“The Good River Raft Guide”
John 10:11-18
A friend of mine came back from Scotland and Ireland and talked about all the pictures she had taken of the countryside.
But when she got back and looked at the pictures she noticed that in almost every picture, there were sheep!
And yet, how often do we, here in East Ridge and North Georgia see sheep as we drive along the road?
And then, here we are…
…we read about sheep in the Bible and speak of our congregation as God’s flock…
…but the imagery of sheep, shepherds and flocks of sheep are pretty foreign to most of us.
Speaking for myself, at least, when I think of sheep and shepherds what often comes to mind are those nostalgic characters and serene images from stained glass windows.
But in Scripture, shepherds were tough and resilient.
They had been trained from their youth to be tough in all circumstances, and in some cases they might have to lay down their lives for the sheep.
So, a good shepherd is not only a guardian of the sheep, but almost like a Marine with eyes in the back of his or her head…
…knowing at every turn that the sheep’s enemies are hiding and ready to pounce.
The good shepherd is scarred and weather worn.
His clothes are dirty and ragged.
He smells nasty.
And he guarantees that the sheep will be safe no matter what.
So, the life of a shepherd was anything but picturesque.
It was dangerous and risky.
Shepherds were also pretty rough characters around the edges.
By this I mean that they spent their time out in the open fields rather than in “polite society.”
So for Jesus to say, “I am the good shepherd” would have been kind of a “turn-off” to the religious elite and the well-educated snobbity snobs.
A modern day equivalent might be for Jesus to say, “I am the good janitor.”
Or, “I am the good migrant worker.”
Or “I am the good river raft guide.”
Now, why do I say “river raft guide?”
A year or so ago, Clair and I took a ride down the rapids of the Ocoee River.
And we had a great raft guide.
He was so “into his job and always telling jokes.”
I know this is somewhat inappropriate, but one of his jokes went like this, “What is the difference between Big Foot and a female River Raft Guide?”
“One is hairy, smelly and lives in the woods.
The other is just a myth.”
Of course, a good River Raft Guide, male or female, does keep you safe!!!
“I am the good shepherd,” Jesus says.
And most of us are familiar with this, and comfortable with it.
But as we take a closer look, the portrait Jesus is painting of Himself is one in which our gentle, loving Savior is also a Man of Steel Who will not allow any of the sheep to be trampled on or exploited in any way without having to run over Him first!!!
Can we think of Jesus Christ this way?
Can we think of our God as careful and loving, but tough in guarding His beloved at the same time?
Jesus is, after-all, the One Who overturns the money changer’s tables, but also touches the leper to bring about healing.
Jesus is the One Who curses the fig tree, but will allow the weeping woman to anoint and kiss His feet as an act of devotion.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd Who is despised by some of the very people He came to save.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd Who dies violently on the Cross and at the same time tells a hardened thief, “today you will be with me in paradise.”
Five times, in John Chapter 10, Jesus talks about the Good Shepherd laying down His life for the sheep.
And Jesus makes it very clear that the role of the Good Shepherd is not like a “hired hand” who is simply in it for the money and cares little or nothing for the sheep…
…and therefore will take off and leave the sheep at the least little hint of danger.
The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd reminds us that God is especially concerned about those of us who are at risk, those who are vulnerable, those of us on the margins, those of us who might be a bit hairy and not smell so good.
Sheep are completely lost without the constant, vigilant care of their shepherd.
In addition to unpacking, so to speak, Jesus’ image of the shepherd…
…let’s think about the sheep themselves.
Some folks don’t feel too good about being thought of as dumb and mindless.
In her sermon, “The Voice of the Shepherd,” Barbara Brown Taylor talks about a friend who had actually grown up on a sheep ranch.
And this friend didn’t think sheep were so dumb.
It was actually cattle ranchers who started the myth or rumor that sheep are stupid, and that’s just because sheep don’t behave like cows.
Cows are herded from the back with shouts and prods from the cowboys.
But that kind of thing doesn’t work with sheep.
If you were to stand behind a sheep and make noises, the sheep would actually run around and get behind you.
And that is because sheep are followers.
They prefer to be led.
Sheep, although there are wanderers, usually don’t go anywhere that their trusted shepherd does not go first, to show them everything is alright.
It’s been said that, “Sheep consider their shepherds part of the family, and the relationship that grows up between the two is exclusive.
They [even] develop a language of their own that outsiders don’t know.”
And the shepherd’s voice is the key to that language.
As Jesus says, “[My sheep] listen to my voice…”
And, “I know my own sheep and they know me…”
You know, as the sheep of one flock—with Jesus as our Good Shepherd—we are given an image of God’s relationship with us—His Church.
We are always in danger of enemies who are waiting to pounce, those who are working their way into the life of the flock to mistreat and kill the sheep.
There will always be some who have come only to rob and hurt us.
Also, sometimes we go astray, just like sheep.
If sheep are sick they sometimes will follow the voice of a stranger.
Sheep wander off and fall into ditches.
There are so many voices out there vying for our attention.
There are so many distractions to lure us away from our life in Christ and Christ’s Church.
Jesus promises us that He will never let us go, but how often do we let go of Him?
In verse 10, right before our lesson for this evening Jesus says, “The thief enters only to steal, kill, and destroy.
I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could have life to the fullest.”
As the community of the first Christians filtered out into a hostile world there is no doubt that they felt vulnerable, and were exposed to dangers that they couldn’t even have imagined.
They were told not to take weapons with them or even supplies, only the gracious and saving Words of their Good Shepherd.
As people responded to them with hostility, their response was to turn the other cheek.
They were called to love even their enemies and those who would use them for their own purposes.
They would be burned as torches to light up the night, and many would be killed much like Jesus was killed, if that’s possible to imagine!!!
But the Good Shepherd was their Rock and their Fortress.
Is this the case in our lives?
Do we know the voice of the Good Shepherd Who knows us and loves us?
Are we staying with the flock instead of wandering off into the danger zone on our own?
You know, it’s interesting that Jesus chooses to align Himself with Shepherds.
It wasn’t a very glamorous vocation.
Shepherds were looked down upon by society.
They made minimum wage, at best.
They were uneducated and filthy.
They didn’t get invited to parties.
They weren’t looked up to by any human.
And this makes Jesus’ analogy even more intriguing.
And that’s because our word for “good” doesn’t quite catch the full meaning of the word John has written in his Gospel.
For us, “good” can sound a bit cold or hard or moralistic and judgmental.
But the word John uses can also mean “beautiful.”
Of course, this doesn’t refer to what Jesus looked like.
It’s about the sheer attractiveness of Who and What Jesus is, and what Jesus was doing and continues to do.
Jesus seeks us out while we are lost in sin, selfishness and terrible misery.
Jesus seeks us out when we are in need of rescuing and can in no way save ourselves.
Jesus searches for us when the rest of society has given up on us.
Jesus loves us even if no one else does.
And Jesus watches over us, and leads us and saves us.
Jesus gave His very life so that we can live in Him.
The point of calling Jesus the Good Shepherd is to emphasize the beauty…
…the absolute stunning beauty of His love.
And as we follow the Good Shepherd, as we seek to imitate Him, we become beautiful as well.
Because beauty comes from within.
Beauty comes from loving, helping and helping to save our neighbors.
Beauty comes from listening to those who are in trouble and helping those who are hurt.
It comes from a deep concern for those who are lost, like sheep without a shepherd.
It comes from having the compassion of Jesus, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, clothing the naked.
This is our calling.
May we follow the Good Shepherd Who, has laid down His life for us.
Amen.
