John 10:1-10 April 26, 2026
The
fourth Sunday of Easter is always Good Shepherd Sunday
Jesus the Good Shepherd
Francisco Barboa
and we always hear from some portion
of John chapter 10,
where Jesus is telling people
that he is the Good Shepherd.
He uses sheep and
shepherd metaphors to talk about
himself and the
other leaders.
Jesus
said that the good shepherd uses the gate
to bring the sheep
through.
But the bad
shepherds, the ones that try to lead
the sheep astray
jump over the fence.
They try to get in
the another way.
The
poor people listening to Jesus would have understood Jesus.
Even though it
says that the some of the people in the crowd didn’t
The
shepherds were supposed to be watching out for the
sheep and
protecting them and caring for them spiritually and physically.
But instead they
used their positions to gain
more power and
more wealth for themselves.
They were thieves
and bandits as Jesus said, using the cover of religious
authority to elevate
themselves instead of protecting the sheep.
Jerusalem
and the rest of Israel were under the rule of the
Roman Government. The
religious leaders – the religious
and political rulers
of the area – were cozying up to
and fawning over this
oppressive Roman government
in order to make
gains for themselves.
The
people were being taxed and laden with debt
so they could
barely eat and survive.
Instead of
advocating for and protecting the sheep,
the religious
leaders they were selling the sheep out.
On top
of that, the people were told repeatedly
by the religious
politicians how disappointed and angry
God was with them,
that it was their sin and failures
and that’s why
they were poor and sick.
They got the clear
message that poverty was their personal fault.
They
probably wondered if God cared at all.
Or maybe they had
given up caring about that.
But hearing
Jesus, a religous voice tell them that he wanted
them to have an
abundant life instead of the meager fear filled
life they were
currently living must have been wonderful.
Jesus was the good
shepherd. The ones the sheep listened to.
It is
ironic then, that since that time, Jesus and God and scripture
have been used to
get powerful people what they want.
To support taxes, fees, the rights of businesses,
money grabs, lavish lifestyles, usually at the
expense of the sheep, the poor, the people.
And it’s
been used to support wars, violence, and genocide.
Always at the
expense of the sheep, the innocent people.
The current times
are no exception to this.
Right now we have politicians who are using the cover of
Christian faith and
scripture to lead the sheep astray again and support
some decidedly
unchristian things.
And again we have
some religious leaders cozying up them
instead of walking
alongside the people.
We
have heard Christian scripture and faith to support
cutting funds to USAID,
food and health care that we used
to provide to the
poorest in other countries.
We’ve
seen politicians pray on the floor of the capitol
after they cut food
stamps and Medicaid,
healthcare for the
poorest in our country.
All the while giving
tax cuts to the wealthiest people.
And
they’ve used religion and scripture to defend going
to war and spending
billions for military actions which
kill innocent
people.
I’m
sure some of the people who are doing this believe they
are serving
Christ, but they’ve been misled,
and in turn they’re
misleading other people.
Religious
conviction still has an influence over people
and they are using
this influence to get what they want
like many people over
the years have.
This is has proven
to be a bad thing for public policy wherever
and whenever its
happened,
but it’s mostly
not good for religion and God and the gospel.
When
we use God and Jesus and scripture to support things
that are opposed God
and Jesus and scripture,
It manipulates and
warps God and Jesus and scripture.
It changes the
meaning of those things in the minds of people.
When
Christian voices use God repeatedly
to defend war and
killing of innocent people,
then we start to
believe that God is vengeful, and that Jesus
was vengeful and
that Christianity is at its heart vengeful and violent.
When
you use God and Jesus and scripture
to support cutting
healthcare and food stamps for those in poverty,
then people come
to believe that
God and Jesus were
not on the side of the poor
and that the poor
are being punished by God.
Unfortunately,
when you do it so long,
people forget
about the real thing and just remember
the manipulation,
just the warped picture.
Sometimes we even
become the warped picture.
Ask
someone who is not a part of any religion, or someone
who has left the
church what they believe the church stands for.
The picture is not
pretty.
As a
pastor, this is warping of the Gospel is a big concern of mine
when I hear people
use the tools of Christian faith this way.
I mean,
first I worry about the people that are bearing the brunt
of these policies,
but I also worry about the gospel itself.
When I
was in seminary, I was told that part of my job as a pastor
was to “defend the
gospel, to protect the message of Jesus
and make sure it’s
not being manipulated, and I take that seriously.
And those
that would use God for their own ends
without reflecting
God’s will back into the world,
are trying to
enter the sheepfold by another way.
The thieves and
bandits that Jesus talks about.
When
it was in his time or others.
The ones that
heaped burdens on the poor
and exploited them
without caring.
The ones who use
God’s power for hate
while never
sharing God’s. The ones who say
they’re for God’s
peace, but then advocate for war.
