Listening for the Voice of Our Shepherd

Charlie and Abby

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

Easter 4, Year C – April 17, 2016

Text: John 10:22-30

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

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Today’s encounter at the end of John 10, between the people and Jesus, takes place right after Jesus has told them that he is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. The Good Shepherd calls his sheep by name. The Good Shepherd protects his sheep, and leads them, giving them safety so that they may find pasture. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. 

After Jesus proclaims these things about himself, some who are listening to him start to argue. Some think that Jesus has lost it – that he’s out of his mind. Others point to the healing work of Jesus as proof that he hasn’t lost his mind at all – quite the opposite, they say – his healing works instead show us that we should be listening to him.

So in this time of contention, they ask Jesus to explain things plainly to them. “Are you the Messiah? Tell us,” they say. Jesus’ response seems brusque to us: “I have told you,” he says, “but you don’t believe me.” You can almost hear the frustration in his response.

And you might see why Jesus is a little frustrated with their question. In addition to all the signs (miracles) that Jesus has done up to now, in identifying himself as the Good Shepherd, he’s identifying himself as the Messiah – the Anointed One – for whom the people of God have been waiting. The image of the Messiah as a shepherd is one that would’ve been quite familiar to these Jews. So, in this part of their conversation, Jesus now goes back to the Good Shepherd image. He says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. …No one will snatch them out of my hand.” 

Throughout this whole chapter, for Jesus, the emphasis is on the relationship that the sheep have with their shepherd. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice, and the shepherd knows them each by name. The sheep trust their shepherd to keep them safe and fed, and the shepherd knows what they need. There is a relationship between the sheep and the shepherd.

I’ve never owned a sheep. We do have two dogs, though, and whenever I read these words of Jesus in John, I always think about relationships between dogs and their owners. Our old dog, Max, had been with me since he was seven weeks old. He knew my voice, and I knew what his different noises meant, too. He wasn’t the best-trained dog in the world, but he knew a few commands: for example, if I told him I needed to “dry off puppy paws,” he would sit and hold up one paw. Every command had a purpose, whether to keep him safe or to make something easier.

Now that we have our two current dogs, who’ve come to us as adults and only about six months ago, I’m remembering all the years of relationship-building that I did with Max in order for him to know my voice and obey me. Now, we’re working with Abby and Charlie on some of the most basic commands, and sometimes it feels like this work never ends. We do this work not only for their own safety, but, as we learned recently, the safety of the wildlife in our yard. These two dogs know our voices, I think, but the relationship is still building, and so they don’t always follow when we need them to. 

My mom, when preaching on today’s text from John about 20 years ago, asked the question, “What image of Christ do we present to the world?” Today’s gospel lesson invites us to present an image of Christ as the Good Shepherd – loving and caring for his sheep even to the point of laying down his life. The Good Shepherd lives in relationship with his sheep – they know him and he knows them.

I also wonder, though, what image of Christ’s followers people have. When people look at the followers of Christ, do they see love or hatred? Do they see care or neglect? Can people even tell that we are listening for our Good Shepherd’s voice? 

Which then leads me to ask: Are Christ’s followers even listening for our Good Shepherd’s voice? 

It can be such a challenge to hear the voice of the Shepherd over the clamor of the world -  to hear it over all the voices shouting fear at us, or shouting hatred at us. How can we possibly hear the voice of our Shepherd if all we listen to are the voices telling us that if we aren’t afraid, or if we aren’t driven by hatred, we must be doing something wrong? 

The world looks to Christ’s followers to see an image of Christ himself. The world listens to what Christ’s followers are saying, in order to hear the voice of the Shepherd. I wonder if our relationships with Christ the Shepherd are such that our actions and our words show Christ to be caring – not only for the sheep in the fold, but caring for all? 

In our baptisms, we are marked with the cross of Christ forever – no one can snatch us from the loving hands of Jesus, our Shepherd. God’s love for us does not depend upon us or how we feel. God’s love for us depends upon God and God’s faithfulness to us. However, God’s love for other people doesn’t depend on our love for them. Jesus the Good Shepherd loves all those sheep out there, in spite of how we all treat each other. 

But…

To step away from sheep and shepherds for a minute…Jesus has given to us these two great commands: to love God, and to love our neighbor. We, who are so loved by God, are called to love our neighbors, too. Our relationships with God are marked with the cross of Christ – but our relationships with everyone should also be marked with that same cross.

My fellow sheep, let us listen for the voice of our loving Shepherd, let us hear it above every other voice that begs for attention. And then, let us be the ones who show and tell the love of Jesus, our Good Shepherd. 

Amen.

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