Acts 9:36-43 Revelation 7:9-17 John 10:22-30 Psalm 23

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.  I know them, and they follow me.”

The setting of our Gospel lesson is the Temple.  This conversation between Jesus and “the Jews” is quite heated.  Remember that the writer of John is angry and frustrated with his fellow Jews for their lack of belief in Jesus and for their persecution of the followers of Jesus. His anger pervades his writing and we shouldn’t see this as grounds for anti-Semitism.  Rather, we use these writings as a mirror to look at our own misconceptions and actions that inhibit the Christian message.

Historically, God’s people have seen the Temple as the place where God lived.  From near and far, they would make pilgrimage to Jerusalem, preferably yearly, to worship and bring their appropriate sacrifice to the Temple.  From their time of their sojourn through the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt, God had resided in a tangible place – the Ark of the Covenant – a large box containing the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, a jar of manna, and Aaron’s rod.  The people carried the ark through the wilderness.  Many years later when King Solomon constructed the great Temple, the Ark was placed in the Holy of Holies.  Finally, God had a house.

But, Jesus’ message is that God does not live in a physical house built of mortar and stone.  Jesus’ message is that God’s laws are not in a box, maintained there for the purpose of strict obedience to tangible earthly rules.

Jesus’ message is that God lives in him – Jesus the Messiah – and that his laws are guidance in the ways his people are to live in relationship with one another.  This clarity of God’s law – this new interpretation is something that those charged with policing Jewish laws and traditions find it difficult to accept.  For some of these religious leaders, God was a god of harsh judgment who needed these leaders to enforce his brutal authority. All faith traditions have leaders such as these, even today.  And, too often, we see our selves in relation to God’s harsh judgment rather than unconditional love.

Jesus is asking these leaders – these “religious police” to believe that he, Jesus of Nazareth, and the Father God are one – that God lives in Jesus rather than this earthly Temple.  Jesus knew that it was difficult for them to believe.

The imagery of the Good Shepherd would be something to which the inhabitants of this culture could relate.  Jesus uses this imagery to emphasize their failure to believe the evidence that had been presented to them throughout his ministry.

This 4^thSunday of Easter is Good Shepherd Sunday. Each year on this Sunday our focus is on the Good Shepherd imagery.  On this Good Shepherd Sunday especially, I invite you to take time before you leave today to stand before the Good Shepherd Window that for too much of the time rests in the dark recess of our parish hall.  Much unappreciated, the window dates back to the very early years of the history of this parish.  Stand there and imagine a face-to-face conversation with Jesus, the Good Shepherd. What variety of emotions do you experience – perhaps a balance of both senses of compassion and discipline.

Stand there and reflect on your relationship with Jesus and the emotions that well up from your connection with that image.

There are numerous bits of symbolism expressed by the Good Shepherd.  The imagery of the 23^rdPsalm is endless and we could spend hours exploring the symbolism.

This image of the Good Shepherd was particularly important to the first century Christians – particularly import to the original disciples as they were struggling to understand their call to take up the cross of Jesus Christ in the days following the Crucifixion and Resurrection.  Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.  I know them, and they follow me.”  When we are buried, our loved ones will hear the words of the opening anthems, “I myself shall see and my eyes behold him who is my friend and not a stranger.”

As we struggle to take up the cross of the Risen Christ, it is imperative that we delve into these scripture lessons assigned to Eastertide. These words from our Gospel lessons, from the Acts of the Apostles, and from the Revelation to John, provide our foundations for how we are to be the Church – how we are to carry on as did these earliest disciples.

There would be doubts, Jesus warned, as we read two weeks ago. In response to Thomas’ doubts that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead and returned to the disciples as he had promised, Jesus alerts the disciples that it will be up to them to address the doubts that seek to confound the continuation of the Christian mission.  Generation after generation would be called to believe even though they had not seen.  Seeds of the Good News must be sown deeply and widely – bravely.  We are now the disciples who must sow those seeds and nurture the harvest with God’s guidance.

The seeds of that message are that none is lost.  Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice…they will never perish.  No one will snatch them out of my hand.”   All are redeemed by the grace of the blood of Jesus Christ through faith.  Even Peter, who denied Christ in the chaos on the road to the Cross was redeemed; we read today of his furtherance of the mission as an apostle of Jesus Christ.  Even Paul, who was the most zealous murderer of those who sought the Way was redirected to become the most zealous of apostles; even each one of us and all of creation are redeemable.

Our most beloved, most familiar Psalm 23 set to words long before the birth of Jesus, is clearly a window of understanding into the foundations of our Christian faith.  “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  God’s guidance and protection are ever-present; God’s judgment is real; we abide by God’s law because we know we are loved unconditionally by God and because we love God – as sheep knowing the voice of their loving shepherd, respond in love, trusting his commands.  As our faith deepens, we better understand our need to be guided by God’s rod and staff.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.  I know them, and they follow me.”

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow all our days as we dwell in the house of the Lord forever.