The Good Shepherd

Sermon preached by the Rev. Lowell E. Grisham, Rector
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas
April 13, 2008; 4th Sunday of Easter, Year A
Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary

(John 10:1-10) -- Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
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I know of a Roman Catholic priest whose name escapes me, so I'll call him Joe. After working hard and conscientiously for many years as the only priest in a pretty large parish, he was tired and mildly depressed. Pray for our Roman brothers who serve the Church. Typically they are responsible for the pastoral care of three to four times as many parishioners as Episcopal priests are accustomed to, and they labor without the benefit of a life partner to support them. It can be a hard life. Joe was a good priest, but he was facing burnout and was beginning to question his vocation. He shared his dilemma with his bishop. The bishop was a friend and wise. He gave Joe an unusual reassignment. He sent Joe to the Middle East. The bishop assigned Joe to work for a friend of the bishop's, an Arab Palestinian sheepherder named Ahmed (again, I can't remember the exact name, so Ahmed will do). For a season, Joe was to stay with Ahmed the sheepherder and do whatever Ahmed told Joe to do.

Joe was pretty perplexed by the assignment, but it's a hierarchical system and he accepted his orders. After several months of living with Ahmed, Joe returned to his former ministry invigorated and renewed. I heard him tell about what he had learned and how it affected him. I want to share with you what I can remember of his story.

Ahmed had a flock of sheep that numbered about 150. Each day Ahmed would lead the herd into the sparse countryside to find forage and water. Through the day he would watch carefully, to protect the sheep from predators and the many way a sheep could get hurt or lost in the rugged territory. At evening, he would bring them in to a safe place for their night's rest. But Joe learned, there was so much more to it.

Joe began his work with Ahmed living on the small farm where all of the family pitched in to manage the animals and crops. Early in the morning Ahmed would open the gate and lead the sheep toward the nearby pasture land. The animals followed obediently. Ahmed asked Joe to help him keep a keen eye for any sheep that might wander or straggle away. Ahmed also watched the surrounding countryside with great vigilance, wary of any wild dogs or other threats.

As they brought the sheep back to the sheepfold in the evening, Joe learned one of the purposes of the shepherd's staff. Ahmed used the long stick to guide the flock toward the gate, and then lowered the staff so that each sheep had to crawl slowly under it as it entered the fold. As they crawled, Ahmed carefully scrutinized each animal, looking for cuts or bruises or any signs of disease. He checked their ears, looked into their eyes, felt their joints and bodies, inspecting each for problems. If he discovered a cut, he cleaned and covered it with balm and bandage; if there were any signs of illness, he attended to it with prompt healing care. Every animal was throughly examined and treated before being tucked away for the night.

In that region, whatever land was conducive to growing plants and crops was all cultivated, and Ahmed had to be careful not to allow any of his sheep to trespass on a neighboring farmer's field. He kept his animals in the areas that were good enough to support some grasses and ground cover but not good enough for a crop. That was a challenge. It didn't take long for the sheep to finish the edible growth in one area, so Ahmed was always taking the flock to new pasture. Eventually they ran out of forage within a day's walking of Ahmed's home, so they prepared to go further and camp.

After spending a day in a distant place with good grass, Ahmed led the group further away in a direction opposite home. Rounding a rocky outcrop, Joe saw that Ahmed was leading them into a natural arroyo -- rocky cliffs on three sides enhanced with some boulders and man-made barriers that created a narrow entrance about fifteen feet across. It seemed like a perfect accommodation for the flock.

Just as Ahmed was finishing his inspection of the sheep, there was the sound of rustling activity, and Joe looked up to see another flock, larger than Ahmed's, with two shepherds leading them into the same encampment. They were followed quickly by a third herd with its guide. Before long, the three flocks of identically looking sheep were chaotically mixed into a huge, indistinguishable herd. Joe thought to himself, "We're going to have a Middle Eastern battle royale in the morning when they try to separate these sheep."

Ahmed greeted the other shepherds and introduced Joe, explaining his presence. The group made a fire, shared some food and stories. One pulled out a pipe flute and played a bit. As evening deepened, three of the four shepherds lay their blankets head-to-foot across the opening to the arroyo, creating a human gate, so that any sheep that might try to leave the enclosure or any predator that might try to enter would have to go through the bodies of the shepherds. The fourth shepherd positioned himself toward the top of the rocks where he kept a sharp lookout over the surrounding countryside. Some time in the wee small hours, that shepherd descended and tapped Ahmed, who woke and took his post as the sentinel. Each shepherd took a turn at watch. From time to time Joe awakened. Each time he looked up to see who was on duty; he noted that the lookout was always alert, awake, vigilant, never nodding or showing signs of distraction.

As Joe felt the dark before dawn arrive, he began to get nervous. How will they separate nearly 500 sheep into the proper herds? As the day began, one shepherd stood up. The shepherd began to sing. It was an eerie song, haunting, ethereal. Some jostling began within the herd. Then one of the larger sheep stood up, a bell around its neck. It began to walk toward the shepherd. The shepherd turned away, continuing his song, and walked off toward the distance. One by one, every sheep from his flock stood up and made a pathway through the other reclining sheep until the whole group had reformed, following their shepherd. Each of the other two flocks separated themselves efficiently in the same way, following the song, the voice of their own shepherd.

With time, Joe began to be able to distinguish the sheep, which at first looked all alike. Ahmed had names for each, usually related to a physical uniqueness. "This one is Blackie; there's Crooked Ear. I call that one Rami because he looks like my father-in-law, whose name is Rami."

One particular runt-sized lamb he called Tiny. As Ahmed inspected and counted the flock one evening, Tiny was missing. Ahmed immediately secured the flock with a neighboring shepherd, grabbed some extra water and provisions and headed out into the dark. Joe waited nervously. All day and the next night, no Ahmed. Another day and another night. Joe imagined all kinds of catastrophes that might have befallen Ahmed. Finally, on the third day, Ahmed returned, carrying Tiny across his back, a leg in a splint where it had obviously been broken.

The shepherds joined together for a feast with wine and much rejoicing that night as Ahmed told the story. Tiny had fallen into a crevice and broken his leg. Ahmed passed by the place three times before finding him. He couldn't reach Tiny, so Ahmed lowered himself as far as he could and withdrew the animal using the crook of his staff. By then, Tiny was dehydrated and in shock, so Ahmed set his leg and tended him until he was stronger. Then Ahmed carried the heavy animal on his shoulder for miles back to safety. Now hopping gayly on three legs, Tiny looked no worse for wear. Later they learned the story of how Ahmed had to scare off a small pack of canines, hitting the threatening pack leader with a rock from his sling.

Months later Joe returned home, tan and fit, and re-entered his priestly ministry with renewed vigor. He doesn't suffer from burnout anymore. He says it is because of what he learned from Ahmed. For Joe, Ahmed has made more real the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd.

Now, in the morning, Joe hears the sunrise voice of the Shepherd, leading him out to green pastures and deep waters. As Joe sets about his work and duties, he senses the attentive, protective presence of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He feels the security of being known intimately and personally, freeing him from anxiety. He knows that if he gets lost or hurt, the Shepherd will not rest until he is found and restored. At night, Joe lets the Shepherd examine his day, setting right that which has been broken and putting balm on the cuts and bruises. He commits himself to the Shepherd's care, and he falls asleep in peace.

The old psalm has new significance for him:
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul;
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his Name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
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