Sheep-Like People

John 10:22-30

            Well it is that time of year again…time for Jesus to talk about sheep.  This happens every year on the 4^th Sunday of Easter.  If my last name is any indication, you are learning from an expert.  You are learning from a LAMB about sheep.  Okay, it’s not too often I make jokes about my last name, but today is a great day to bring them out. 

Today this text is about Jesus and his identity as the Good Shepherd.  In order for there to be a shepherd there needs to be some sheep.  We are the sheep here.  And if we are honest with ourselves we do have some sheep-like characteristics.  Sheep have a herd instinct.  We have a herd instinct.  Sheep are vulnerable.  We are vulnerable.  Sheep are wanderers.  We are wanderers.

Let’s start with the herd instinct.  Sheep are pretty dumb animals.  If one sheep tries to go through the fence the other one will.  If one sheep tries to jump off the cliff the others will follow.  If one sheep won’t eat the food then the others will not eat the food, even if it means starvation.  They are creatures that follow their leader.  We, too, are followers.  We have a herd instinct.  All too often we follow what our culture dictates as appropriate.  If the culture shows us that objectifying women is right we will allow it to happen.  If the culture shows us that a specific car is the in thing we will trick ourselves into believing it is true.  If the culture makes us think we need to get married and have children to be full members of society we will buy into that way of thinking.  If the culture shoves media coverage of world events at us we get sucked into thinking we need to watch it all.  We follow because we have been brainwashed to do so.  We follow because it is the “in” thing to do.  That herd instinct takes over instead of our intelligence and we do some dumb things. We, like sheep, have a herd instinct. 

Sheep are vulnerable.  They have many predators: wolves, coyotes, foxes, dogs, eagles, mountain lions, and bears.  Against these predators they are almost completely defenseless.  Their only defense mechanism is to stay together as a herd rather than to scatter.  We, too, are vulnerable.  While our predators may not look the same as the sheep’s predators, we are still defenseless against much that goes on around us.  Our lives are fragile.  Without warning a wolf can strike.  That wolf may be cancer or a car accident.  It might be a birth defect or the loss of a job.  It might be a bomb or an explosion.  If that isn’t apparent enough after the past week I don’t know what is.  From the bombing at the Boston marathon to the fertilizer plant explosion to the shooting at MIT, the search for the bombers and an earthquake in China, this past week, we have seen our vulnerability exposed.  Predators are out there and they are ready to capitalize on our vulnerability.  Sin is out there and it is ready to strike.  We, like sheep, are vulnerable.

Sheep are wanderers.  Often sheep wander away from their shepherd and cannot find their way back.  And when they are lost they do not have the instinct like other animals to find their way home.  We, too, are wanderers.  We take the road less traveled and it gets us in trouble.  We hang out with the wrong group of people and we get lost.  We stray from the shepherd and cannot find our way back on our own.  We, like sheep, are wanderers.

That may all sound quite Debby Downer or Negative Nancy of me to say, but the truth is we can’t do it alone.  For our sheep-like characteristics we are given a shepherd.  For our herd instinct, for our vulnerability, for our wandering, we are given a shepherd through the person of Jesus Christ.  Really, the shepherd does most of the acting.  The shepherd looks for us when we go astray.  The shepherd awaits our return.  The shepherd seeks us out.  We read in John that the shepherd knows the sheep and gives them eternal life.  With that in mind, the action of salvation is dependent on the work of God through Jesus.  Salvation is dependent on Jesus knowing us and giving us eternal life.  To give us eternal life, the shepherd, showing how much he cares, takes on our sheep-like characteristics and becomes for us the Lamb of God.  At his crucifixion Jesus becomes a sheep led to slaughter.  On the cross he sacrifices his life and washes us clean by his blood.

Our response according to our text is that we, in turn, know the voice of the shepherd and follow his voice.  What might it look like to follow Jesus’ voice today?  Is it making a commitment to Lutheran Social Services, as our special ministry this month.  Is it partnering with others to help build a house for someone in our community through Habitat for Humanity.  Is it supporting the Piecemakers in their silent auction, knowing that they use their money to help others.  Is it donating diapers to Love INC to be given to people who may otherwise not be able to afford them.  Is it sharing your gifts to help with Vacation Bible School this summer.  Is it making the ethical choice to purchase fair trade coffee and tea.  Is it acknowledging the parent of an autistic child with a smile rather than a glare.  Is it recognizing the visitor or the stranger in your midst.  Is it attending a Bible study so that you can learn more about matters of faith.  Is it praying for the bounty placed on your table before you consume it.  At its core, following Jesus is about responding to the salvation we have been given through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sake.  At its core, following Jesus is putting our actions where our beliefs are. 

So, hear this my sheep-like friends:  You have been chosen by God.  You are part of Jesus’ flock.  You belong to Jesus.  You are a sheep of God.  Knowing that may you know and follow the voice of the shepherd.  May you know and follow the voice of Jesus.  Amen.

