JOHN 10:1-10
I HAD A PRETTY GOOD
MOTHER. I KNOW WE'RE SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT OUR MOTHERS WERE THE BEST
MOTHERS IN THE WORLD, AND CERTAINLY WHEN I WAS A KID I THOUGHT THAT.
AND WHEN I MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS, I AM DOING SOMETHING MY MOTHER
TAUGHT ME WHEN I WAS ABOUT THREE OR FOUR. BUT I LOOK BACK AND IT'S
OBVIOUS THAT SHE COULD HAVE DONE SOME THINGS BETTER, AND MY TWO
SISTERS AND I STILL BEAR A FEW SCARS. BUT I WOULD BET THAT ALL OF
YOU COULD SAY THE SAME THING. AFTER ALL, MOTHERS ARE HUMAN BEINGS,
AND THEY AREN'T PERFECT, AND THEY CARRY BAGGAGE FROM THEIR OWN
UPBRINGING. MY WIFE IS A WONDERFUL MOTHER. I THINK SHE'S DONE A
BETTER JOB OF BEING A MOTHER THAN MY OWN MOTHER DID. I'M PROUD OF MY
CHILDREN, AND I SEE BITS OF HER REFLECTED IN THEM. AND CERTAINLY SHE
HAD A LOT MORE TO DO WITH RAISING THEM THAN I DID. I'D GO OFF TO
WORK IN THE MORNING AND COME HOME IN THE EVENING, AND SHE'D TAKE CARE
OF ALL THE IN BETWEEN PARTS.
MY DAUGHTERS ARE GOOD
MOTHERS AS WELL. I LOOK AT MY GRANDCHILDREN AND SEE THAT THEY HAVE
BEEN SHAPED BY THEIR MOTHERS AND FATHERS, AND THEY'VE DONE A GOOD JOB
AND CONTINUE TO DO SO. SO I DON'T HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS.
BUT YOU CAN GO ON
YOU-TUBE AND WATCH A MOTHER HAVING AN ABORTION. SHE BECAME PREGNANT
AND DECIDED THAT FOR HER IT WASN'T THE RIGHT TIME TO HAVE A CHILD.
SHE WORKED FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND DECIDED THAT SHE WOULD RECORD
THE WHOLE EVENT AND PUT IT ON LINE SO THAT WOMEN WHO HAD MIXED
FEELINGS ABOUT ABORTION WOULD BE COMFORTED BY SEEING HOW EASY IT WAS.
I WONDER HOW THE CHILD'S GRANDPARENTS FELT. I'M GLAD NONE OF MY
GRANDCHILDREN WERE ABORTED.
JESUS GIVES US THREE
IMAGES. THE FIRST IS THAT OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD. HE IS CLEARLY
THINKING ABOUT THE PSALM WHICH STARTS OUT, “THE LORD IS MY
SHEPHERD...” AND TALKS ABOUT STILL WATERS AND GREEN PASTURES. THE
GOOD SHEPHERD LEAVES 99 SHEEP AND GOES AFTER THE ONE WHICH HAS
WANDERED OFF. WHEN HE FINDS HIM, HE PUTS HIM ON HIS SHOULDERS AND
BRINGS HIM BACK TO THE FLOCK. THAT'S WHAT WE SEE IN THOSE HOLY
CARDS, IN THOSE PICTURES. JESUS AS THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
BUT TODAY HE GIVES US TWO
MORE IMAGES. THE SHEPHERD IS THE ONE THAT THE GATEKEEPER ALLOWS INTO
THE SHEEPFOLD. ONCE THE SHEPHERD IS IN THE SHEEPFOLD, HE CAN SPEAK
TO HIS SHEEP AND LEAD THEM OUT. THEY KNOW HIS VOICE AND FOLLOW HIM;
HE KNOWS HIS SHEEP AND THEY KNOW HIM.
AND THE OTHER IMAGE IS
THAT OF THE GATE TO THE SHEEPFOLD. IN THE DAYS OF JESUS, SHEPHERDS
WOULD BRING THEIR SHEEP INTO A COMMON ENCLOSURE, A SHEEPFOLD. THERE
WAS ONLY ONE ENTRANCE AND THE SHEEP HAD TO GO OUT SINGLE FILE. AT
NIGHT THE SHEPHERDS WOULD TAKE TURNS SLEEPING IN THE ENTRANCE WAY. IF
YOU WANTED TO GET INTO THE SHEEPFOLD, YOU'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE
SHEPHERD.
