Jesus had upset the Pharisees again by healing a blind man on the Sabbath (the Holy day when no work was to be done). When the man was taken to the Pharisees to verify the healing, they argued amongst themselves as to whether it should have been done on the Sabbath, whether the man who did it was from God, and if not, whether a sinful man could heal at all. They even called in the man’s parents to find out if he really had been blind to start with.
When the Pharisees heard the testimony of the once-blind man, they threw him out. Jesus met with the man who worshipped him as the long awaited Messiah but the Pharisees were still sceptical, so Jesus told them a parable about a good shepherd, his flock and the sheep fold.
At that time a sheep fold was often a cave where several flocks would stay together overnight. The watchman (one of the shepherds) would lie across the entrance and in the morning all the shepherds would come and call out their own sheep. Each sheep knew the voice of its shepherd and would follow him. The sheep did not need to be driven, they followed their shepherd trusting him to guide them.
The Pharisees did not understand the parable’s real meaning so Jesus explained it. Jesus himself is the door, the Good Shepherd who guards the entrance to the fold. The sheep who recognise his voice can be led out and also led in. Jesus came to Israel to save his people. He also came to draw in any from outside Israel who would listen to him and follow him. Everyone who comes to Jesus and follows him is part of his flock.
Jesus did not condemn the prophets and teachers of the past, it was the contemporary religious leaders he criticised. They had misled the people. The man who had been healed had been physically blind. The Pharisees were spiritually blind.
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth” (twice), “I am the Good Shepherd”, and “I have authority”. These are strong statements which need to be thought about. Do we believe them? Do we accept that Jesus told the truth? Do we see him as the Good Shepherd? Do we believe that Jesus has authority, meaning authority from God to die and rise again? The Pharisees didn’t believe Jesus’ claims and yet they could find no fault in him. If they could not prove him a liar, a psychotic or a madman no matter how hard they tried, then is the only other solution that he was telling the truth?
The Book and Cake Club have recently read ‘For the Glory’ by Duncan Hamilton. It is the story of Eric Liddell (Chariots of Fire) who went on to China as a missionary and was interred by the Japanese, dying aged only 43. To the end he was loving and gracious, even to the guards, self-giving and concerned more for others than himself, following Jesus’ teachings as closely as he could. Jesus himself is the Good Shepherd, the truthful Saviour. Anyone proclaiming Jesus as Christ and Lord is a shepherd to be followed.
If we recognised ourselves as part of the flock, yet known individually to our Good Shepherd, perhaps we too could be more like Jesus.
Barbara Symons