Word to the Wise
Monday, April 27, 2015 - 4th Week of Easter - Mon
[Acts 11:1-18 and John 10:1-10 or, in Year A, John 10:11-18,905]"Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep." [John]
The weekday scriptures and the Sunday scriptures occasionally overlap. Yesterday's gospel came from the middle of the "Good Shepherd" discourse. Today's gospel comes from the beginning of the chapter. This will give us a better perspective as we see the image shift in meaning. Yesterday there was a comparison of the good shepherd with hired hands or thieves. This morning we begin the chapter with the shepherd's voice being the key element. He has a distinctive call that his sheep recognize and the others ignore! That reaction is part of the image as well.
Then the image shifts and Jesus speaks of himself as the gate to the corral. This is an echo of what he says elsewhere in the gospel, "I am the way, the truth and the life..." This part of the passage is introduced by those important words, "Amen, amen, I say to you..." and the I AM words connected with the image itself.
We can step back and look at the entire image and see that every element offers a different perspective on the same person, Jesus. He is shepherd, gatekeeper and even the gate itself! Where do we see ourselves fitting in? Does the image speak to us at all? Or are we put off by "the smell of the sheep?" Given what is at stake, our response can be very revealing. AMEN
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