They’re not going through the same gate as Jesus.
The one that loved
through personal sacrifice
the one that lead
by serving others.
They’re trying to
skirt around it and take the easy route
in and only reaping
the benefits of God’s power.
Jesus was sent from God and did not exploit or use the people.
He didn’t have any
ulterior motive. He wanted them to have
life and have it
abundantly. And when the sheep heard his voice
they knew that he
was not like the others who had used them.
When
they saw him feed 5000 people, when he healed the sick
touched lepers, and
surrounded himself with sinners and thieves
and the outcast of
society, they knew that he was
sent from God and
could do some amazing things of course.
And they also knew
that he was for them.
For the poor and disenfranchised.
They heard the
Good shepherd’s voice and they followed that.
And
throughout the centuries, people have followed
hearing that voice
and have been inspired by it and drawn
to it. But often,
the church doesn’t live up to Jesus voice.
It often tries to
enter the sheepfold by jumping over the fence.
Rhett
McLaughlin is comedian who has a very popular YouTube show
at one point he
left the Evangelical church of his youth.
And he said this
in a video:
"Your
kids are not leaving the church because you didn't train them enough. Your kids
are leaving the church because you trained them well enough to develop a sense
for truth and justice. You let them read the words of Jesus - and they got it.
And they've recognized that the church doesn't seem to be interested in those
words. They're not leaving because they don't know the truth, they're leaving
because they do."
The church and the politics that seem to be synonymous with the church,
has let them down.
They’re wondering if God has anything to say to them
or maybe they
don’t even care anymore.
But when they hear
the Good Shepherd’s voice
coming out of
someone, they still respond.
Recently,
Pope Leo, arguably the Christian leader
with the largest stage,
and voice, and reach in the world,
has been speaking
out directly in contrary to the politics of the day.
Last week, he said boldly that
“God does not listen to the prayers of leaders
who start wars and have hands full of blood”. and he is asked “all people of
goodwill to always search for peace and not violence, to reject war—especially
a war which many people have said is unjust, which is continuing to escalate
and which is not resolving anything."
Many
Christians "need to go back and re-read the Gospel" because they have
forgotten that faith and love for the poor go hand in hand” He
said,
"Love for
the poor -- whatever the form their poverty may take -- is the evangelical
hallmark of a Church faithful to the heart of God,"
He went on:
“We
must continue, then, to denounce the ‘dictatorship
of an
economy that kills,’”
I mean we’re in a denomination that was kind of built on criticizing the
Pope, and my usual
criticism of the Catholic church is that it has
stood silent on
many things it should be talking about.
But this pope has
been doing a pretty good job of being voice of the church.
Of
course, in response to this, some people have said that the pope is
too “woke”, that he should
“make sure his theological opinions are anchored in the truth”,
and that he should get out of politics.
But this is not
solely a political conversation.
When God is
dragged into politics like God has been,
it is a
theological conversation and he and all
religious leaders
are compelled to speak out.
I mean
we should be speaking out any time there is
injustice in the
world and when the people of the world are suffering,
But we are
compelled to speak out twice as clearly when God is
being used to
justify and support injustice and horrors.
Part of our job is
to “defend the gospel” to protect the message of Jesus.
To not
speak out is just to let the sheep wander off
wherever they want
and follow whichever voice is the loudest
and clearest off
whatever cliff they might end up walking off.
And
here is the interesting and hopeful thing in the last two weeks,
which is almost
really what I’ve been leading up to this whole time.
On Reddit, which
is a social media platform that is largely
made up of
non-religious people and people who are atheist
or at least
suspicious of organized religion I have read these comments
in response to
this voice they heard in the wilderness:
I have
waited so long to hear a religious leader say this.
These
are people who have basically rolled their eyes and
abandoned religion
and even been hostile to it.
They are listening
and having their hearts softened
by just one public
religious figure being direct
and honest and
reflecting God and Jesus into the world.
I
don’t think it’s only because the pope
seems to be on
their side politically.
I think they hear
the voice of Jesus coming through.
They hear the
compassion and care of Jesus and his love for
those in poverty
and those outcast coming through.
There is power in
that, and even if they’ve been
long gone from the
flock, they can still hear
that voice and
they respond to it.
Jesus
is the Good Shepherd.
We have a shepherd
who is compassionate and merciful.
Who sets out a
table of love, and invites all people to it.
Who was not afraid
to stand up against the powerful,
in order to
protect the sheep.
Jesus’ voice
pierces through the din of all other voices
And when they hear
it, people will follow down
those paths of
righteousness and mercy.
May
always go through that gate, and follow the way of Jesus.
May we always walk
with the poor and work for peace.
May we always
reflect Jesus back into the world.
May others
recognize the voice of Jesus when we speak.
May we lead all
who follow to abundant life.
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