Jesus often left his audience—including his inner circle of followers—confused about what he was saying. It’s not that Jesus was unclear, of course. He knew the truth of God. But often he deliberately spoke in cryptic language, leaving his hearers scratching their heads about what he meant. That was the case in the John 10:1-10 text, as verse 6 shows: “This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which he had been saying to them.”Pastor Janell preached that as we move further into the Easter season the Bible moves away from resurrection stories andinto how to believe and live into Christs's teachings, And this comes to our rather non-intuitive Gospel today. Can someone follow and have faith in someone they don't understand? This might even be at the heart of this Gospel text. The sheep do not understand the content of what the shepherd is telling them but, according to Jesus, they do recognize the quality of his voice.
In this pandemic time there is something about this Gospel that offers a perspective I have not considered until now. Some people currently hear the voice of Jesus calling them to gather each Sunday in their churches. Others hear Jesus' voice telling them to stay at home out of love for others.
We often feel the holy catholic church must speak with one voice and agree on what Christ is truly telling us. We don't pay attention to or remember our sheep nature. We don't remember that we often follow Jesus in different ways. We do follow the sound of his voice rather than how we interpret his words. What we truly follow is what we love most about the one who guides us.
I have thought about this for most of the week. Today, as I write this, it is Trump's National Prayer Day. At one point Paula White prayed on the White House lawn, "I declare divine intervention and supernatural turnaround. You will restore this land according to Psalm 118:25, save our nation, oh Lord, and send prosperity now. For Deuteronomy 28:8 says, “Command your blessing upon this land.” You said in Deuteronomy 8:9 to bring us into good land without any lack. For your word declares in Psalm 33:2, “Blessed is the nation whose God is Lord.” So I declare to you right now to be Lord over this nation, over the United States of America, and re-receive your blessing over any plague, over any economic distress. You will stay the hand of the enemy according to your word,"
This is not a prayer with language that naturally comes from my faith tradition. I don't recognize the God that would listen to this declaration as a prayer but today I am thinking of another passage from John 14 :1 "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me".
I cannot claim to know the attributes of God that others might see. I can only testify to and follow the God and Christ I love and hold in my heart. For me, as we give thanks for our blessings and pray for our own needs, we should be conscious of others who need our faith and prayers, and we must help the Lord answer prayers. We make prayers for relieving the pandemic of the world, not just America.
Rather than declaring divine intervention and supernatural turnaround our church prays for God to bless the poor, the sick, and the needy, and to comfort those who mourn. We follow our words with our deeds when we are at our best and are actively engaged in serving our fellowmen and ministering to their needs. We are the ones through whom the Lord accomplishes his purposes, and when we are blessed, we can, in turn, bless others.
Yet, as I pray, there is a growing revelation that I have placed great importance on what is being prayed rather than understanding how the words they use reflect the person saying the prayer. What they need, how they fear, and how they hear Jesus' voice in their own lives.
And therefore I also pray to continue to remember my sheep nature and the sheep nature of others.
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