Introduction
The images of sheep and shepherds are familiar ones to us, and to all those who call themselves Christian, indeed, to anyone, of any faith or of none, who has studied the Bible. In the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, there are a total of 289 verses that refer to sheep or lamb, with a further 108 verses that refer to shepherds: little wonder, then, that we have clear and colourful comprehension of these words whenever they occur in a text.
In this Reading though, we see that God does not speak so highly of shepherds as we might see in other Scriptural passages, indeed, the image of the shepherds that we are shown, is tainted. In this passage, there are three accusations levelled against the kings of Israel - the 'shepherds' of the story - these being: that they cruelly exploited the people under their care, fleecing them and fattening themselves at their expense; that they showed none of the pastoral qualities that were required in caring for the weak and defenceless members of the community; and that, instead of keeping their flocks together, they allowed them to be scattered throughout the Earth in exile.
I don't intend that this be a lesson in Biblical historicity. Instead, there are key themes that I would rather, for the purpose of this sermon, concentrate on, and how these key themes and words might rightly affect our Christian lives and ministries.
Shepherds...or Uncaring Spectators?
The imagery of these crucial words and phrases is harsh. The accused are portrayed as those who constantly take to satisfy their own lusts, with little or no regard for those whom they are supposed to protect and serve. They take the food that is meant for their people; they clothe themselves with the riches and finery of their positions, whilst their people go naked or in rags; they slaughter and rob their own people: they will brook no opposition, and they levy excessive taxation, giving nothing in return. In short, they take, take, take, and restore nothing to the common good. In doing so, the people are scattered, becoming utterly lost, and fall foul of the prevalent evils of the world.
The imagery may, to Western minds, seem a little outmoded: yet, in recent years, we have again witnessed a "king" of this Earth doing exactly this to his own people. The people of Iraq have suffered the consequences of the greed of an uncaring ruler for too long. That régime may well now be fallen, but the good is not yet restored.
However, before we applaud ourselves, or crown ourselves with diadems, we ought to ask whether we are true shepherds - or true sheep - or whether we are merely uncaring spectators to the ills of the world. We should examine our consciences to try to ascertain how fully we "feed the hungry, visit the sick or imprisoned, give water to those who thirst", or how richly and within our means - or meagrely and mean-spiritedly - we give to the life and ministry of the church. Without humbly, and in secret, giving to charitable causes, we are no better than the reviled Israelite kings and sheep of the Reading. Without such giving, we add to the misery that we proclaim we would like to see an end of. Without such giving, we ally ourselves to the despotic régimes that we would overthrow. It is - whether we like it or not - both "our duty and our salvation", not only to give praise and thanks to God, but to realistically give to those in greater need than ourselves, without seeking reciprocation, repayment, reward, recognition or recompense: the "five Rs" of an uncharitable, self-serving and self-satisfying personality.
Sheep in Distress...or Sheep-shearing Wolves?
Having said all that, most of us could probably think of and name people who are the 'bleating sheep' of our communities: these are those whose bleating is usually the loudest - even though they have no intentions of being found. These are those who take for granted the things that they are offered and given, whilst always seeking more than their entitlement; who throw into the faces of the charitable, direct challenges to be given more; who steal from and cheat the public services that are intended for the truly needy; who self-diagnose illnesses that they - and all those around them - know that they do not genuinely suffer from, so that they may accumulate wealth, goods and services to which they have no proper entitlement. These people are not the true "sheep", who follow the Master in faith, in works of charity and in humility: rather they are all too eager to act as shearers - those who, literally, strip the sheep of all that rightfully belongs to the True Flock.
Any good medic will tell you that, in an emergency situation, the most critical and the primary sources of concern are for the injured party that makes the least noise: those who are quieter are much more likely to be much more severely injured than those who constantly scream for help and attention. We are probably all the same in that, when we are genuinely ill, we would prefer to be left alone, in quietness, to rest and recuperate, rather than be fussed-over and waited-on hand and foot. Indeed, when we seek to be molly-coddled, as allegedly "ill" people, we actively encourage people to give, give, give, and it is unlikely that we are genuinely ill at all.
