Word to the Wise
Monday, May 4, 2020 - 4th Week of Easter - Mon
[Acts 11:1-18 and John 10:11-18]"I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.. I am the good shepherd and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep."
The extended metaphor of the Good Shepherd is about more than recognizing when it is the turn of a particular flock to separate itself from the bigger group in the common corral to follow a particular shepherd. After all, a thief can imitate a call. There is a protective element as well. The custom was for shepherds to take turns sleeping at the gate and literally laying down between the flock and anyone who might break in and steal. The sheep were worth the life of the shepherd! In all of this, it is the relationship that matters.
Occasionally, in the long history of Christianity, the metaphor has become a bit too literal with pastors thinking too little of their "flocks." When I was a kid so many years ago, my father kept sheep in the back of our property along a river to keep the grass from getting too high. I was not particularly impressed with the intelligence of that animal and would not want to be compared with a sheep. Pastors who take the image a bit too literally may be tempted to think of the laity as unintelligent animals needing the supposedly intelligent pastor to take care of them until they can be fleeced!
Recognizing the voice of Jesus and understanding his care and choosing to follow him are the essential elements of the Good Shepherd image. It is a matter of trust. AMEN