INSIDE THE GATE

May 7, 2017

Easter 3

John 10:1-10

Acts 2:42-47

(prayer)

If we think about the "Exodus" story from the Old Testament (cf. Charlton Heston in the movie, The Ten Commandments), we can see that (having left behind centuries of slavery in Egypt), when the Israelite people crossed the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, they did so as an identifiable nation of people.

Their tradition was that Canaan was a legitimate ancestral home because it was Jacob's family that had made the move from Canaan to Egypt all those years ago.  The Israelites of the Exodus were the descendants of that one extended family... they identified  (literally) as People of Jacob.

Although Jacob's brood was large in Canaan, they were not a "nation"; they were a family.  The land which Jacob lived on was a family farm and estate, not a "country". 

During the drought that initially led them to Egypt, they left their land.  When they chose not to return and re-settle in Egypt, Jacob's Canaan land could really only be described as abandoned.  No one from that family laid claim to it for centuries.

To say this another way: when the Israelites of the Exodus entered Canaan, they were not "going home", but seeking a new home.  They were a collection of migrants seeking new homes... more than they were a nation establishing a country.

It was their identity as a Jacob's descendants, their faith in Jacob's God, that bound them together, not borders one could draw on a map.

They were bound by attitude not latitude.  Attitude Not Latitude.

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A further example of this is that when the Israelites took up residence in Canaan, they did not set up a central government to manage the affairs of the nation.  instead, they were governed by the Torah - a Law of God that they had practiced during their years of slavery and had further developed during the 40 year journey between Egypt and Canaan... law made manifest (in part) by the Ten Commandments.

Early Israel had no governors nor kings.  God was their sovereign. 

The Torah/Law was their guide for how a just and faithful society would/should/could function.

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About seven weeks after the passover (during which Jesus was risen from the tomb), the disciples gained a special confidence through a unique experience of spirit-led unity. 

We will talk more about that four weeks from today when the Day of Pentecost comes. 

What I will say today is, on Pentecost:

-where people came from didn't matter...

-the language they spoke did not limit them...

-whether they had known Jesus in the flesh or not didn't exclude them...

-the criticism of the cynics did not dissuade them...

Many, many people were filled by holy presence and it opened their hearts, minds and souls.

To sum up the impact... less than two months after the followers of Jesus had their hearts-of-faith ripped out of their chests as their Lord was hung out to die as a traitor of the empire, now they were publicly praising God and seeing to the goodwill of everyone.

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As we heard from Acts, the nature of the growing post-pentecost community (which Peter and the others established in Jerusalem) was defined by four basic activities:

·         shared learning,

·         shared fellowship,

·         shared meals,

·         shared prayers.

Whether the early Christians were out in public places (like the temple) or in the privacy of their homes, these community-minded attitudes dominated.

People willingly offered themselves (and all that they knew and held) for the benefit of the whole.

The followers of Jesus believed that they were more together than any of them could be on their own.

Together, they shared insights into faith.  Together, they laughed and cried.  People supported others... and were held up when they were in need.  No one went hungry or was forced to eat alone.  All of this was in the context of communing with God in worship and prayer.

Even more amazing... this was possible with a group that numbered more than 3000 at this point... and increasing!

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

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The gospel of John offers us a third example of this.  This example is metaphoric rather than literal but it points to the same kind of community known by the Hebrew migrants in Canaan and known the faith seeking Christians in Jerusalem.

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The fourth gospel presents several metaphors to help the early church of the late first century understand who the Risen Christ was for them.

John's literary style is to present these images in the form of "I Am" statements of Jesus.  Some of these are quite well known and quoted often in church circles:  I Am the bread of life; I Am the Light of the world; I Am the true vine; I Am the resurrection and the life.  If we had read one more verse in John 10, we would have heard Jesus say another one of the familiar phrases... I Am the good shepherd.

But, one of the less-quoted I Am phrases was in the ten verses we heard from John this morning: Jesus said  I Am the gate.

The scene that the gospel writer wants you to picture in your head as you hear Jesus talking is that of a sheep pen.  The flock is safely protected in a space that the good shepherd has prepared.  When they move beyond this sanctuary, they will do so under the caring guidance of the shepherd who - through past experiences - they have learned to trust.

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I think that John presents this metaphor and expects us to see it from two perspectives.  Certainly, 2000 years of preaching on this passage has tended to go in one of these directions.

1.    The sheep pen is our ultimate destination... or

2.    We are destined to move beyond the pen.

Either, we have found our eternal home in the pen and we need to protect that state of being... or ...the is our place of respite, where we can know that we are held in safety, but that we will leave the pen at times.

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In the first instance, Jesus is the conduit to the contained environment that is eternal life.  This is traditional Christian salvation theology... to gain entrance into the heavenly pen you've got to get by Jesus first.  This theology also finds support in other parts of the Gospel of John:

John 3:17 God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 14:6 ‘I Am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The first perspective Jesus being the gate for the sheep is that the gate swings inwards.  The goal is to gain entrance into the pen.

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And then there the other perspective, where the gate still allows for entry, but also swings outward, where the path out into the world is foraged by the good shepherd.  For Jesus' audience, the reality behind the metaphor would have leaned toward this second perspective. 

The first century experience was that most of a flock's time would be spent beyond the pen... nomadically existing in the hills, on pastures and fields, by still waters.  In fact, the confining atmosphere of a sheep pen would be the exception rather than the rule: perhaps because some special care was needed to be offered to part of the flock, or there was some danger to a spread out flock that could be avoided by heading back to the pen.  But when the opportunity to leave the pen arose, it would be taken.

The theology of the second perspective in John 10, is that while we do (from time to rime) seek refuge within our close communities of faith, but that we also venture beyond these sanctuaries trusting that our Christ is a good shepherd beyond the pen as well.

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Both perspectives can be true.

But more so, I would say that ignoring the second perspective sells us short as a people of faith... especially in the context of the example of the Acts 2 community.

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As this congregation is fond 9f saying.  It is more than Welcoming In... there is Reaching Out as well.

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Peter and the early Christians in Acts, did not isolate themselves.  Their life out in the wider world was part of their sharing attitude.  Even John chapter ten recognizes this:

John 10:16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Acts 2:47 says it this way:

 Day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

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Let me make my point this way...

If the ultimate promise of faith is a safe, eternal existence in a heavenly sheep pen, let's admit that that is not now.  But... that we (like ancient Israelites and early Christians) are be engaged with our world, not set apart from it.

And so...

Enjoy the sanctuary of the pen, when we are inside the gate where we are welcomed and greeted by the good shepherd.

But also, know that as we venture out into the wider pastures (that are also part of God's good work) that we do not leave the essence of the pen behind... The Lord is our shepherd, we have all that we need.  Goodness and mercy journeys with us everywhere we go, every moment of every day.

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Let us pray:

Holy One, you are at the heart of all that we are and all that we can accomplish.  Bless and keep us in your love united.   Amen.

***offering***