Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Wednesday, March 5, 2014 Read John 10:1-18 This passage in John’s gospel is one that is rich in meaning and power. There are many facets that we need to examine to get the full force of what John is saying. Where to begin is a challenge. Perhaps the first thing to notice is that John begins with those words of Jesus, “Very truly, I tell you…” We have noted before that this is a way for John to alert his readers that what is about to be said is critically important. Most of the time these comments have preceded theological reflection – either by Jesus or by the author of John’s gospel. While there is some sense in which that is that case here, the theological reflection is expressed in a symbolic way. We can be sure that what is being said here is critically important to John. This leads us to a second consideration – what kind of language is this? John tells us that Jesus had used a “figure of speech” but the audience did not understand him. We have noted earlier that John does not use parables in the telling of his story. This, however, is as close to a parable as we will get. The use of symbolism both adds power to the story and adds a sense of ambiguity. We will need to work to understand. Parables did that too for the synoptic writers. In actuality there are three “figures of speech” rolled into this story. Jesus is the gatekeeper. Jesus is the gate itself. Jesus is the shepherd. The movement between these three images is what gives the image its power. A third thing we need to consider is that this passage, more than most others in John’s gospel, is rich in OT connections. At least four OT passages need to be heard in connection with this image. First of all this passage connects with Psalm 23. Pause now and read it, or at least refresh your mind regarding Psalm 23 since most of us have it lodged in our memory. “The LORD is my shepherd … Jesus is the Good Shepherd.” The second passage that we need to hear is Isaiah 40:11. “He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.” This passage in Isaiah comes from that time of deliverance from Babylonian bondage and was a powerful image of hope. Both Psalm 23 and Isaiah 40:11 are fully positive images. Two more images are needed to fill out the OT connections. The first is Jeremiah 23:1-6. Stop and read it now. The image in Jeremiah is mostly negative – chastising the wicked shepherds who destroy the sheep. In John 10, the “hired hand” is contrasted with Jesus. Only Jesus cares for the sheep. We have not yet discussed just who these words were addressed to but it is important to make the connection between the wicked shepherds in Jeremiah and the religious leaders of Jesus’ own day – and later of the final author’s time. The last passage to consider is the most important. All of Ezekiel 34 is important to hear at this time. Stop and read Ezekiel 34. Once again the passage begins with the wicked shepherds who destroy the sheep. But what is most important about Ezekiel 34 is the long description of the “good shepherd” which begins in verse 11. God himself will be the shepherd, seeking out his own sheep and rescuing them from harm. Ezekiel 34:23-24 are most pointed in their description. “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them; he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.” With all this powerful imagery from the OT flowing through this text it is clear that Jesus is the one who fulfills the OT promise of Psalm 23, Isaiah 40:11, Jeremiah 23:6, and Ezekiel 34. We need to be careful not to miss another thing that John does in this passage. We have been following John’s use of “I am” passages. This is another of them. The word “I am” with the predicate is a powerful claim that Jesus is to be equated with the “I am” who is the LORD in the OT. In fact, at Ezekiel 34:24 we meet the expression, “I, LORD (I am in Hebrew), have spoken.” We might actually translate Ezekiel 34:24 like this, “I, I am, have spoken.” The point here is to recognize that John is making a large claim for Jesus, the good shepherd. The good shepherd is none other than God. We are not finished with the richness of this passage. Many have puzzled over something Jesus says in John 10:16 – “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” Who is Jesus speaking about in this passage? Likely the most popular interpretation of just who these “others” are is that they are Gentiles. That is certainly a good possibility. But it is not the only one. In recent years some commentators have begun to think that John was referring to other Christians who were not a part of John’s own community. The community of John that stands behind this gospel is a rather unique community. We have been noticing how very different John is from the synoptic gospel. John’s picture of Jesus is not like theirs in many ways. Could it be that John, and John’s community is very aware that there are other Christians who do not think like they do and do not associate with them who yet are an important part of Christ’s body? If that is the case, then we begin to see that John and John’s community, while unique and different, also has positive regard for other believers in Jesus who honor a different tradition. We will notice this again in John17 where Jesus will pray fervently for Christian unity. Division among Christians is a plague on the ministry of all. That there will be differences is inevitable. And if this interpretation holds any truth then there were large differences from the very beginning. A careful reading of the NT makes that abundantly clear. The illusion of a unified Christian body in the years following the death and resurrection of Jesus is exactly that – an illusion! There never was a “golden age” when everyone got it right and everyone agreed! Knowing that is very helpful for us as we seek to live with and heal the differences we have with other Christians! And John’s gospel can lead the way toward better understanding and better relationships. We are still not to the end of this rich passage. The Jesus who speaks here in John’s gospel makes it abundantly clear that he is fully in charge of his own death and resurrection. The power of Jesus is that he “lays down his life for the sheep” – and that “he takes it up again.” Already John is hinting at how he will tell the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. Unlike the synoptic gospel, the death of Jesus is not an agony – a desperate plunge into darkness and a reversal by the power of God’s action in resurrecting Jesus. From the very beginning Jesus is in control. His crucifixion is not a defeat, nor an abandonment, but a powerful victory. No one takes Jesus’ life from him. One last question needs to be asked of this passage. Just who is Jesus’ talking to? We actually need to wait until the next verse, verse 19, to get a hint at the likely answer. I think most of the time we hear these words as if they were spoken only to the disciples – the followers of Jesus. To be sure they were hearing these words – just as we, today’s believers, are hearing them. They are meant for us. But in the context of John’s gospel, verse 19 makes it clear that these words were spoken first to someone else – the Jews. All of them, believing and not believing. So perhaps it is better to hear these words as spoken to the people who have been listening to Jesus at least since chapter 7 if not chapter 5. This passage, then, is part of the Temple Controversy we have been following. As we think of them in this way we recognize the controversial character of them. Is Jesus the good shepherd or not? Our answer to that question makes all the difference.