I love a good mystery. A good
“who done it” always gets me going. I enjoy speculating and trying
to figure out where an author is going. Something special happens when all the
pieces finally fit together, when the whole picture of what has been going on in the book finally becomes clear. At the end I find myself sitting there and thinking: Why in the world couldn’t I see that…why
did it take the author spelling it out for me to understand what was going on. I
think this chapter of John is one of those texts that the disciples and the community looked back on and just sat in amazement
thinking, “Why didn’t we get that, look how clearly everything was said.”
The saying that pops into my head is “hindsight is 20-20.” I am sure we have all been there when we’ve missed the heart of what was going
on, whether it was a loved one trying to tell us something or an assignment that didn’t quite make sense while working
on it. There are times while working on it where you wonder if you are approaching
it in the right direction. And then all of a sudden there is a moment of Ohhhhhhhhh! Now I get it! I think that is exactly
what this text represents to the disciples and to the Jews. It seems so clear
knowing what is to come, but in the moment, the things Jesus said don’t make much sense.
Our scripture today takes place during the time of the dedication of the
temple, which is known today as Chanukah. This was a time when people gathered
together to celebrate the way God provided for the Israelites, it is during this festival time celebrating God’s faithfulness
that Jesus makes some of his most beautiful sermonettes of how God will continue to be faithful in ways that are still a mystery
to all who hear His voice.
It is during this time that Jesus is asked the question, “How long
will you keep us in suspense?” How long will you keep us in suspense??? I can imagine Jesus was a little frustrated by that question; Jesus has shared more
about what will come than anyone has ever or will ever understand. But, Jesus
is God, and he knows the mystery at hand. He does not get frustrated, because
he is also human and he knows the limitations of our minds.
Jesus is able to be patient, because he knows what is to come, He knows the
answer to the mystery, the mystery of hope, that no matter what we can grasp in the moment, we will have time to reflect on
the true meaning of him as the good shepherd, but also as the Lamb of God. Therefore,
with more patience than I can imagine, Jesus answers this exasperating question, perhaps in a rather flippant manner. But the answer is so gracious and loving, even though it was not understood and was
heard only as another mystery.
Jesus says, “I have told you, and you do not believe.” Looking at that one line apart from the others, I feel a sense of sadness.
Jesus has shared his whole being with those around him, and yet they can’t understand. How easy is it to understand that which is to come? If someone
were to come up to you today and offer to pay off your mortgage, or your student loans, or to pay all of your bills for the
rest of your life, would you understand at first, what was being offered? Would
you be able to comprehend the gift, or would you begin to question, “Well, why would you do that? What’s in it for you? What kind of interest are we talking
about here? Who are you?” The
questions would probably go on for a long time. In the end, would you accept
that gift?
It is so hard to accept a gift
without there being something done to earn it, so imagine the gift is something even greater than debt relief. Jesus was telling them that he was going to lay down his life as a sacrifice. Can you grasp that? I mean really grasp it, that this man
whom you sort of knew was saying he was going to lay down his life so that you might live.
It is such a profound idea. It isn’t that hard to understand why people
couldn’t believe that. There has to be a catch. In a moment like this when you are being offered the greatest of gifts, is it not easier to question than
to accept? I just want you to understand what a Jew would be feeling upon hearing
this. Their idea of messiah was a conquering hero, someone who would ride into
town and make everything better, find justice in amongst the unjust. This isn’t
what Jesus was saying he was going to do; he wasn’t there to change the system, he was there to change the individual. And that’s personal, at which point the walls go up, because that is an idea
that could make anyone uncomfortable.
Would you find it easy to believe?
I know that’s an unfair question to ask, because you know something that they didn’t know; you know about Easter, you know the tomb was empty. But if that
hadn’t happened yet, could you believe? It is easy to pass judgment on
the Pharisees and the Sadducees from this side of Easter, but what about from the other side.
Jesus goes on to say, “The works that I do in my father’s name
testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My
sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” This entire chapter of John is a glimpse of what is, while also opening the door to what will come. Jesus throughout this chapter speaks of himself as the good shepherd, who
will lay down his life for his sheep. But along with this idea of shepherd,
the picture that is painted has a bit more color added to it – Jesus includes the idea of “my sheep know me and
I know them.” This idea of shepherd and sheep would be
one that would make sense to the disciples and the Jews (though I for one am not an expert on raising sheep).
One commentary explains that sheep are not necessarily the brightest animal
on the planet. They will leave the herd, get lost, and not be able to find food
on their own. Or they will drink from a stream that is too deep, and because
of their wool they get stuck in bushes. They need the guiding hand of a shepherd
to guide them to pastures, help them to drink, and ward off danger. I don’t
know about you, but the words of the 23rd Psalm are coming to life before my eyes; the description of what God
will do is exactly what shepherds do.
