Reading
“‘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.’
‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’
‘I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.'”
John 10:1-5,11, 14-15
Reflection
Last weekend, my family and I went to an early-morning showing of a new movie called “The Sheep Detectives.” The next morning, I was struck by how Rev. Kissa Vaughn’s message of “Refrigerator Theology” connected to the Sheep Theology I had seen in the movie the day before. In the movie a shepherd named George Hardy is murdered in a small English village and his devoted flock of sheep are determined to solve the mystery.
I am Loved – The Shepherd Knows Us
Sheep are not known for their investigative or critical-thinking skills. In popular culture, they are often depicted as dumb creatures who follow blindly. To be called a sheep is almost always an insult. But Jesus chooses sheep as a metaphor for His followers to emphasize that sheep are valued because they belong to the shepherd, not because they are intelligent or independent.
The sheep follow because they know the shepherd’s voice. They are known by name, loved, and cared for.
On Sunday, Rev. Kissa said “If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.” And I think that’s true about a shepherd, too. In John 10, Jesus says “I know my own and my own know me.” The shepherd delights in his sheep so much that he spends his days thinking about them, watching them, and maybe even putting their picture on his fridge.
I am Called – The Shepherd calls his own sheep by name
Sheep, because they are loved by the shepherd, are called into a transformed life of love. The shepherd “calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” beyond familiar fences.
In the movie, after the death of their beloved shepherd, the sheep are forced to confront a hard truth. They aren’t going to solve the murder mystery if they can’t leave their pasture. At one point, Sebastian, a wise loner sheep, asks two others, “You think you’re brave enough to leave home?”
And for their love of George, the sheep overcome their fear and leave the safety of their familiar meadow so that they can search for other clues and solve his murder.
Love always calls us beyond the safety of the familiar.
I am not in charge – The Shepherd leads them out.
The sheep in the movie spend most of their time searching for clues—expecting that solving the murder will make sense of their feelings of loss and control. We do this too. We search for clues of certainty or put cushions on the floor—just in case. But the shepherd “goes ahead of [the sheep].” Jesus makes a way for us to follow him. We need only trust in His goodness and provision.
The good news of John 10 is not that the sheep are clever enough to solve the mystery and save themselves, but that they belong to a Shepherd who never stops leading, protecting, and providing for them—even after his own death.
So, remember:
The Shepherd Knows us.
He calls us by name.
And He leads us where we need to go.
We need only to follow him.
An Invitation
As you go through this week, consider:
What voices am I listening to?
Where might the Good Shepherd be calling me beyond the safety of familiar fences?
What burden or outcome am I trying to control that ultimately belongs to God?
Pause long enough to listen. The Shepherd calls His sheep by name.
