"And I lay down my life for the sheep"

    Meditation on John 10:11-18

Sunday April 29, 2012

    “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.

      I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 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.

     For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.” (John 10:11-18)

   ***

    The first time I visited a dairy farm, I didn’t have the right shoes.

    The family I was visiting graciously loaned me a pair of tall, black rubber boots. 

    Then I proceeded to get stuck in ferocious mud as we walked about the farm, viewing new, state of the art buildings with machines that would make milking and feeding faster, easier and more efficient.

    I stood in the mud and cried out softly when I could no longer lift my feet and remain inside the rubber boots.

      My guide lifted me easily out of the mud, boots still attached, as if I were a shovel she was preparing to use.  She chuckled softly as she steered me to drier ground and continued her description of life on their farm.  

    A busy life.  A hard life.  An exhausting life. But a satisfying life for this family, most of the time.

    I had just begun my full time parish internship in a small church in a rural community. I had spent most of my life in suburban settings, so I had a lot to learn about the people I had come to serve.

    They kindly agreed to my visit so that I could understand. They even fed me a dinner of pork roast, creamed corn baked in the oven, onion potatoes, and bread.  And yes, it was the noon meal.

    I want you to know that I have changed their names to respect their privacy.

    Sarah’s father, Jack, owned a good-sized dairy farm—around 100 head or more. They also grew some crops, including corn.  Sarah’s life was taken up with caring for the farm and feeding those who worked on the farm—a few hired hands but mostly family members.

     Sarah’s husband, John, also came from a local farming family, though he and his brother farmed crops.  It wasn’t the same life as the constant, year-round demands of dairy cows.  But it seemed to suit him well.

    Sarah and John had one child—a son.  He was around 14 or 15 when I met him. He was being trained up to continue the family business.

    Sarah’s father had expanded the farm in recent years—adding cattle and the new cattle buildings.  Jack told me it was the only way he could stay in business and support all the family.  The machinery meant that fewer people were required to do the work. And of course, more cows meant more milk and more calves.

   But even with new technology, there was still more than enough work to do! They were still working when I left in the evening.  The darkness did not slow them down. 

    As I made the 20-mile drive back to our home, I thought about all that I had heard and seen.

     How did Sarah do it all?

     Somehow, she found additional time for many projects—such as making furniture or stripping wallpaper and painting the old, family home in which they lived. 

    Somehow, homework got done, as did shopping, cooking, cleaning, and laundry.  And they rarely if ever missed a Sunday morning worship service.  Their son always came to Sunday school.

    Compared to my more sedentary, comfortable life, hers seemed overwhelming.

    I asked why they did not have more hired hands to help.

   She gave me a list of reasons, including the high cost. They would have to pay benefits and Social Security for every worker. And then it is difficult to find workers. Fewer people grow up on farms nowadays and not many know the work and have experience. Also, few are interested in learning it—especially for the pay they would receive—a great deal less than many jobs offer.

    But it wasn’t just money and a shortage of qualified people that kept the family from hiring more workers.  What it came down to was hired hands wouldn’t have the same loyalty or work ethic. They might not work as hard or as long as a family member—an owner—who is motivated to learn and do all they can to make the farm as productive as possible and to ensure that the farm would continue to provide for the family for generations to come.

     Most of all, a hired hand wouldn’t care about the animals like family would. 

     A family member would stay up all night if a calf was being born and the mother was in trouble.  They would grieve the suffering and loss of one cow—many of whom they had nurtured since birth.     

    Would a hired hand do that?

***

    Jesus, in our gospel today, calls Himself the Good Shepherd. We—His followers—are His sheep. This is an image in which we are familiar.  And we find this image of Jesus very comforting.

     Jesus compares His care for His flock to that of a hired hand who, when the wolf comes, takes off!! The hired hand looks after his own wellbeing. If he is in danger, the hired hand abandons the flock to be snatched and scattered, torn and devoured.

     Not the Good Shepherd.  He stays, protects, and defends His sheep. Why?  Because the sheep belong to Him, and they have a long relationship of trust and care.

      The shepherd for His sheep. The sheep for their shepherd. 

     “I know my own sheep,” Jesus says. “And my own know me.”

      The hired hand in the story is the world that pretends to care for us—only the world takes care of itself.  There is only one in whom we can rely.

     And He isn’t of this world, though He is here, in this world, with us always.

     Christ tells the Pharisees and His disciples about the other sheep who are not of “this fold,” but still belong to Him. They will hear His voice, He says. His flock that began with the children of Israel will widen to include people of every nation. The Jewish Messiah is to become the Lord, the shepherd, of all. 

    One flock.  One shepherd.

   The Good Shepherd is the only one to obediently conform His Will to His heavenly Father’s Will, though it will cost Him everything. 

     But dying for us is His choice.

   “As the Father knows Me,” Jesus says, “even so I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep…”

***

    Friends, we can trust in the one who cares about us with a love that isn’t fleeting and unreliable—not like what the world offers.  

    The Lord will never give up on us! He is ready to forgive us for all our failures, for every time we chase after something in the world and find that it leaves us feeling empty inside.

     Seek the One who would grieve the suffering and loss of one sheep. Just one! You are that valuable to God!

     He has known you since before you were born. He has plans for You.

     His Spirit will strengthen, comfort and guide you along your journey of faith. He will carry you into eternity with Him.

    Let us trust in Him, who has done what He promised to do, when He said,

   “I am the Good Shepherd and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

***

Will you pray with me?  Holy God, thank you for Your Son, Jesus Christ, who is our Good Shepherd. Thank you for His example of obedience to You and His willingness to give His life for our sakes. Thank you for your love and abiding presence with us. Guide and strengthen us so that we won’t neglect our calling to follow our Good Shepherd, going where you want us to go and doing what You require. Open our ears to hear only Your voice and keep us from straying onto the wrong path. Use us to be Christ’s presence for other people, and to love, serve, and forgive for His sake. In Christ we pray. Amen.