But there is another aspect. Sheep
know their shepherd’s voice. Sheep from one herd could be mixed with the
sheep of another herd, but when they hear their shepherd call their name, they will come. Each
sheep will respond to its own shepherd’s voice. For the shepherd knows
his sheep, just as the sheep know their shepherd. Without the shepherd, the sheep
would be lost, without food and without protection.
I know I just said that sheep aren’t the brightest animals, so stay
with me as I compare humans to sheep. I’m not saying that we aren’t
bright. What I am saying is that we, also, get easily distracted and lose our
way. We will wander away from safety, fall into our own pits, and get snarled
on our own bushes. That is what Jesus meant when he called us his sheep and referred
to himself as the good shepherd, there to protect us, feed us, and give us time for rest.
The big question is…do we know His voice when He calls us by name?
Aw, the mystery goes on. However,
there is hope. What does Jesus say next?
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will
snatch them out of my hand. What my father has given me is greater than all else,
and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand.” This is where
things begin to get a little fuzzy for those listening. Up until this point,
I’m sure those listening were able to just nod their heads and go with the flow.
Now, there is something more, Jesus isn’t the typical shepherd anymore, he isn’t just offering safety and
food, but goes much further, Jesus is offering eternal life. Jesus was telling
people that he gives eternal life and that you will not perish those whom the father knows and who know the father shall have
eternal life.
Jesus was definitely offering something different. What it was was a mystery, not because Jesus was trying to conceal important information from them, but
because there was a purpose to every encounter he had. There was a reason he
met certain people when he met them; there was a reason that this conversation happened when and where it did. Do we need to understand why that is? No, but it is hard to
accept something without understanding why.
Just like when children are learning about the world, there is always a follow
up question to every question. For example, why is the sky blue? Now a parent could go into the scientific explanation of water molecules reflecting off light particles,
and that is what gives the sky the appearance of being blue. Therefore, a parent
would probably answer that question with because that is how the sun reflects color.
At which point the child would probably ask, why? And now that original
question can become a host of 20 questions that usually ends with the adult saying in a frustrated voice, “Because,
that’s the way it is!” Where children ask until they understand,
the Jews and the disciples did not understand. Instead of asking questions in
order to gain understanding, the Jews asked questions in order to trip Jesus up, to get him to answer a question the wrong
way, to get him to prove that he wasn’t for real. Again, is it easier to
believe or try to prove wrong?
I don’t know if anyone saw the movie The Polar Express, or perhaps
read the wonderful children’s story. The basic idea is that there is a
young boy who is having trouble believing in Santa. He just isn’t sure,
he is doubting. You can tell he wants to believe, but growing up is getting in
the way. So on Christmas Eve he is awakened from sleep and rushes outside to
see a train pull up in the street with no tracks. He is asked if he is going
to get onboard, and eventually gets on the train. The whole time he just doesn’t
believe that the train is headed towards the North Pole and Santa, but he befriends some other children, all at different
places in their own journeys with knowing Santa, and although he doesn’t know if he believes he continues the journey
out of hope that maybe it is all true.
They eventually get to the North Pole, and he can’t hear the bells
on the reindeer’s sleigh, everyone else is filled with joy at the noise the bells make, but he can’t hear them. Santa enters, and he can’t see him, but he hopes that he is there. Then it is time for the first gift of Christmas, and this young boy, who is having trouble believing, is
picked to receive the first gift. He goes forward, meets Santa face to face,
and asks for the most simple of gifts. He wants a bell, the bells he can now
hear. He takes away a bell, the proof that Santa exists is in his hand, and as
long as he believes, the bell will ring. Can you see where I’m going with
this illustration? Although the boy was uncertain, he had hope. He hoped that Santa was real; it wasn’t that he didn’t believe, but that he wanted to believe. He was just having trouble.
That I believe is what Jesus is saying here, that just because you don’t
understand doesn’t mean it isn’t real. It’s how you handle
‘not understanding’ that makes the difference. Do you try to prove
it wrong? Do you ask endless amounts of questions? Or do you find hope? Sometimes the greatest mystery just requires
a little hope, hope that things will work out, hope that there is a bigger picture, and hope that just because we can’t
see it doesn’t mean that the pieces won’t all come together.
The final verse of the chapter brings it all
home; it finishes the puzzle and lets us in on the mystery. What Jesus says is
simple yet profound, “the Father and I are one.” That verse says
it all. Jesus is telling them that all he is offering is what God is offering. Jesus is telling us that God is our shepherd, that God will protect us, feed us and
care for us, that God knows us each by name, and that we are His. Through the
sacrificing love of God through Jesus, we have eternal life, because the father and the son are one; they are both our shepherd. We just need to have hope and to believe. The
mystery of the cross has been fulfilled through hope found in the most extraordinary places, the field where the sheep and
the shepherd roam.
Janice M. Tiedeck
