John 10 Shepherded

Context is vital. In the case of any Biblical passage, taking it out of context can vastly change the meaning. We need to know the context in which is it set in the book, the book itself, and then the wider themes of both Old and New Testaments. It is probably also helpful if we know something of the original background. Obviously, most of us are not biblical scholars, and cannot know all this, but a practice of wider reading, exploring books about the bible, and ensuring we read around any given passage may help. Take John 10, for example. The passage starts at the beginning of the chapter, so it is tempting to think we can ignore the previous one, which seems on a different topic. John 9 is about the healing of the man born blind, and the pharisees’ reaction to it; John 10 is about Jesus as the good Shepherd. But a careful reading of the gospel will show that one leads to another. Chapter 9 finishes with Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisees about whether they are blind or not, and chapter 10 continues straight on, with Jesus comments on the shepherd coming through the gate. It does seem to me quite vital that we don’t separate the two chapters; if we do, Jesus is speaking to another audience, presumably the disciples; if we do not, then Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees, continuing his conversation from chapter 9. This does affect how you interpret the passage.

But it is also important to set this passage in the wider theme of shepherds/sheep and the Bible. Now I have not done a complete study of this theme in the bible, so I may well be missing some important links. But two other passages come to mind in this context: Psalm 23, where ‘the Lord is my Shepherd’ and Ezekiel 34. It is worth reading the latter passage, which is not as well known as the Psalm, but seems important for our understanding of John 10, and is presumably a passage that the Pharisees would have known. It talks of the shepherds of Israel, and how they have been fattening themselves at the expense of the flock; they have not strengthened the weak, nor healed the sick, nor sought the scattered. Hence forwards God himself will be their Shepherd, and he will set over the flock one Shepherd, ‘my servant David’. With this passage in mind, the implication is that there is far more going on in Jesus’ claim to be the Good Shepherd than may be obvious from an initial reading. Taking Ezekiel 34 into account, is there not a challenge to the Pharisees, and even a messianic implication?

Putting all this together, where does it leave us in our reading of John 10? Where does this take us? We have a far more gritty, realistic picture of Jesus as the Good Shepherd than is apparent from many visual representations. Do we accept Jesus as our Shepherd, as the one who comes to bring life full to overflowing? (John 10:10; compare Ezekiel 34: 20-31). Secondly, how do we pasture the flock that is in our charge? How we respond to this question may well depend on our exact responsibilities, but it is not one we can simply cast onto paid ministers. Not that the latter have no responsibility; they do. But those of us who are members of our local church can also be responsible for shepherding not just our fellow church members, but also those outside the Church. Do we enter through the gate, and do we encourage others to enter also? Or do we enter, then slam the doors shut, so that others find it difficult to enter, or even impossible to find them? Do we respond as the shepherds in Ezekiel 34, fattening and indulging ourselves? Or do we respond as they did not: strengthening the weak, healing the sick, bandaging the broken, bringing back the scattered and seeking the missing? (Ezekiel 34:2-4). Do we drink from the water of life, and leave it clear for others, or do we muddy the waters for others coming after us? (see Ezekiel 34:18-19).

Now, an honest answer is probably ‘both/and’ rather than either/or. Churches do search for the lost and offer healing to the wounded. I suspect many people would be astonished at how much the Church, and individual Christians, do. But it would also be true to say that there are times when we make it difficult for others to enter, problematic for those outside to see what we offer and who God is; times when we are very far from reflecting the God of Love. It is these times that I am suggesting we ponder on. That we ask ourselves the questions: who are we excluding? Who are we failing? Are our churches reflecting the overflowing life that Jesus had to offer, or are they holding people back, or giving them heavy burdens? Are there any specific groups that our own church, and/or the wider church, are rejecting?

I do not have the answer to those questions, and I appreciate that sometimes the solution can be complicated. But it seems to me important that we at least ask the question, and become aware of the issues; that we are aware of our responsibility to the whole flock of God, as well as to those currently outside the flock; to know that we are called to shepherd them well, as we ourselves have a Good Shepherd; to remember that the Good Shepherd is there for those outside the church, not just those inside it.