Here and Now

Last year, my daughter asked me what I think it will look like when Jesus returns. She then brought in some of the opinions of her co-workers and friends. They were quite interesting to hear and definitely varied. But, it is an interesting concept to think about. What will it really look like when Christ returns? The views on this are quite varied. These vary from things like the left behind book series that was popular for some time to a whole gamut of ideas about what it will look like. We Presbyterians don’t really talk about this much. Our Scots’ confession states, “We believe that the same Lord Jesus shall visibly return for this Last Judgment as he was seen to ascend. And then, we firmly believe, the time of refreshing and restitution of all things shall come, so that those who from the beginning have suffered violence, injury, and wrong, for righteousness’ sake, shall inherit that blessed immortality promised them from the beginning.”

We also follow the scriptures. We believe that no one knows the time or place as written in Matthew. I told my daughter that I believed it would be like 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4 where it says in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye the heavens will split a trumpet will sound, but what that will look like exactly has me a little baffled.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people are baffled about this idea and for good reason. There is a wide variety of books, media, and teaching about this subject. In fact, a lot of that stuff started to spring up again with the eclipse. I mean I kind of get it. In Matthew 24:29 it reads, “"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Well, I am glad that stars did not fall from heaven and I didn’t notice any powers of heaven being shaken so I feel ok concerning this eclipse. I think part of the problem is that many people take something literal that should be considered figurative.

The same could be said about our scripture passage today in John. It begins with an I am statement. These statements are important in John’s gospel. Elmer Towns writes, “Seven times John records Jesus saying, "I am. . . " attaching it to a metaphor. These seven statements give special insight into who Christ claimed to be.” We have the statement I am the good shepherd. Then there is this comparison with the hired hands. All this is considered a metaphor and it is supposed to give us warm fuzzy feelings of a shepherd who loves us and will lay down his life for us, compared to the hired hand that will not. I mean I get it but the analogy just doesn’t work well for me. Part of the difficulty is the disconnect. We don’t live in this highly agricultural setting. So, the idea of sheep and shepherds is a bit foreign at least to me. I mean I get the analogy. I grew up in church. I know the idea that we are the sheep and God is the shepherd. But, surely there is more. I mean what does this text about hired hands and shepherds and so on have to do with anything and us? I have an idea but it will take the full context to fully get the message. See, this text, like the others, is connected to the previous chapter. In chapter 9 Jesus had just healed a blind man. But people couldn’t believe it. Instead, they brought in his mom. They questioned him. They wondered who or under what power could this have happened. The Pharisees, who were religious leaders, tried to disprove this and question him over and over. He finally says are you wanting to be his disciples? This gets them fussy and they say we are disciples of Moses and they drive the formerly blind man out of the temple. Jesus then comes and tells the man that he came for judgment revealing the sins of the world to those that are blind, opening our eyes so we see. This bothered the pharisees. The chapter concludes saying are we blind? Can we not see? Jesus says oh you can see, but your sin still remains.

So Jesus says very truly I tell you anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in another way is a thief. Then he continues in our passage saying I am the good shepherd, leading the sheep, protecting them. The Pharisees were not interested. The Pharisees had placed all their faith in the law or the first five books of the Bible. This was the foundation of their faith. However, it is a misunderstanding. See, we get the idea about Law from the Greek word Nomos which is used to describe those first five books of the Bible. However, the Hebrew word is Torah. Torah means direction. It is pointing to something bigger. The first five books of the Bible, and the rest of the Bible, including our text point toward God. So what does this text say about God?

This Sunday is what is known as Good Shepherd Sunday in the lectionary. It describes God as the good shepherd. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack for nothing.” We see a picture of God who stops at nothing to show love for us. The text tells us that the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. But, there is also the shepherd that takes care of the sheep. The one that leads to rest in green pastures and beside still waters. Restful, reassuring. Sheep don't drink from dangerous, swift flowing rivers. Kind of like the sheep hearing God’s voice. This Shepherd finds just the right spot for the sheep to rest, to be restored. But then suddenly, the sky turns dark, clouds gather and we find ourselves in “the darkest valley.” But God’s rod and staff comfort me and prepares a table for me. Surely Goodness and mercy follow me as I dwell in the house of the Lord. John's text says, 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. Everyone belongs to one flock. John’s gospel paints a beautiful picture of God’s love.

This is a striking contrast to the hired hand in John’s text. 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. It is the opposite of that love. But, sadly many of us listen to that voice. We have our own hired hands, the things we can spend money on or things we can buy hoping that they will give us some sort of fulfillment. We follow it thinking it is a better way. Sadly they always leave us disappointed.

So maybe this text isn't so much about hired hands and us being sheep and more about listening to God and paying attention to how we treat people. Because, all this was a response to someone who was being mistreated by religious folks.Here someone was now able to see. He could experience life and life more abundantly and people had a problem with it. It seems crazy that someone would be against people having sins forgiven and their vision restored but that is what was happening. They had God boxed into codes and laws and Jesus comes in saying God is more than that. God is the good 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.

This command was to love. That was what Jesus’ ministry was all about. It was about showing that God is not boxed into rules and regulations as if God is this cosmic killjoy of anything fun and tasty. I think that was the message God was telling the religious people. They were stuck on the words of Moses and limiting how God was changing someone’s life. They had their own agenda and were not hearing the voice of God. They were not following God. So what does it mean to follow God? Does it mean following some rules and regulations? That is what the religious people thought. They followed the rules of Moses. But, Jesus is calling us to something bigger. 1 John 3:16 tells us, “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us--and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.”

Here is the thing, that passage is kind of a metaphor as well. Yes, we know during this eastertide season that Jesus laid down his life for us. But, the passage calls us to lay down our lives for one another. Does this mean we are to all offer ourselves as a sacrifice? This could be troublesome. I think the passage goes on to explain what is really meant. How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him. The truth is calling us to hear his voice and open our eyes, like he opened the eyes of a blind person to see the world. Let us open our eyes to see what God is doing and join God in that work. Maybe that is what Jesus meant when he said he came to give life and life more abundantly.

“Life” or “eternal life” in John’s Gospel is not just about life after death. It is life that begins here and now; it is knowing the one true God and Jesus Christ whom God has sent. It is knowing the voice of the good shepherd who truly cares for us. It is life in community, pointing people to hope which is ultimately found in God's love for us.

So, what does it mean for us, here and now? Well, I would like to quote a preacher I like who says, “if we look around us for anything that doesn’t look like heaven, and then roll up our sleeves and get to work, we can actually bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Huntsville, AL. We do that by following the good shepherd. You know the one, you have heard his voice. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

This is the Word of God

Thanks be to God