Images of the Shepherd
Today's
reading is one of Jesus' most famous sayings "I am the Good Shepherd". The
reading reminds us of images of Jesus with flowing robes, cuddling a tiny lamb
while other lambs lie peacefully at his sheep. The scene is idyllic and we make
it more lovely because we live in an urban environment and have images from
childhood about cuddling teddies.
However, if we know anything of today's countryside, the image of the
shepherd wouldn't be someone in flowing robes cuddling lambs, but of a farmer on
a quad bike followed along by some sheepdogs! I am not sure that the image of
the flowing robes image of the shepherd was that accurate for shepherds in the
ancient world either.
The ancient shepherd of Palestine had to be tough, worked often in areas of sparse growth, frequently amid danger from wild animals and sheep stealers, and, above all, had to protect the flock, especially at night, when they would often be rounded up into a small pen. Our passage today reflects this less than idyllic world. The bland image of flowing robes gives way to a picture of tension: positively, a shepherd doing his job to the utmost; negatively, dangers which threaten the sheep (in the present and the future) and which will kill him. Life and death dance together. Being a shepherd clearly wasn't an easy job: - Jesus reminds us that the "good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
Shepherds as Leaders
The
shepherd was a common image used for rulers, from ancient Egypt to Israel. It
reflected both versatile strength and nurture. It was an image of engaged
leadership. That the ideal king, David, was once a shepherd could easily be the
creation of legend; it fits so well; perhaps it just a 'legendary' fact. Ezekiel
complains about the 'shepherds of Israel', their failure to care for the sheep
(Ezekiel 34).
The assumption in the ancient world is that government has a caring role, a not altogether welcome idea today among governments. We would not today see our political leaders as shepherds who lay down their lives for the sheep. I heard a programme on the radio last week which put forward the view that the business of government was to help us become happier. They had done some research and found that in 1953 people in the UK were far happier than we are now. But now we are three times wealthier than we were in the 1950s. Clearly money has not resulted in happiness. The programme makers were exploring the idea that the government has a responsibility to help us to become happier - by focussing on quality of life issues. Indeed, the American declaration of Independence holds that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are three great human rights. Maybe we do want our governments to be more like a shepherd who not only leads but nurtures us.
Clergy as Shepherds
However, John's gospel passage appears more to focus on leaders in the community of faith - Jesus as the great Shepherd of the Sheep, and then, by inference has some comments about the under shepherds. It flails the failure Israel's spiritual leaders and attacks the 'professionals', who are in ministry for the job and not as a calling. The latter will hopefully be 'professional' in the sense of thorough, efficient and disciplined, but the assumption of the passage is that people just hired to do the job without personal commitment will not be prepared to lead in the dangers. In modern terms, they will avoid rocking the boat and keep themselves and their flocks safe.
This
begs a question of what we want out of Christian leaders. At the moment in MCC
the clergy, in particular, are reflecting on what qualities we might wish to see
in an Elder as we prepare to reflect and pray about the nominee who will be
presented to us to vote upon. Many of us have been involved in other churches
and congregations and will have some reflections on what we like and don't like
in clergy.
Sometimes our expectations of clergy are very unrealistic. I
remember the story of a Bishop going to a troubled parish which had just seen
off its most recent priest - the third in as many years - and asking what
characteristics they were looking for in a priest. When they had finished the
bishop noted that "until I ordained the Archangel Gabriel you are going to be
disappointed".
As shepherds clergy have a rather strange job. Sometimes we have to be like that first image of Jesus we looked at - ok, so we get the flowing robes. But we are expected to be meek and mild, nurturing, lovely and generally banal. This is the image of us in the media - gentle, ineffective and rather funny. But the job involves rather more than this. In my time as a pastor I have had, as a shepherd, to deal with the wolves.
Sometimes people come along to church for less than godly reasons and seek to do damage to the flock. Last Thursday at the start of Jim and Nina's new church two people turned up who clearly were disturbed at the notion of a gay affirming church and wanted to cause some problems. I found myself as guest shepherd for the evening, showing - in a very nice way - that these particular wolves needed to feast elsewhere. Sometimes the shepherd needs to remind the sheep how to behave! Over the years I had to visit churches to help them deal with people who no longer want the good of the church but want to attack, cause problems, unsettle the pastor and generally be unpleasant.
At first this shocked me - after all Christians are supposed to be loving people. It took me some time to realise the enormity of how unpleasant people in churches could be. It was a revelation as I never saw it in the Catholicism of my youth. Now I realise that churches, MCC in particular, attracts broken people. Sometimes, however, we don't want to get better and mend. We can like staying in our brokenness, enjoying our pain, throwing our dummies out of our prams whenever we want to, and behaving in ways which are somehow tolerated. Some of the behaviour I have seen - in other congregations you understand - would never be tolerated in places of work. So one of the less appealing roles of the shepherd is to protect the sheep - even if they don't always want to be protected!
The
Responsibility of the Sheep
Today's reading looks a lot at the Shepherd of the Sheep with Jesus showing himself to be the role model. But what of the sheep. Shepherds can expect the sheep to behave in certain ways.
First, we expect them to behave like sheep! That means respecting the flock, acting in their best interests, and realising that the flock is a place to learn, grow and love. Sometimes sheep want to wander off thinking that they can worship and be a Christian by themselves. The Bible does talk about sheep like this. It calls them Lost Sheep!
Secondly, the sheep need to recognise the voice of the shepherd. This requires a degree of maturity, to recognise the voice of Jesus in all the competing voices and ideologies of our world. It means realising what is authentic Christianity and what is sub-Christian or nonsense. At the moment the Church is getting very anxious about the Da Vinci code and the claims it makes about historic Christianity. Now the Church should have more confidence in the maturity of the sheep. Dan Brown's book is a very good read - but most Christians will realise that what he writes is fiction not fact - we will be looking at his book in more detail later on in the year. But maybe the Church is right to be worried - so often sheep can be blown around by every wind of change and doctrine. As we grow and mature as sheep we learn to recognise the voice of the Good Shepherd who leads and guides us.
Conclusion
Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we know his voice. Being a Shepherd is not about idyllic pastoral scenes and cute little lambs, its about hard work, protecting the sheep and being willing to lay down one's life in service. It's not for nothing that one of the oldest words for Christian clergy is "pastor" meaning "shepherd". Clergy are called to model their ministry on that of Jesus, but all of us are also sheep that have a responsibility to listen for Jesus' voice and to look after the well being of the flock.
Amen.
(Rev Andy Braunston)
This sermon was first preached in the Metropolitan Community Church
of Manchester. Click here for further information.