Psalm 23, John 10:11-18
Years ago – back in the days when we only had radio – I read of people who lived on their own who would leave the radio on all day so that when they arrived home there would be a comforting sound and they didn’t feel they were entering an empty house. People would fill their lives with sound, activity and people so that they were never alone with themselves and didn’t have to deal with their personal issues, situation and identity.
This week I heard an update on that situation. People now have social media – texting, facebook, email, etc., – to help them fill their lives with anything other than solitude, and to give them the feeling of control over their lives and their relationships. These media can enable us to keep other people at just the right distance from us – not too close; not too far away – and prevent them ever really knowing who we are.
What’s so scary about solitude, about being alone? It’s scary when we have a sense that all is not well but we don’t know what to do about it, or, more so, when we think we know what to do and don’t want to do it. All of us at some time have thought, “I know the answer to my dillemmas is outside myself – in giving ultimate control to someone or something else – but I want to retain control for myself. I don’t want to hand over to someone I don’t know or trust.”
Sure, one can cobble together a philosophy of life that gets one by and keeps one in control of one’s own life and destiny. But these never last. They’re about as substantial as a cobweb and sooner or later will crumble to dust. Furthermore, they only give the illusion of being in control for one is never fully in control of one’s life, anyway. Solitude with silence tends to force one to face one’s self and people in this situation will often use everything they can to distract them from their own reality.
When one does embrace solitude and sorts out one’s self one can then be comfortable on one’s own and secure in relating to others. It is scary to think one is totally alone in all the universe. There’s just me – and 7 thousand million other people who are just as alone as I am. No one knows me and no one cares. Not surprising that people will use social media to combat this feeling. Trouble is it doesn’t meet our needs but does have effects in shaping those who depend on it. If you get your identity through social media you’ll end up more confused than ever.
As scary as aloneness is the realisation that there are spirits who are interested in us, but who we don’t know and don’t know how to know and don’t know about trusting them. Yes, there are spirits we can’t trust and don’t want to know. They’re on Satan’s side. Then there is Jesus whose love and care is foundational. We who have found our lives in him confidently trust and depend on him and find him totallly reliable.
The answer to our identity questions is out there – it is in fact Jesus – and when we meld with Jesus he comes in. He identifies with us and we with him. My identity is as a child of God, my creator. In the analogy of our readings we identify as Jesus’ sheep – in his care. We know he is trustworthy. In Christ we are not alone and his perfect love drives out all fear.
Psalm 23 is the best known psalm and favourite of many people. It uses the familiar image of shepherd and sheep. An image with which we have learned to identify. In Ps.23, Isa.40 and other places God is ‘shepherd’, ‘Shepherd of Israel’; so when Jesus says “I am the good shepherd,” it reveals something more of his intimate relationship with God; it reveals something more of “who Jesus is”: Immanuel – God with us.
Refreshing
Sheep need to rest. We too need rest and refreshment. Jesus provides us with physical rest. He also gives us peace – emotional rest. He invites us to tell him what troubles us and he will deal with those things. Jesus, the good shepherd, had a special relationship with the flock he tended for the sake of the one to whom they belong. “The Father and I are one”; so Jesus can say “my sheep.” This Jesus is the Shepherd who restores my inmost being; who heals and makes whole. We might encounter him in worship; in reading the Bible or devotional material; in prayer; in an encounter with another person or group; and he it is who refreshes and renews our life in God. Whether life is going badly or going well, the shepherd can lead us into quiet, restful, refreshing places.
Giving
A shepherd makes sure his sheep have the best pasture and clean water – everything they need. Jesus makes sure we have all we need, when we need it. This isn’t just about physical things; it could be a solution to a problem or a helpful call from a friend when we feel alone. He even gives us things that we don’t know we need!
The difference between the hired hand and the real shepherd is that the shepherd is committed to the well being of the sheep, even to death.
Guiding
Life can be confusing. Jesus will show us the best way to go if we ask him. His plans are not always what we want, and sometimes he takes us to places we’d never have dreamed of. But because he is the Good Shepherd, if we listen carefully, we can be sure he will lead us on the right paths, even to unexpected places! We need to trust.
Jesus is the shepherd who brings me back to a right life, back from rebellion and wilful waywardness; a situation which reminds me of sheep on the side of the road – on the wrong side of the fence, frightened and skittish with no rest until the shepherd/owner returns them to safety. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, ventures into our deepest darkness with us to lead us through it, gathers and leads the flock along right paths – authentic, true paths – from darkness to life and light.
With us
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, doesn’t abandon us when life gets tough which is what a bad shepherd might do. He travels with us into the dark places, keeping us close by his side, and sometimes carries us when life is too much to bear. Often we grow in our faith after we have walked through ‘the valley of the shadow of death’. Jesus encourages us not to be afraid in these hard places.
Knows us
Jesus knows each of us, personally; the good bits and the bad bits; the happy bits and the sad bits. There’s nothing about us that Jesus doesn’t know. He has watched over us day by day. Not like the hired hand who just wants the money! Jesus knows, cares and loves. So our life in him is fully real – unless we pretend otherwise. The shepherd knows the sheep and the sheep know well the shepherd’s voice.
Welcoming
Jesus is a shepherd for everyone, not just a few chosen sheep. He longs to see everyone coming to love him. He won’t turn anyone away. Not only does Jesus welcome us all, but he welcomes us to a party! He treats us as his special guests in his kingdom for ever. Despite our present difficulty, distress or suffering he spreads a table, a banquet at which we experience a taste of the banquet that is to be: which marks the final consummation of all things which he will bring. The good shepherd, the risen Christ, offers provision, protection and hope… to all.
Saving
Jesus is the Good Shepherd because he cares, knows, loves, gives, refreshes, guides and travels with us, but most importantly of all he gave his life for us. He loves us so much that he willingly died so that we might be forgiven. He rose again and is preparing that great party for us in heaven! This makes him not just the Good Shepherd but the greatest shepherd there can ever be!
What can we do?
The point of the passage is not only what God does for us, but what we are willing to do for one another (see also 1 John 3:16-24). Just as Jesus laid down his life for us, we should be willing to lay down our lives for one another. Jesus, in this, becomes the prototype for leadership in both the church and the city square. When we dare to risk life or livelihood for one of God’s sheep, we follow in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd; when we stand up for or stand with the powerless or speak for those whose voices are often ignored, we are in a sense laying our lives down for one another. The thing that separates this from mere social activism is the love that we have for God’s people and for God. Good shepherds are motivated by love; not so the hired hand.
Cultivate solitude to prevent lonliness, in yourself and others, and to know yourself. When Jesus’ people are on their own Jesus is always present. They are never alone, and that’s a good thing.
Cultivate 1 to 1 personal relationship with Chirst to shape real self, then relate to others as that self. Know yourself and be at home with who you are. Encourage others to do likewise.
Insist on face to face, in person conversations that are real (avoid the virtual). Practice, and (if you have to) teach, conversation with young people – and not so young – anyone afraid of being alone. Insist on good interaction without any electronic or other aid.
Acknowledgement to Jeff Shrowder, 2012, for some material.