BUT WE HEAR STILL
ANOTHER INTERESTING IMAGE IN TODAY'S GOSPEL. THE SHEPHERD DRIVES HIS
SHEEP OUT OF THE SHEEPFOLD. THAT'S THE SAME GREEK WORD THAT IS USED
WHEN JESUS DRIVES THE MONEY CHANGERS OUT OF THE TEMPLE. IT'S THE
SAME WORD THAT IS USED WHEN HE DRIVES THE DEMONS OUT OF PEOPLE WHO
ARE POSSESSED. IT'S NOT A GENTLE WORD.
I THINK MOTHERS ARE VERY
MUCH LIKE SHEPHERDS, AS JESUS DESCRIBED THEM. THEY FIRST OF ALL DO
EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO MAKE SURE THEIR CHILDREN ARE FED AND CLOTHED
AND PROTECTED. MOTHERS WHO LIVE IN PLACES WHERE THERE ISN'T ENOUGH
FOOD MAKE SURE THEIR CHILDREN ARE FED BEFORE THEY EAT THEMSELVES.
AND MOTHERS HAVE A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP TO THEIR CHILDREN; WHEN A
CHILD IS YOUNG ONLY THE MOTHER CAN COMFORT HIM OR HER. ONLY THE
MOTHER CAN GIVE THE CHILD A SENSE OF SECURITY, OF BEING LOVED, OF
BELONGING. OF COURSE FATHERS HAVE A ROLE AS WELL, BUT WHEN THE CHILD
GETS UPSET, THE FATHER HANDS THE CHILD BACK TO HIS MOTHER. EVEN AN
INFANT KNOWS HER MOTHER'S VOICE. SHE HAS A SIGN ON HER DESK THAT
SAYS, “THE BUCK STOPS HERE”.
AND MOTHERS ARE FIERCELY
PROTECTIVE. SHEPHERDS IN JESUS' TIME WOULD BATTLE WILD ANIMALS AND
THIEVES TO DEFEND THEIR SHEEP, AND SOMETIMES WOULD LOSE THEIR LIVES.
EVERY TEACHER AND COACH HAS PROBABLY FELT THE WRATH OF A MOTHER WHO
FELT THAT HER CHILD NEEDED DEFENDING. AND MOTHERS, AT LEAST GOOD
MOTHERS, ARE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHO THEIR CHILDREN ASSOCIATE WITH,
AND WHAT THEY READ AND WATCH ON TELEVISION, AND WHAT THEY EAT.
MOTHERS ARE GATEKEEPERS.
AND GOOD MOTHERS DRIVE
THEIR CHILDREN; THEY PUSH THEM OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE. WHEN I WAS
A KID I LOVED TO READ COMIC BOOKS. BUT IF IT WAS A NICE DAY OUTSIDE,
THE COMIC BOOK WOULD BE SNATCHED FROM MY HAND AND I WOULD BE USHERED
TO THE DOOR AND TOLD TO GO OUTSIDE AND GET SOME EXERCISE. JESUS
TALKS ABOUT THE SHEPHERD WHO DRIVES HIS SHEEP OUT OF THE COMFORT OF
THE SHEEPFOLD. FOR A SHEEP TO FULFILL ITS ROLE, IT NEEDED EXERCISE,
IT NEEDED TO FIND FRESH GRASS TO GRAZE; TO STAY IN THE SHEEPFOLD
MIGHT BE COMFORTABLE, BUT IN THE LONG RUN WAS NOT IN THE SHEEP'S BEST
INTEREST. A GOOD MOTHERS KEEP PUSHING HER CHILD BECAUSE SHE SEES HIS
POTENTIAL EVEN WHEN HE DOESN'T. OF COURSE THE PUSHING DIES DOWN AS
THE CHILD AGES, BUT AS ALL OF US KNOW, EVEN WHEN WE ARE FULL GROWN
AND OUT ON OUR OWN, WE WILL GET LITTLE PUSHES FROM OUR MOTHERS. WHEN
MY MOTHER WAS 90 AND HAD ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, SHE TOLD ME I WAS
WORKING TOO HARD AND NEEDED TO TAKE MORE TIME FOR MYSELF. A MOTHER
STOPS BEING A MOTHER ON THE DAY SHE DIES. JESUS ALSO SEES THE
POTENTIAL IN EACH OF US, AND WANTS NOTHING MORE FOR US THAN TO
REALIZE THAT POTENTIAL, TO BE THE BEST VERSION OF OURSELVES THAT WE
CAN BE. HE NEVER STOPS PUSHING US TO THAT GOAL.
SO TODAY WE CELEBRATE
GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY, AND MOTHER'S DAY. GOOD SHEPHERDS AND GOOD
MOTHERS HAVE A LOT IN COMMON, AND IT'S APPROPRIATE THAT WE HONOR
THOSE WONDERFUL WOMEN WHO WERE OUR FIRST SHEPHERDS, WHO STOOD IN FOR
OUR GOOD SHEPHERD WHEN WE WERE SMALL AND HELPLESS.
