Eastertide

April 24, 2021

Scripture Reading:

John 10:11-18
‘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.’

Why would a good shepherd lay down his life for the sheep? Sheep are the source of the shepherd’s and his peoples’ livelihood. They provide wool for clothing, skins for tents or water pouches, and meat and milk for food. Nothing was wasted. The shepherd’s protection was essential. Contracted services do not share the same vested interest. I cringe as I write this materialistic view of the story. The farmers and shepherds of the first century would have fully understood Jesus’ point. If the shepherd and his friends had a desire for lamb chops whenever possible and he chose to slaughter every lamb whenever their gluttonous hunger needed to be fed, they would eventually have no sheep.

So, what would be a good analogy to deliver Jesus’ message today? As I write this, there are $1.4 million people in the USA who are living in poverty or with incomes below a living wage. Most of them work, and some work at two or more jobs. Our success as a nation is gaged on how we treat and deal with the working men and women who are the foundation of our economy. As the rich get richer and those numbered among the poor increase, we are on the same trajectory of decline that other great nations, like Rome, faced before their falls. Greed fed by power lost them kingdoms. It is ironic that Rome, too, allowed its infrastructure to decay and did not rise to the challenges of pandemics or climate change, like drought and volcanos.

Christ calls us to follow him as he works to create a world ruled by love where all people’s skills and talents are needed to make the world operate smoothly. All people must have basic needs met and must be afforded opportunities to become the people God created them to be. Disaster strikes when our greed gets in the way of that happening.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when our greed overcomes our common sense. Direct us in the way we should go to build the Kingdom ruled by love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.