Fourth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary: 49

This is why the Father loves me,

because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.

No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.

I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.

This command I have received from my Father.”

 

The sign of the Good Shepherd is his loving obedience before God for the salvation of the world. As we know, his willingness included “death, even death on a cross.” That also entailed his purity and innocence on the one hand, and his total surrender on the other. Betrayed by a trusted apostle, abandoned by virtually all his disciples, distanced by his family, falsely accused by political and religious opponents, callously executed by an indifferent occupying force (the Roman army), under the silent heaven: Jesus of Nazareth died quietly, without self-defense, like a sacrificial lamb. No one spoke for him; no one seemed to care. He was our scapegoat for everything we don’t like about God, life, and ourselves. 

 

Belief that this innocent man rose from the dead is the cornerstone and anchor of our religion.

 

Today, religion itself is widely challenged as archaic, passe, a thing of the past. “Modern” men and women believe they can live and thrive without faith in a transcendent god. Children can be conformed to the laws of a civilized nation without religious instruction or practice. Consequent upon that foolish decision, we see a rise of alternate “religions.” The human need for religion is not satisfied with pablum. These fake religions include partisan politics, ideologies, parody religions from Wicca to QAnon, and industrial-strength entertainment.

   

Inevitably, out of that confusing morass, strong leaders arise who claim to serve others while serving only themselves. I think, for instance, of Rupert Murdoch, the Australian entrepreneur and owner of the Fox networks. Beginning with little more than his wits he amassed one of the greatest fortunes on earth by marketing insinuations, conspiracies, deceptions, and outright lies. His alternate news pretends to serve a real need but offers only alternative facts. He has neither knowledge of, nor love of, Truth. The formerly anti-abortion real estate dealer and TV entertainer, Donald Trump, was Murdoch’s personal creation.

Human beings – like it or not! –  are like sheep. We cannot survive unless we work with others. We need trustworthy leaders and yet we have only one another. Despite our best efforts to make them into fountains of wisdom, rocks of courage, and models of integrity leaders are ordinary men and women. More often than not they are only partly aware of their true motives, and driven by unacknowledged fears, resentments, and greed. Even when we insist that kings are also subject to law, we find reasons to excuse them from its controls. 

The Good Shepherd comes to us as one of our own. He aspires to lead us by serving us without provision for himself. He follows that path from Bethlehem to Nazareth to Jerusalem and Calvary. Were he only God he could not save us for he would not know our weakness. Were he only a man he would have no more authority than anyone else. He does not lead by domination, threats, manipulation, or guile. He has neither need nor interest in earthly power and does not amass it. As the Word of God Incarnate he has proven he is trustworthy by dying and rising for our salvation. 

He saves those who are willing to be saved by him. But those who simply despise religion are sheep without a shepherd.