True leadership and responsible mission
John 10
what’s in our mind as we read this story – lambs?
or leaders? A pastoral idyll or the
political maelstrom? Jesus means the latter – hence the Pharisees desire
first to rubbish him (20) and then to stone him (31). Now, how can you tell a
leader? He has followers. But rabbles have followers – like anti-asylum seeker
demonstrations or Bin Laden. So, how can you tell God’s chosen leader? He has
kind of followers God said he would: The blind man of John 9; poor, outcast,
vulnerable, ordinary folk. This story, rooted in Ezekiel 34 and Psalm 82, is
about who’s fit to lead in God’s Kingdom. It's a parable followed by three
layers of explanation:
1) A parable
1-5
A shepherd is a ruler or political leader. Jesus
saying that Herod, the Sanhedrin and the Pharisees are thieves. The first reaction is blank incomprehension
v6! So Jesus explains himself
2) First
explanation 7-10
Jesus outlines what shepherds are supposed to do –
and, in the process, is clearly indicating that this is what he does and his
opponents are failing to do:
i)
leads sheep to safety: v9; Psalm 121:8, especially Psalm 23:
about ensuring the sheep have all they need, including protection at night
where shepherd literally makes himself a gate
ii)
lifts the burdens: v10: Full rich and satisfying life is found
in Jesus – we don’t have to struggle for it. The Pharisees heap burdens on
people – religion always does. The thieves of materialism, consumerism, racism
– all rob us of life: but Jesus says he lifts the burdens from us (Matthew
11:28 – read it from the message translation)
iii)
looks out for the sheep’s interests: A good shepherd does
what is good for his sheep not for himself: he works to bring salvation (9),
nourishment (9c), life (10).
2) Second explanation
11-22
Who is the shepherd of the parable? Jesus. He
fleshes out what looking out for the interests of others involves in a way
that’s obviously not going to endear him to the Pharisees. Herod, the
Sanhedrin, and other members of the ruling elite have let the sheep be scattered and mauled by occupation,
unjust taxes and loss of land (12f) – because they care only for themselves.
The world is full of such leaders: like the president of Iran and George Bush,
like business leaders who see only the bottom line and not the people affected
by their decisions, who work in their sweat shops, who are discarded by their
decision to relocate, etc
The true shepherd isn’t out for his own profit but
for that of his sheep: how?
i)
willing sacrifice: Five times Jesus says he lays down his life
(11b, 15b, 17b, 18 x2; see Philippians 2:6-11); when the sheep are in peril,
the shepherd risks his life. The Old Testament example is 1 Samuel 17 where
David proves his shepherd qualities by taking on animals that threaten his
flock and Goliath who threatens Israel. Here the peril involves the shepherd
dying to defeat all the forces ranged against the sheep: sin, death, the evil
powers ranged against humanity under heaven
ii)
welcomes outsiders: 16. This is not a leader who proves his
strength by talking tough against enemies: just the opposite. Pilate – who will
condemn him – is offered the chance of following the shepherd who will lead him
into a kingdom not like the ones he knows in this world, one where life,
justice and shalom are the order of the day (18:33-38). And Jesus makes the
same offer to us as well. His is a kingdom in which all are welcome regardless
of birth and breeding, ethnicity, social class, wealth or anything else.
iii)
working with the father: All the wisdom and power that created the
universe is working to free the created order from all that enslaves it in
misery: Ezekiel 34 lies behind this passage: it's an attack on the existing
leaders 4f (see Matthew 9:36); God will be shepherd (11-16); the messiah will
be the shepherd (23f) – an illustration of the closeness between God and his
messiah
3) Third
explanation: 22-42
The conversation continues over the weeks between
the feasts of Tabernacles and Dedication. Dedication recalls another shepherd –
Judas Maccabeus, restorer of the temple and freedom after the revolt against
the Greeks in 164BC. And Jesus says the leaders are thieves and robbers – it's
a bit like calling Mugabe a bandit at the time of Zimbabwe’s independence in
1980. The Pharisees are still sceptical – but are they also at least a little
bit open? (24b). Maybe. So Jesus spells out who he is:
i)
signs: 25, 32, 37-38. What Jesus is doing points to who
he is – the healings, the exorcisms and
other miracles, along with his drawing to himself the poor and the marginalised demonstrate that he is the
leader the prophets said would come.
ii)
scriptures: not only Ezekiel 34 but now explicitly Psalm 82
(John 10:34). This is a psalm about shepherds and God’s assessment of them:
82:3 lays out how they should act; 82:5-7 describes how they’ve fared. These
‘gods’ have failed. Arguing from lesser to higher, Jesus says he’s done what
his father sent him to do – the signs – and he’s succeeded because of who he is
– God’s Son. Hence he’s the good shepherd.
4) The
response
Jesus’
audience was divided – 39 vs 42 – what about us?
i) whose voice are we
listening to? 3, 4b, 27.
The
world calls loudly and it sounds plausible and everyone at work listens to its
voice and lives by its rules – and us?
ii) how will we hear the
good shepherd?
Maybe
in dreams and visions – it does happen but it’s rare.
Rather
we hear the good shepherd in:
✔ prayer: taking time to be quiet in his presence; telling him what’s on
our hearts but being quiet to hear what’s on his
✔ scripture: we need to read or listen to it. The sheep in Jesus’ day
followed him because they wanted to hear more – see John 6:68
✔ church/home group: we need to talk about what we read and hear, help
each other understand and apply the voice of the shepherd to our lives, encourage
each other to be obedient, admonish one another when we fall short (Colossians
3:16f)
iii) what about leaders? We will all reign with
Christ one day. In a sense we all lead in the Kingdom now and those who’d lead
in the shepherd’s flock need to be:
✔ servants – Philippians 2:5 applies to all of us in the way we lead
✔ close to God: Jesus could lead as he did because he kept close
to his father. We too need to be paying careful attention to what the Good
Shepherd is saying to us and where he is taking us and that bit of his flock in
our care.
✔ interests of others. Again applies to all of us (Ph 2:4) Leadership is
not about power; it’s not a meal ticket; it’s not about my empire: it’s about
ensuring the sheep are able to hear and follow the Shepherd and are kept
safe from the traps that will lure them away
Possible
areas of discussion
Who are the leaders in our community,
country, world that we think are worth following? Why?
When you hear the parable of John 10:1-5,
what images come into your minds?
How have you experienced Jesus as your
provider this week, month, year?
What does it mean to know life in all its
fullness? Is this only about something spiritual or does it have practical
aspects?
Read Ezekiel 34: how do you think Jesus fits
the picture being painted by the prophet?
In his confrontation with the Pharisees is
Jesus being political or is he only talking about spiritual issues?
Read Psalm 82: who do you think is being
addressed in the Psalm? What does it tell us about leadership in our church?
Our community? Our country? Our world?
How do we ensure we hear Jesus’ voice in the
clamour of voices vying for our attention in the world every day?
How do we hear Jesus speaking to us? [share
practical hints with one another]
Do you hear God speaking to you every time
you read the bible? Does he always say something directly applicable to you or
does he tell you about other things? If so, what?
What do you most appreciate about gathering
with other Christians to pray and study the Bible together?
What qualities do you look for in a leader
in church?
Do you look for these same qualities when go
to vote for a local councillor or MP?
What does this passage tell us about the
church's mission in the world?