
world. Some he is simply calling to
volunteer to read to school children, mentor a woman at Clean Slate or send
cards of encouragement to missionaries or soldiers. The voice of Jesus beckons
us to follow him to unknown people and to unfamiliar places so that others too
will recognize his voice and find abundant life in him.
Not only is
Jesus, the good shepherd, our protector, he is our guide. He leads by example. In the fullness of his life, we see his
self-giving sacrifice, his tender approach, kind words and healing touch to all
those around him. Love and compassion
for all people are the driving force of his life and ministry and He calls us
to live a life imitating him, loving those he loves, caring for the poor and
the sick, the lonely, the orphan, the elderly, the imprisoned and the
sinner.
Abundant
life is not simply what we aspire to achieve in the next life. It is something we can experience now. Imitating Jesus is how we live and experience
this life to the fullest. It is in
loving these, that we can get a glimpse into the love God has for us. And, when we mess up, because we will, Jesus
will be there to help us pick up the broken pieces and start again with the
grace and love of Christ. Failure is not
the enemy, it is the fear of trying something new which prevents us from
experiencing the abundance Christ desires for us.
This life is
one with abundance of love. It is found
not in things but in the intimacy of a relationship with God in which Jesus
knows each of the names of the all the children of God and everything about
them. It is in this intimate
relationship with God and others that we receive life; not just life eternal
but life now, in this world, full life with all its ups and downs, in the midst
of chaos and fear, reasons for joy and reasons for sorrow and peace knowing
that the loving shepherd goes with us through it all.
Those of you
who are parents, know this is true. You
have tried to shepherd your children to be the best adults they can be. You have witnessed their heart breaks, broken
bones and broken spirits. You have
witnessed them face the consequences of their own poor choices and live with
the consequences of the poor choices of others.
You have laughed with them and cried with them, been angry at them and
rejoiced with them.
You know
that because we are humans, no matter how good of a parent you are, children
can’t be protected from everything and God realizes this too. Some of you know first-hand what it must be
like for God to be heart broken when your children choose to leave the fold.
But because you know the depths of sorrow, you also know the potential for the
ecstasy and joy when you see your child make the right decisions, grow from
their mistakes, and become stronger because of the adversity they faced.
This is what
Jesus intends as he tells us this riddle.
Abundant life is not found hiding underneath the bed or behind the door
or even within the walls of the church.
Abundant life is found when we walk bravely through the gate, trusting
that it leads to a place full of wonderful experiences, life giving diversity
and nourishing pastures. And trusting
that the shepherd goes with us, leading us to an intimate relationship where we
know the voice of the shepherd and he calls us by name.
God is
calling each and every one of us by name to come out of the sheepfold. Leave the confines of perceived safety into
the loving embrace of Jesus. Follow him,
encourage others to come along too and experience the abundance of life
together.
