Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23:1-6 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10
Mr. Chris Paul, Seminarian
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. Psalm 23 is one of the most familiar and popular Psalms we hear. We come to this fourth Sunday in Easter, celebrating the Good Shepherd, and we hear about it in Psalm 23. We also hear about the Good Shepherd in the Gospel reading from John, where we hear Jesus say, “Very Truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.” This is just one of the many “I am” statements we hear throughout John’s Gospel. And, of course, This imagery of the Good Shepherd works perfectly in the Easter Season because, as our Shepherd, we enter into salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Psalm reading today takes me back several years ago as I sat by my grandmother’s side in the hospital. She was suffering from cancer, and I remember that throughout her transient moments of medication-induced sleep and alertness, she would want to hold hands and pray Psalm 23 together. At that time, I did not have the relationship with God or the church that I do now, and I did not fully understand the power and gravity of this Psalm until years later. And, I have to admit, I was usually scrambling to grab my phone and google the words of the Psalm because I did not have it memorized as my grandma did. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He leads me to green pastures, to still waters, revives my soul, guides my path, calms my fears, protects me, feeds me, and even protects me from my enemies. That is a Shepherd I want to follow!! The best thing about what we just heard from the shepherd is that there are no stipulations on what we must do to receive these gifts from the shepherd. We did not hear; I will lead you to green pastures only if you do this, or I will guide and protect you, but only if you fit in this perfect mold. No! The shepherd lists no requirements to be in the house of the Lord. We know this psalm is often read during times of death to offer comfort to a grieving family and hope to those who are hearing it. But We do ourselves a disservice if we limit our understanding of Psalm 23 to that alone. This psalm should be understood as loving and caring for others.
We live in a society that is full of stress. Stress in our work, personal lives, relationships, traffic, and ever-increasing work hours in an unstable economy. People struggle with money, schools, the fear of retirement, and searching for meaning within their own lives. Stress is always present and has a strong power over our lives. We practically drown ourselves with stress every day, and this Psalm should offer us a cool, refreshing peace that is only found in celebrating who God is and who we are to god.
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.
We are God-made individuals and dependent upon God. We all work, save, study, and plan our lives, but God ultimately meets all of our needs. God is the one who makes us rest, slows us down, and restores our very being. God is a powerful protector for all of us. Yes, God suffers with us in pain, sorrow, and loss, but like a shepherd with a rod and staff, God guides us and fights off those who would harm us. Psalm 23 ultimately reminds us that God is our true shepherd who grants our needs, causes us to rest and to be restored, leads us in the right way of living, and never stops pursuing us with goodness and kindness because, like a good shepherd, just one lost sheep is too many. I am so glad that On Good Shepherd Sunday, we get to hear this Psalm of comfort and hope. And In John’s gospel today, We hear something a little different when the Shepherd refers to himself as the gate. This particular passage has sometimes offended people because they don’t like being compared to “sheep.” Sheep tend to be followers; they are group animals, and what offends some people is the assumption that they can’t think for themselves. The Bible teaches us that we are social creatures. We depend on each other and follow each other; these are good things because Jesus wants us to be in a community with each other.
We all know that we are able to think for ourselves, but our communities can also affect and influence us. And like sheep, humans can sometimes be led astray by leaders or others of influence. We may not fully know or understand how strongly they can influence us.
One of the most important things about this passage from John today is understanding that when Jesus says, “I am the gate,” it means that Jesus is the shepherd to all. Jesus is referring to the gate as an opening to allow travel in and out. Gates create a means of liberation, not exclusion. The image of the gate is Jesus inviting us into a safe place of love and protection. Jesus says I am the gate, and all are welcome. With Jesus as the gatekeeper, we don’t have to worry about who is in and who is out because It’s not up to us. Everyone gets in because the shepherd wants the flock to be safe and flourish. This means white and black, Republican and Democrat, dog people, and yes even cat people. All are welcome and offered protection by the shepherd. Jesus is trying to keep all of us in a community together. A community that loves each other and looks out for each other. Not a community that looks at differences but a beloved community that embraces differences and grows together, stronger as one. The beloved community to which the Savior has called us dwells within all of us. He is always with us at the gate, giving admission, offering welcome and protection, and gathering us into his one body. I pray that we all realize that we are ALL truly welcome by the Shepherd into beloved community. And As I look back at my time in the hospital with my grandmother, I realize how much she was comforted by our Psalm today. Comforted in the arms of the Good Shepherd, secure in the knowledge that
The Lord is our shepherd, and we shall not want!