Discernment and Finitude
There are nine recognised and proclaimed fruits of the Holy Spirit and, you might now be wondering why I am going to say that discernment should be included amongst these fruits - even though it isn't: the answer is simple - if a little long-winded!
Wherever we go in life, whatever we do, whomsoever we accept into our various circles of relationships - at whatever level - we will encounter 'wolves in sheep's clothing' who, if you'll pardon the pun, will aim to fleece us. None of us has limitless resources - in fact, all the resources in the world are finite: none of them will last forever. The mining industry of this country, which, until very recently, it was thought, would last as long as humanity, is all but burnt; oil and its by-products are not getting more expensive just because of the 'fat cats' of that industry seeking greater and greater profits, but also because it is projected that, within about three or four generations, the planet's oil reserves will be completely exhausted. The very soil in which we plant our crops is eroding, is being stripped of all nutrients or destroyed by pesticides, and is becoming barren. We have spent decades - centuries, even - polluting our streams, rivers and oceans with our sewage, yet wonder why they seem not to be able to support life and to feed us; we are destroying rainforests and other life-giving plant material at a far greater rate than it could ever be replenished; we are, due to our greed, even bringing what were once relatively minor illnesses of the animal realm to humanity: SARS is just the latest of a long-line of these.
We need to use our discernment, then, to ensure that the valuable and irreplaceable resources of the world are not squandered. By the same token, we need to learn discernment in viewing those who present themselves to us as needy: our personal resources are just as limited, just as susceptible to the laws of finitude and, once spent, are gone forever. I would much rather invest my time, energy, financial and emotional resources in those who truly need my help, rather than to pander to the whims of those without any true claim to them.
The Pharaohs of this World and Pharaonic Sheep
Liberation theologians use the term, "Pharaohs of this world" to describe multinational corporations whose only aim is to take from the land and to make enormous profit; they use the phrase to describe régimes such as that of Hussein, Hitler and the régimes that today still subjugate the peoples of Latin America and beyond. The phrase can also be applied to the Israelite kings and the "fat sheep" of today's reading, for they were, and are, certainly despotic. But "the Pharaohs of this world" can also be used to describe individuals at other levels within society: those who identify themselves with the flock, but only do so in order to take whatever they are able to take. In doing this, these people leave the flock bewildered; they leave the flock robbed, profoundly poorer, without the necessary resources to properly live their lives, and without the wherewithal to realistically help others. As the reading tells us, the Pharaonic sheep destroy the food and pollute the water that the true followers - the real, needy sheep - are obliged to eat and drink. The Pharaonic sheep spoil all that is good. They seek to satisfy their own greed and their own ambitions; they rarely - if ever - offer thanks, and they always want more than their fair share. Be assured, God will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
Conclusion
As I have said in a previous sermon, amongst the most frightening statistics that I know is that there is enough real planetary wealth, in private hands, to forever eradicate poverty: yet, daily, tens of thousands of children die of starvation. The Pharaohs of this world, and the Pharaonic sheep of the flock, do not care about such statistics, and other such terrible things - providing that they are getting all that they want - and are clearly able to see other ways to exercise their greed, to unjustly increase their own wealth.
If we are the true and faithful sheep of the One Shepherd, we have to learn to live according to the laws of finitude and discernment. We cannot go on to infinity allowing the multitudes of Pharaonic sheep to fleece the True Flock. When we give, it should be done in true charity, with great humility, and without any desire of reciprocation, repayment, reward, recognition or recompense. But we seem to have an inbuilt inability to say, "no!" to those who demand the things to which they are not entitled: we need to learn to use discernment. Where necessary, we need to learn to say "no" to these people! Accordingly, if the Pharaonic sheep are also to be brought to salvation, we ought to carefully reconsider their impact in our lives: in short, we should not let them fleece us, but, instead, gently challenge them, pray for and with them, and not allow ourselves to be butted by their horns and scattered far and wide. If we fail to do these things, we risk our own destruction, with the eradication or displacement of the Flock; we commit the truly needy to even greater poverty and deprivation, and - by default - we feed and nurture the greed and the excesses of the Pharaohs of this world and the insatiability of the Pharaonic sheep.
Amen.
(John Stanway)
This sermon was first preached in the Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester. Click here for further information.