Doubt and Unbelief

John 20:19-31

          The Gospel of John shows us that there is not one type of faith.  Faith comes in different ways and with a variety of intensities to a diverse people.  Faith is an individual journey.  There is not only one-way through this journey.  In fact, there are many ways.  The journey is not always easy, but that is what makes it a journey.  Prior to the text for today, the beloved disciple believes upon seeing the empty tomb and Mary believes when the Lord calls her name.  Then we hear that the disciples, minus Thomas, believe by seeing the risen Lord.  Finally, Thomas says he will not believe until he touches Jesus’ wounds. 

            Eight days later, Jesus stands among his disciples.  Thomas was with them.  Jesus offers to fulfill Thomas’ conditions.  But wait, Jesus was not present in bodily form when Thomas told the other disciples the conditions that were necessary for his faith.  So Jesus offers “put your finger here and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side; do not be unbelieving, but believing.”  Can you believe it, the text does not even say if Thomas actually touched Jesus.  Somehow Thomas’ conditions, that he would physically touch Jesus, are thrown out the window: “My Lord and my God.”  Jesus replies to Thomas’ confession of faith, “You have believed because you saw me.  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” 

            This text is frequently referred to as “Doubting Thomas.”  That is even what I called it until a few years ago.  In my Witness of the Gospels class we looked at this text and I learned something.  That happens a lot at seminary!  The something that I learned is that the Greek text does not say anything about Thomas doubting.  The Greek word used here means faithful or believing.  The word that some translations render as doubt actually means without faith or without belief.  So, actually Jesus says to Thomas, “Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”  Thomas didn’t doubt.  Thomas lacked belief.  He was in a state of unbelief. 

Really when it comes down to it doubt and unbelief are really similar words.  Yet, I think we often have a stronger reaction to the word doubt.  We think that with faith we should not have doubt.  Rob Bell in his new book “What we talk about when we talk about God,” puts it this way: “For many people in our world, the opposite of faith is doubt.  The goal then, within this understanding, is to eliminate doubt.  But faith and doubt aren’t opposites.  Doubt is often a sign that your faith has a pulse, that it’s alive and well and exploring and searching.  Faith and doubt aren’t opposites, they are , it turns out excellent dance partners.”

            Sometimes our journey is like Thomas’ and that is perfectly okay.  We may have our own moments of unbelief, even though they are sometimes hard to admit.  Thomas was honest in his unbelieving.  He did not just follow the other disciples.  He needed proof.  Sometimes we need proof, too.  Often our need for proof comes across as conditions.  If I see the wounds and put my hand in Jesus’ side then I will believe.  That is Thomas’ if/then condition.  How often do we create if/then conditions for God?  If you answer my prayer then I will believe.  If you send me a billboard or a burning bush then I will believe.  We always want more proof.  However, sometimes we are so concerned with the proof that we don’t even see that God is setting off fireworks for something else in our lives.  The work of the Holy Spirit is active, but sometimes our minds are preoccupied with something else and we miss her work.  How is the Holy Spirit actively transforming your life?

            For me college was a time of my life when I was transformed.  I was exposed to many new ideas and I learned a lot.  Sometimes the things I learned were difficult, especially when I tried to tie them into my faith.  For example, I remember my first day of college like it was yesterday.  We started class on a Thursday and my first class was Religion 100.  My professor started the class by saying, “If you believe Mary was really a virgin or Jonah was really caught in the belly of a wale…you better think again.”  I think I cried that night.  All I had ever grown up learning in Sunday school was that Mary was a virgin and Jonah was caught in the belly of a wale.  There was a tension between academic knowledge and my faith, which caused doubt.  I doubted.  Have you ever doubted?

            Doubt.  Unbelief.  Little faith.  So the question for me is not so much, did Thomas doubt or was he unbelieving.  My question is how did Jesus respond to Thomas.  In fact, the center of this story is Jesus, not Thomas.  At the heart of this story is Jesus’ generous offer of himself to Thomas.  Thomas had established the conditions for his faith: He must be allowed to touch Jesus’ wounds.  He is only prepared to lay aside his unbelief if the risen Jesus meets his criteria.  He insists that the risen body of Jesus fulfill his requirements.  According to John’s account, Jesus makes this possible: “see and believe.” 

The good news is that God doesn’t seem to mind Thomas’ unbelieving.  Jesus responds with grace.  Thomas wasn’t struck down, cast into the outer darkness, revoked of his disciple title, or not accepted for his unbelief.  Thomas’ need for proof was not wrong, but honest.  Thomas was transformed.  The story of Thomas is one of hope and promise, not judgment and reprimand.  This is a story that calls us to live the questions along our journey.

However, knowledge and relationships with Jesus are not limited to his first disciples.  The physical Jesus is absent for us.  We have not seen Jesus.  However, we have seen God at work in the world and in our own lives.  We have not seen, yet we believe.  And our belief may have moments of doubt or unbelief, like Thomas.  Those moments give our faith a pulse.  These moments of searching and seeking give us even more reason to believe.

            The truth is that God wants our hearts, but God also wants our minds.  God wants us to be transformed.  God wants us to let the Holy Spirit work actively in our lives.  God wants us to question.  This might mean we have to wrestle with our doubts and even go through periods of unbelieving.  However, amidst the wrestling, God is always there with the generous gift of grace and the comfort of peace.  “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”  Blessed are you, people of God.  Amen.