Yes, Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are his Sheep-- no matter how lost we get, no matter how tangled up in the bramble we get, He will always seek us, find us and bring us home. It is a nice image and Jesus does do all of that, BUT, there’s more to this story than cute little lambs and a gentle, loving and committed shepherd.
All that imagery comes in the middle of the parable and we don’t get the middle this year, we only get the beginning. And in the beginning, well in the beginning we hear a lot about the gate. It sounds, at first listen, that Jesus is saying there is only one gate that there is only one way into the arms of God that anyone who doesn’t follow this way, His way, is out of luck.
Now, while I agree that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life and that my salvation is gained through my belief and trust in him, I don’t believe that the way we know Jesus, the way we access God, is the only way God is reached nor do I believe that it’s the only way God reaches out to us.
I believe that God reaches out to humanity in various ways, ways that look very different to us but ways that, I think, all lead to the same place: the one sheepfold of God, the one kingdom of God. As Jesus says elsewhere in John’s Gospel, My father’s house has many dwelling places. Many dwelling places that are all under one roof.
Am I saying that you can get into heaven even if you don’t believe as we believe?
Absolutely. And I think Jesus is saying that too.
Now, before we go one, there are a couple of things you need to know about this story.
When Jesus talks about the gate of the sheepfold he is talking about the Shepherd. You see, as shepherds pasture their flocks they cover a lot of territory …sheep eat a lot of grass so they must keep moving along the country side to avoid overgrazing …so… when it’s time to stop for the night they have to create a sheepfold—a corral of sorts—along the way. Nowadays some shepherds carry lightweight portable fencing with them, but back in Jesus’ day they stopped for the night when they found a cave or some other enclosure to use as a sheepfold. The shepherd would get all the sheep in the cave and then would stretch out over the opening to keep the sheep in and the thieves bandits and wolves out. So, quite literally, the Shepherd functions as the Gate.
Jesus, by saying “very truly I tell you anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit,” is telling us that the only right way to get into the sheepfold is through the gate. He’s saying that he’s the gate, so the message is clear, right: You get into the sheepfold of God only when you enter the sheepfold through Him, through Jesus?
Well I don’t think so…
Here’s another thing you need to know about shepherds in the time of Jesus. They were despised by everyone except other shepherds. Their work was dirty and they were transient, so they had few friends and family… they had no real home village to speak of…. The shepherds had their sheep, and other shepherds…that was their community. Therefore, because they only had each other, it wasn’t uncommon for several flocks to gather in one cave for the night. Several flocks led by several different Shepherds meant the shepherds would take turns being the gate throughout the long, cold night.
So is the only way to God through the gate of Jesus, as we know Him?
No.
I believe that the sheepfold of God is immense and that the gatekeepers of the sheepfold are as wide and varied, as unique and as numerous as the stars in the sky.
And I think it’s why Jesus mentions the sheep knowing their own shepherd’s voice it suggests that more than one flock was in each sheep-fold-
It’s right there in verses 3-5:
The gatekeeper---the shepherd—opens the gate, calls His or her sheep and they Hear their shepherd’s voice. They recognize their shepherd and respond to their shepherd.
It’s the same message we’ve heard throughout Easter. Mary Magdalene hears Jesus’ voice and realizes that it isn’t the gardener at all, it is her beloved teacher, Lord and God. Thomas denies that Jesus is raised until such time as he hears Jesus’ voice and looks into his eyes and realizes that this man, this teacher is indeed his Lord and God. It’s what we heard last week in the Emmaus story---the disciples hearts burned as the stranger spoke to them and then, in the familiar act of sharing a meal they realize, they recognize that this is no stranger at all, but their friend, their teacher, their Lord, their God.
Jesus, as experienced through our sacred scripture, our worship and our traditions is our shepherd, we hear his voice and we recognize him.
This doesn’t mean that other sheep don’t hear another voice that they recognize and follow.
They do. Jesus tells us they do. He says: They will not follow a stranger, because they don’t know the voice of strangers. Right here, smack dab in the middle of the cozy little story about sheep and their shepherd, Jesus tells us that there are many ways to know God, to worship God, to love God. The issue isn’t how we do it, the issue is that we do it.
So my fellow sheep, my fellow shepherds, may we come in and out of God’s incredible sheep fold to find the lost and bring them home to live that life of abundant joy, promised to us by God, through our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
Amen and Alleluia!
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