The Good Shepherd - January 16, 2022
Matthew 18:12-14
Deborah Laforet
The Good Shepherd
Let us pray. May the words from my lips and the meditations of my heart be guided by the Spirit and be words of wisdom for this day. Amen.
When we hear Psalm 23 or the parable of the lost sheep and the good shepherd, many of us feel comforted. Jesus as the Good Shepherd is one of Christianity’s most favoured metaphors. Sheep and shepherds fill the bible and the stories of our faith. We dress our young ones in shepherd’s clothing every year and give them shepherd’s crooks as they act out the part of the shepherds in our Christmas story. The term, “Pastor”, originally the Latin word for “shepherd", is a word we use for our clergy, and we still call our visiting and care for each other in the church, ‘pastoral care.’
And yet, I don’t think I’ve ever met a shepherd. I’ve met farmers who have sheep on their farm, but I’ve never met someone whose job it was to be in the fields all day long, bringing sheep from field to field and protecting them from predators. Shepherds are not a part of our current context but they remain a strong part of our faith context. Why? Why does this image still hold such resonance for us today?
I do think we have romanticized this image of the shepherd. We don’t talk much about the wolves or other predators that would have been a danger to the sheep and shepherd. We don’t talk about the shepherd watching the sheep for all hours, with little pay, and much of the time isolated from the rest of the community. We don’t talk about fleas, and mud, and rough weather and cold nights. We focus on good, green grass, still waters, gentle sheep, and the caring and loving shepherds.
Today, I want to say, that’s OK. Sometimes it’s good to take a critical look at some of our most predictable stories, at some of our assumptions and traditions, at our privileged context, but other times, it’s OK to rest in the assurance of a well loved story, in an image that brings consolation, and in a tradition that brings peace and comfort. Our faith, without the work of justice, becomes empty and cliche. Our faith, without rest, without prayer and restoration, will burn us out and leave us without the energy and motivation to continue our justice work.
Jesus has been named the Good Shepherd for centuries, probably because of the many references throughout our bible that name God as shepherd. Ron shared two of them from our Hebrew scriptures. From the prophet Isaiah, God is described as a shepherd, feeding the flock and gathering and holding them close. The prophet Ezekiel expands on this imagery, saying God will seek out the sheep, God will rescue them on days of cloud and thick darkness.
I wonder if the parable Jesus shared was based on some of this imagery. After all, he would have grown up hearing these ancient texts, hearing Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” With these images from his own faith context, this story of the Good Shepherd would have felt familiar to his listeners, to those who followed him. Jesu gives it a new twist though. He speaks of a hundred sheep and he speaks of one who has gone astray. He describes how this shepherd leaves the other ninety-nine behind to go in search of just this one.
I’m not sure if this would actually be a responsible action for a real shepherd. It’s the shepherd’s job to care for the sheep, all the sheep, to make sure they are fed and to make sure they are safe. If only one is missing, does he risk the other sheep in order to find the one that has gone astray?
This question actually comes up a lot in modern storytelling. Does the hero risk the lives of everyone to save one individual. In many stories, this is the turning point of the story and a main point of struggle for the hero. In my experience, most of the stories has the hero decide to save the individual, and in the end, saves everyone. This is not a story about a hero though. It’s a story about a shepherd, a very common and lowly person in Jesus’ day. Today it might be like talking about the local shopkeeper or the bus driver, an ordinary person that we see in our daily lives.
One sheep has gone astray. Contrary to what might be expected, the shepherd leaves all the other sheep behind, and goes to find this one lost sheep. Jesus ends the parable with, “it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.” Not one.
Is there a time when you felt lost? Is there a time you went astray and found yourself in danger? Jesus taught that everyone matters, but maybe especially, those people who are lost. If you are lost, you are the priority. Even if you feel shame or guilt or unworthiness, because you went astray, you are important and valued and loved, enough for the Good Shepherd to leave all the other sheep behind, go into places of danger, and carry you home on his shoulders.
Whether or not this is true of an actual shepherd, it is true of the Good Shepherd. No wonder this image is so well loved. No wonder this image brings comfort and assurance. No wonder it has held strong for the past 2000 years.
The other ninety-nine are not forgotten. They are also important. In the Godly Play parable, we hear that the shepherd knows each of them by name, shows them the way, leads them to the green grass and the still waters, and protects them from danger. Sometimes though, we are in greater need than other times. Sometimes we need the extra attention. Sometimes we need more care. Sometimes we just need know we are loved.
We’ve all been there, some more than others. Some are there now. The Good Shepherd knows your name. The Good Shepherd will guide you, show you the way, bring you to green grass and still waters. And if you are weary, if you are afraid, if you feel lost and alone, the Good Shepherd will find you and carry you home.
Friends, during this pandemic many of us have felt lost. Many of us have felt isolated and lonely. Many of us miss being with our families, our communities, those people we love. Many of us are tired of being scared, hearing headlines every day of COVID, intensive care units, variants, and shut downs. If this story tells us anything, it’s telling us we are not alone. The Good Shepherd knows us; the Good Shepherd is with us through it all, good and bad. It doesn’t make it all better, but hopefully it provides some assurance that we do not walk this world alone. Can you feel that? Can you feel the universe, the Spirit, the Divine, whatever you call it - can you feel it embracing you, filling you, never abandoning you?
Just like the sheep with the Good Shepherd, we are known, we are protected, and we are loved. Thanks be to God. Amen.