March 23rd 2025
This is a special Sunday for us, for our Jay was born some
45 years ago, on a Sunday morning, per K’s answered prayer!
But this week, in the middle of Lent, we look at Psalm 23
and the Good Shepherd section in John 10:1-18.
We looked at Psalm 23 as an essential, earlier in the year
in this overview. Its traditional interpretation has focused on aspects of
comfort - of being cared for and protected. But what else is there? These
aspects are somewhat different in John 10.
What do ‘green pastures ‘and ‘still waters’ translate into
for us? What do the notions of provision and protection mean? It is still a
requirement that we need food and water to function and to survive. But they
are not all that is necessary. The body needs food, water, and oxygen. And what nourishes our life-giving spirit
itself ie the spirit that leaves us when we die? How is that sustained? Food,
water, oxygen and sunshine won’t do it. And even medical science reaches its
limits when life is at its end, and we all know this.
We must step out beyond the pastoral imagery of shepherd and
sheep and look at new challenges in understanding the depth that scripture offers.
And one word of that is: energy – spiritual energy. The creative and sustaining
energy of God. This is easily talked about but is often not clearly understood,
and we each must discover it in our own way with the Lord. It can only be
experienced, and the experience of it flows in sequence following the degree of
accord we have with the Lord, as we have willed that accord to be so in our
lives. That simple, that hard, but only because it is totally unworldly.
And totally different from the passive sense of ‘let go and
let God’, as some like to think. Or of walking in faith. And hope. Like that neat
illustration of footprints on the beach. Only one set. God, you left me! No, I
didn’t, I carried you. True. But not in that sense. It is the enabling that we
seek. The pastoral images are beautiful and will always be relevant, but Jesus’
teaching takes us beyond them. This is why no one preaches on the ‘if you have
faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, move! and it
would! But that is the true challenge of the life of every Christian. And you
only need mustard seed sized faith to get started. This is what Jacob’s Ladder
is about. For you to get on, and for you to climb. The world cannot overcome
you.
God makes the rain and the sun to shine upon all, equally.
God does not discriminate. But all people do not appreciate it. And all do not
seek to be godly, so they deny God and deny their given human nature, and the
goodness that is offered. And take on
evil instead. The examples are all around you. It was bad in Jesus’ time, it is
worse now. But God in Jesus is creator, creating and sustaining. God is
everywhere, in everything. And that divine energy is all around us. Ask the
Lord’s blessing. God will give. It is all a matter of accord with Jesus. More
than singing about it. Living it. Be a
branch. Stay connected to the Vine. Know the true spiritual energy that
augments, supplements, strengthens. Put it to work in your life and see the
difference.
This Is not about social or socio-political holiness ie
political public involvement. It is about each one of us making a difference.
Together or alone. It is about personal holiness. It is carrying your
protection and your comfort and your safety with you wherever you go and
extending it to others as you have opportunity. You need nothing, you give
nothing, except of yourself.
Hidden in these words of comfort then, is a great spiritual
asset. It is that which is given by the Spirit that converts or transforms
comfort into creative energy, so that the loved one that is comforted gains
strength and ability to go forward. Taste and see. And the section ends with a
reference to paths of righteousness, - the ways that the Lord would have us
walk along – for his name’s sake – that our witness to him is always empowered.
There is a time to be a sheep, and to enjoy the comfort of the Lord. There is a
time to be a shepherd and offer comfort to others, and to be as the Lord wills
us to be. And that is never passive. Always purposeful.
The 2nd section, likewise, has deep implications.
It was said a long time ago that fear is the mind killer. That continues to be true.
Fear is paralyzing and debilitating. We know this feeling when people we care
for are at risk of harm. But the mind of Christ enables us to meet such fear and
to continue to function as needed. Again and again in scripture, the phrase is
repeated - fear not. Psychology talks about fight or flight responses. Perhaps
there is a third. But we must be prepared. Know your weaknesses. Build your
strengths. Then face what you must. Knowing that you never walk alone, like the
song from the musical movie once said. God will help you choose. The effect of
the fear must be dealt with, and we can control and dissipate this. Remember,
our world is no longer pastoral, it is technological. See a thing for what it
is, remove yourself from it, or disempower it in your life.
Then it all comes together in the last section. The
consistent provision in the face of whatever constitutes an enemy; the blessing
of the Lord upon us; the overflowing cup – not of material goods, but of
spiritual strength! These are our ongoing indicators, for when we treat the
body as the temple of the spirit, God is always with us in spirit, and we shall
not be moved.
In John 10 all of this is repeated and taken further. The line is drawn clearly between true and
false shepherds. The false shepherd is a thief, a hireling, who expects payment
while the true shepherd consistently demonstrates genuine care which cannot be
bought. And the Lord also calls many other sheep, over and above those of known
identity. There is the Israel of God. There is the Christian Church of Jesus
Christ. And Jesus says that there are others, many who will come, startlingly
different and yet acceptable to God, to sit at the table of the Lord. For the longest time, Christian distinctions
applied to the world have been false distinctions. Hence, Jim Wallis recent
book’ The False White Gospel, which is essential reading for all Christians! We must grow beyond such things.
So, there are these 2 aspects. They run through all of the
Bible in so many different ways. There has always been the traditional use; but
Jesus is always into newness, moving beyond the old ways. Why? Because he has
so much to show, so much to teach, and he only came for one purpose – to
redeem. When that was done, his work was finished, and our work began. And we
do not walk alone. Jesus is indeed the Good Shepherd, but we are not sheep. We
are sheep only when we are in need of his comfort, and it is given accordingly.
But beyond that, following Jesus is very different - for this world, its
definitions of what’s important and what’s not, and the very meaning of what
human beings who walk with God can achieve. We have a long journey before us,
and all of that waits before you. Reach out to the Spirit and grow. Blessings always,
G.
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