Running Toward You When Others Run Away

John 10:11-18, CEB

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  When the hired hand sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away. That’s because he isn’t the shepherd; the sheep aren’t really his. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them.  He’s only a hired hand and the sheep don’t matter to him.

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me,  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. I give up my life for the sheep.  I have other sheep that don’t belong to this sheep pen. I must lead them too. They will listen to my voice and there will be one flock, with one shepherd.

“This is why the Father loves me: I give up my life so that I can take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I give it up because I want to. I have the right to give it up, and I have the right to take it up again. I received this commandment from my Father.”

                Moving from one “I AM” statement right into the next, we now encounter Jesus, the Good Shepherd.  This not only recalls the “I AM THAT I AM” in Exodus 3, it makes good on the Old Testament promises of God to be a shepherd to God’s people (Isaiah 40:11, Jeremiah 31:10, Ezekiel 34:11-16).  The image of shepherd picks up on the protection theme of the door and expands it in an astonishing way.  Not only does Jesus offer protection to His people; He is willing to lay down His life to ensure it.  This is contrasted with others who might take care of the sheep “for a price.”  When danger comes, those hirelings quickly abandon the cash for their own safety.  When they would run away, Jesus would run into the danger and even submit to it.  Of course, that is what Jesus has done for all of us sheep. 

                While we know this about Jesus, we should not miss the other message in Jesus’ contrasting analogy.  This is a thinly veiled criticism of the religious leaders of Jesus day. They are the fair-weather hired hands who take care of themselves before they take care of God’s sheep.  This is also a warning to current day pastors and ministry leaders that leading God’s people is more than a day job.  Christ-like leadership/shepherding requires a willingness to put oneself in harm’s way for the sake of the flock.  This passage is a standing criticism of the popular view that the ministry professional is just specialized type of business professional.  God’s flock is NOT simply another way to make one’s livelihood.  It’s a calling that demands put it all on the line for the sake of Christ.

                The last part of this passage reveals yet another mind-stretching aspect of the Good Shepherd.  Jesus, the Good Shepherd can and will lay his life on the line for God’s sheep, but He can also take His life back.  This is an obvious reference to the resurrection, but this is lost on Jesus’ hearers (we will discuss that in the next reflection).   But it also expands the metaphor of God/Jesus as shepherd.  The best of human shepherds may, in fact, be able to lay down their lives for their sheep.  But what happens to the flock after the mortal shepherd has been eaten by a pack of wolves (or simply has a heart attack and collapses dead?)  The sheep are again vulnerable.  This is also aimed at the religious leaders of Jesus’ day and our day.  The appointed and called leaders of God’s people always need to keep in mind that they are, at best, representatives of the One who is Shepherd to us all.  That shepherd will always be there for His people.  Not even death can interrupt His protection and care.  When others run away or simply fail to show up for you, the Good Shepherd runs toward you and will never fail you. 

As a pastor, I can tell you without question, I work hard to care for God’s flock and have at times, put myself in danger to do so.  But I have no desire to be anyone’s ultimate protection and giver of abundant life.  Only the Good Shepherd can do that.  I have failed and I will fail; Jesus will not.

Question:  Who have you put your ultimate protection and source of abundant life in the hands of? 

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for the Godly leaders in our life.  Thank you for the care and protection that they have offered.  But help us never to forget that You are the only one who will never fail us.  Amen.

Prayer Focus:  Though this may be hard, pray for ministry leaders who have failed in ways that have hurt many.

Song:  This might seem like a strange choice today, but imagine this song sung by God to you.

Wild Horses – Rolling Stones