Psalm 23/John 10:11-18
April 21, 2024
Many years ago, a friend of mine told
me about being convinced by some folks in her life to do something she really
didn’t want to do. It was a medical procedure, and my friend went along with it
until the last second when a good friend talked her out of it, and she’s never
regretted changing her mind. When I asked her about why she was listening to
these other people even though she was uncomfortable about what they were
asking her to do, she said, “I was a sheep.”
In our culture being called a sheep
is not necessarily a compliment. If you’re a sheep, you’re considered to be mindless,
following others because apparently you don’t have a mind or a will of your
own. Therefore, if you are a thinking human being you don’t want to be called a
sheep. It means that you don’t or won’t think for yourself. Our culture also
puts a lot of emphasis on the individual, so being compared to an animal who is
seemingly just a purposeless cog in the larger wheel of the flock is insulting.
Who wants to be compared to a sheep?
But
about a month or so ago sheep and shepherds were the focus of our Wednesday
night fellowship. Wanting to know more about sheep and in preparation for that
bible study I found a list of facts about sheep that made me think differently
about these creatures of God. For those who weren’t there that night and for
those who were, but may not remember, here are a few of these facts.
Sheep and goats alike have
rectangular pupils. This gives them a wide view, up to 320 degrees, which helps
them stay ahead of predators. So, when you think a sheep is just wandering
about aimlessly, think again. With their panoramic view of the world, they’re
probably just keeping a close watch on the wide world around them and looking
out for any other critter who might do them harm.
Sheep
have been domesticated for centuries because they’re so easy to manage. But a
large flock requires a good shepherd to keep them together. There are thousands
of different breeds of sheep around the world. We may have only encountered a
few of those breeds, but there are so many others we have yet to meet.
Sheep
have very good memories. They can remember at least 50 individual sheep and
humans for years. Their memories are based on a neural process that is like ours.
Contrary
to popular belief, sheep are very intelligent animals. They are clever and can
problem solve. This counters the idea that sheep are just mindless dumb
creatures, who follow the flock because they don’t know anything else and
they’re too brainless to try anything new.
Sheep
have been known to display emotions just as humans do, and like humans they use
different vocalizations to communicate their emotions. Ewes make good mothers.
They form deep bonds with their lambs. And sheep are social animals, which
makes being part of a flock a good thing for different reasons. The flock is
protection. The flock is friendship. The flock is family.
It
seems to me that sheep, rather than being just dumb animals with no abilities
other than to follow, are more like humans than we realize. They’re intelligent
creatures with emotions and bonds, but maybe they’re just a little too smart
for their own good sometimes.
Because
even with all their abilities and intelligence, a sheep separated from the
flock is vulnerable. That’s why a shepherd is necessary to care for and protect
the sheep. In the twenty-third psalm, which outside of John 3:16, is perhaps
some of the most beloved and well-known verses in scripture, there is a
vulnerability being expressed that we may not always notice.
We
may not notice it right away because psalm 23 is seen only as a psalm of praise
and thanksgiving. It is giving thanks for the Lord, the shepherd who is there
for the sheep, leading and guiding them. In just six verses, the psalmist
describes a relationship with God that is intimate and personal. The Lord, the
shepherd, protects and nurtures the sheep, leading them to verdant pastures to
graze and clear waters to drink. In darkest valleys where predators may lie in
wait, the shepherd walks with the sheep. Even with enemies all around, a table
of welcome and hospitality is set. Oil, a sign of blessing and abundance, anoints
the head and the cup is overflowing.
In
our English version, the Hebrew in verse 6 is translated as follow. Goodness
and mercy will follow me. But a closer meaning of the Hebrew is pursue. Enemies
do not pursue the sheep, mercy and goodness do. Mercy and goodness are
relentless and unwilling to give up the chase. And when the psalmist speaks of
dwelling in the house of the Lord, it’s more about turning and returning. I
will return again and again to the house of the Lord. I will return to God, my
good shepherd, no matter what. Even if I wander and stray, the Lord is my good
shepherd and I am pursued by God’s mercy and goodness, calling me back to the
fold again and again.
This
is the vulnerability I’m speaking of. The psalmist expresses the deep
vulnerability of being a sheep, and the dependency of a sheep on the shepherd.
Then think about the description of the good shepherd that we read in John’s
gospel.
“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. … I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.”
The
good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Today, the fourth Sunday of
Easter, is always known in our Revised Common Lectionary as Good Shepherd
Sunday. It is the day when we lift up Jesus as our good shepherd, the one who
leads us and guides, who lays down his life for us like a shepherd will lay
down his life for his sheep. And while I normally only focus on one passage in
a sermon, I could not help but look at these two distinct passages together. It
seems to me that the vulnerability of the sheep in Psalm 23 is answered by
Jesus’ assurances of “I am the good shepherd.”
We
tend to put the words of the psalmist into the realm of the eternal, and
certainly reading John post Easter, there is a tendency to do that with the
gospel as well. Jesus is our good shepherd, leading us to life eternal and we
dwell in the eternal house of the Lord forever.
While
thinking of the eternal is part of our faith, true, I also think it’s important
to remember that Jesus is our good shepherd now, not just in the sweet by and
by. The Lord is our shepherd now, not just in the eternal life to come. The
vulnerability expressed by the psalmist speaks to us now. It speaks of living
in the real world that is full of uncertainty and danger. It speaks of trust
and faith, even though we live in a present that often feels frightening and
into a future that is unknown at best.
Psalm
23 speaks of the Lord our shepherd being with us through it all, through the
times of overflowing abundance and the times when we walk in the darkest
valley. Think about a time or times when have you felt like you were walking
through the darkest valley. What did that feel like? Think about a time when you
felt alone and vulnerable, times when you were afraid and unsure of what lay
ahead? What got you through those times? Who was walking through that darkest
valley with you? Who was there when you were most vulnerable?
The
psalmists’ answer to these questions is the Lord. The Lord is my shepherd.
Jesus’ answer to these questions is, “I am the good shepherd.” The psalmist
reminds us that even if we feel alone and afraid, we have our good shepherd.
The Lord is my shepherd., I shall not want. The Lord brings us to lush
pastures, filled with life. The Lord brings us to clear and clean waters and encourages
us to drink. The Lord is with us, even when we are most vulnerable. The Lord is
our good shepherd, who lays down his life for us.
Usually,
I try to bring my sermons to a point of persuasion and action. I want to rouse
us to be the people God calls us to be, to love others – all others, and to go
out into the world showing that love through our actions. And I will continue
to do that for as long as I stand in the pulpit and preach. But I also realize
that sometimes we just need to know that we are not alone. Sometimes we just
need the comfort that comes when we recognize that we are sheep under the care
of a good shepherd. We are not mindless. We are not aimless. We are part of a
large and loving flock, protected and nurtured by a good shepherd who gives his
life for our sake and who continues to call other sheep, different sheep, into
the flock.
It
is more than okay to just take comfort in these words from scripture today, to
find solace in the assurance that the Lord is our shepherd, we shall not want.
No matter how much we try to control the world around us, the truth is we are
all vulnerable. We can only control so much. Life continues to lead us to dark
valleys, but the Lord is our shepherd. The Lord is our good shepherd, who leads
us and walks beside us and pursues us no matter what. Find comfort in that.
Find hope. Find peace. The Lord is our good shepherd, who came for the sheep,
all the sheep, and we are part of the flock. Thanks be to God.
Let
all of God’s children say, “Alleluia.”
Amen.
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