The Rev. Virginia W. Nagel
Episcopal Diocese of Central NY (Retired)
Most of us have a deep-down, more or less hidden yearning. We want somebody
to take care of us, free us from the need to worry about taking care of
ourselves. We want someone who can always make everything all right for us. We
want to be loved and protected and free from worries and problems.
Maybe this is why we are so fond of the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd,
who cares for his sheep. We may not think too deeply about the truths behind the
image; we don't, perhaps, pay too much attention to the fact that sheep are, in
fact, undisciplined and foolish creatures, prone to eat whatever looks good,
even if it's poisonous; prone to wander away from the flock and set themselves
up as prime prey for predators; prone to make themselves ill by overeating, by
drinking dirty water, and prone to getting lost or wandering over the edge of a
cliff. Anyone who has tended sheep on a farm knows that they seem to be made for
the purpose of being taken care of!
Most of us, probably, associate the idea of Jesus as the Good Shepherd with
the kind of picture we find on the cover of women's' magazines: a lovely mother,
tenderly holding her baby.
But, you know, sheep...and babies...need to be cared for because they simply
are not able to care properly for themselves. Is this the kind of people we
dream of being?
You and I are made in the image of God. We are quite able to do two things
that sheep...and babies...are unable to do. First, we share with God the fact
that we have usable intelligence. We can assess the situation we find ourselves
in, and, because we are also creative, like God himself, figure out what we
should do about it. Secondly, we, like God, have the ability to discipline
ourselves...and we understand that if we give up all responsibility for
ourselves, we must accept the authority of the person to whom we give that
responsibility. Children must learn to obey their parents, and sheep must learn
to obey the shepherd...come when called, follow where led, and turn away from
yummy-looking grass when the shepherd knows it's not good for them for whatever
reason.
So...accepting Jesus' claim to be the Good Shepherd of us sheep means that if
we want Jesus to look after us, and "make everything all right"...heal the sick,
feed the hungry, raise the dead, answer our prayers, help us in times of
trouble...means that we must be prepared to obey him, to follow where he leads
us, and to accept correction from him when we're headed off to follow our own
sweet wills, even if our own preference is going to land us in trouble.
The big problem with the picture of Jesus as Good Shepherd is simply that we
want him to make everything all right for us, provide all the comfort and care
that we thirst for, but...we don't really want to give up our preferences and
our own ideas and accept his ideas, his preferences, and his leading instead.
But, make no mistake about it: if you call God, or Jesus, your shepherd, you
are, quite simply, bound to obey him. You are bound to accept God's world-view,
not your own. You are bound to obey your Baptismal and Confirmation vows, and
live according to God's law and Jesus' example. You are bound to give up
whatever in your life conflicts with Jesus' and God's plan for the world and its
people. You just can't have it both ways. You cannot expect God or Jesus to take
total care of you and make everything all right for you if you are not prepared
to be a docile lamb, acknowledge his name, come to his calling, and follow where
he leads. You simply cannot have it both ways.
And so, every year, during Eastertide, when we once again read that Jesus is
our Good Shepherd, we find ourselves needing to remember, and ponder, exactly
what it means to be one of Jesus' flock. Are we his people in name only? Or have
we truly taken Jesus for our Good Shepherd, knowing that it means we must truly
obey him, truly follow him, and truly let him choose the direction of our life
and our actions? We may be moved by the pretty pictures in our Bibles, but we
need to be aware that there are hard truths behind them, and it is these hard
truths that we need to ponder and accept, along with the attractive images that
we like to look at. We cannot simply look at the images, we must live into them
and make them the reality of our lives.
Let us ask our Good Shepherd for his help in doing that:
Jesus, shepherd of God's flock, we ask you to help us truly make you our own
shepherd.
- Feed us with the great truths of God's word.
- Disciple us and teach us to follow where you lead us.
- Guide us away from things hurtful to our souls, and lead us to health and healing for our spirits.
- Keep watch over our dreams and hopes, and lead us to healthful rest when
we are weary...
All for your love's sweet sake.
Amen.
