Word to the Wise
Monday, May 4, 2009 - Monday in the Fourth Week of Easter
[Acts 11:1-18 and John 10:1-10]I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly
The shepherd imagery from Sunday carries over for a day. Jesus is not only the Good Shepherd, he's the gate to the corral! With regard to the shepherd, Jesus is describing the unique method of corraling and reclaiming a particular flock from a larger one. At the end of the day, the shepherds from a village all bring their sheep and put them in a single corral. Each shepherd has a distinctive call that is recognized by his sheep alone (I guess they aren't as dumb as they've usually seemed to me!). Each morning each shepherd comes and gives his own call and his sheep separate themselves from the bigger bunch in the corral and go trotting after him. So, the image is the one of faith in the Good Shepherd and recognizing his call. The second image is that of the gate! Jesus represents himself as the way in which the sheep must go to get to pasture. The only other way is by being carried off by a thief or a wolf over the wall! This image is often lost in all the sentiment about the Good Shepherd. Most folks don't think of Jesus as a gate! It is worthwhile to read the entire chapter 10 of the Gospel of John, especially the first 30 verses, to see how Jesus turns this image one way and the other to get every ounce of meaning out of it. We can do the same. AMEN
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