The Good Shepherd

In this story are at least 3 characters: the shepherd and the hireling, & the sheep. But there is definitely a fourth, by implication. The 4th is the predator, who in Jesus' day was probably a wolf. However, if we listen to what Jesus said in the verses immediately preceding today's scripture reading, we find another kind of predator: a human being -- namely, the thief. This is what Jesus said (in the verses preceding today's reading): "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. ... The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I come that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:1&10)

So we have the Good Shepherd, the bad shepherd whom Jesus refers to as a "hireling," the sheep, and the predator. All of these characters explain and complete the story.

Which of these 4 are we? Is Jesus the only Good Shepherd, or can we be good shepherds too? Or are we bad shepherds? Most likely we're the sheep, but depending on the demons within us, we may be the predator.

Let's look at them one by one. First the sheep.

Sheep are a form of wealth -- they are valuable to the human race in a dozen different ways, such as providing wool for cloth. Sheep serve humanity. That's the first significant aspect of sheep.

The second significant aspect of sheep is that they follow their leader. Let's put the best light on this business of following leaders. All of us have leaders. We have teachers whom we respect, favorite authors whom we read avidly and whom we allow to shape our minds, mentors who shape our minds even more deeply, and we have gurus or spiritual leaders or clergy whom we trust to shape our spiritual development. In this broad sense, "following leaders" is a healthy phenomenon.

So sheep have 2 positive characteristics: they serve humanity and they follow leaders.

What is a shepherd? As a matter if fact, in Jesus' day shepherds did not have a good reputation -- that is, the shepherds who were hirelings. They were not considered trustworthy. Given this commonly held opinion, it is surprising that in the Christmas story the angels appeared to shepherds.

For the angels to have appeared to the shepherds in Jesus' day would be like the angels appearing to used-car salesmen in our day. Some of you will remember the picture of Richard Nixon that was floating around the counter-culture scene inthe lat 1960's. The caption was: "Would you buy a used car from this man?" The angels appeared to shepherds. Once again, in the spirit of Christ, it was a way of recognizing the goodness of ordinary people.

What do shepherds do? Shepherds lead sheep to pasture and water (Ps. 23) and protect them. They take care of the sheep and even carry weak lambs in their arms. Can any of you remember seeing a painting of Jesus carrying a sheep, across his back and shoulders? This is no doubt the famous "lost sheep" from the story he told. Shepherds love each and every single sheep, but they also seek the common good -- the good of the whole flock. Shepherds did not like the phrase "kindgomd of God," but preferred Commonwealth of God. Shepherds are communally oriented, not individualists.

So there were the sheep who served humanity and followed leaders, and there was the good shephered.

What about the "hireling"? Well, most of us are "hirelings" aren't we? We are hired -- we exchange our labor for a wage. We are wage slaves. I am a hireling and wage slave.

Last night at the Solidarity Cafe, the speaker Bob Fitch made the point that organizations who serve the people -- such as a social work agency or BEC -- are run by people who raise money for their own wages and so they tend to become competitive with other agencies whose goals and objectives are similar; thus they become isolated and gradually focus only on their own work. He used the phrase "small group narcissism." The people who administer these groups become "hirelings," and like Jesus said, "When the wolf comes, they leave the sheep and flee" -- when times get tough they do not dig in despite hardships, they look for jobs elsewhere. Their primary concern is not their flock but themselves, because their work is "a job." On the other hand, people like Sr Mary Maloney down at CHIPS -- the homeless shelter on 4th Avenue -- will stay with her flock regardless of funding problems and hard times. This might be because she is guaranteed support by her order, which becomes a forceful argument for religious orders who send their Sisters out to help the poor.

In other places in the Bible, including in the teachings of Jesus, the bad shepherd or hireling is called a "false prophet." Jesus said a false prophet is like a wolf in sheep's clothing. I once called Rev Pat Robertson a false prophet at a public meeting. The Daily News reported it and I was attacked by Rev Robertson on his TV show on Channel 15. [Congregation cheers] It was a high point in my career. [Laughter] The essence of "false prophecy" is to teach illusions -- to lead people astray by leading them away from reality into fantasies. We have had a startling example of a "false prophet" recently in California -- the "Heaven's Gate" cult; their leader led his flock onto the path of fantasy about a comet & suicide. A false prophet is egocentric, wanting to be in the spotlight or at the center of attention. The purpose of his sheep is to exalt his sense of power and control -- they are not summoned to serve humanity but to idolize him.

Se we have the sheep, the good shepherd, and the bad shepherd or hireling.

Finally, who is the predator? The predator does not want to protect the sheep. The predator wants to devour the sheep. We might state this in general terms to make it more pertinent to our world: The predator wants to take wealth that belongs to the entire human race and consume it for himself alone. The predator wishes only to fulfill his desires, regardless of the common good. Jesus is absolutely correct in his observation of what the predator accomplishes: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy."

This morning, according to your mood, which would you most identify with? Let's assume, to be honest, each of us at different times and circumstances, takes on all of these 4 roles. Think about it for a few seconds.

The sheep? The Good Shepherd? The bad shepherd or "hireling"? The predator?

Pastors are good shepherds. The word "pastor" comes from the Latin word for shepherd. You are the flock, your Pastor is the shepherd.

Speaking personally, I hope that I have led you into green pastures and beside still waters. After 25 years of ministry, this is the probing question: have you been led into green pastures and beside still waters. Have you been protected, from wolves and thieves? You may wonder whether wolves and thieves have ever entered our sanctuary, and I can assure you that they have. When the blind man Paul Gabias worshipped here, and we supported him in his fight against eviction, the son of his landlady came into church and began shouting at us in the middle of our worship service. This man was both a wolf and a thief. Other predators have come and gone over the years, and continue to come and go even today.

Our Church Council has just organized a task force to look into the question of child-abusers and how to safeguard ourselves. Such persons who threaten our children would come under the category of "wolves and thieves." The pastor watches eveybody -- how they participate, at meetings, how they share, in worship. After a year or 2, it becomes clear to some people that their deep-seated psychic needs are not being met, so they leave; or the pastor realizes that their participation is destructive of communal life, and the pastor challenges them. Usually the problem is a deeply-rooted egocentricity. The pastor is protecting his flock. In so doing, the pastor prays to God for guidance and wisdom. He may study and read diligently; he may consult with outside authorities; he may talk things over with the Lay Leader.

The pastor who is a good shepherd worries about his flock. He is aware of their individual struggles and burdens and he yearns for them, prays for them, and rejoices in their successes. He is also aware of their need for a community like our church that is spiritually healthy and alive. Ours is a community that celebrates life. Jesus words are our words too: "I come that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

The pastor loves and rejoices in his life-giving flock. We may be good shepherds or lapse into being bad shepherds; we may be hirelings and sometimes even predators; we are sheep and we serve humanity; we celebrate the Season of Common-Wealth; we respect our leaders and we are our leaders. And most of all, God willing, we love our flock.

Amen.