The Gatekeeper, and The Good Shepherd

Next, Jesus finds a man, who was born blind. Now, there was a common belief, that everything that happens to someone is from God. Bad stuff happens, God is mad at you. Good stuff happens, God is pleased with you. So, the disciples ask: Is God mad at this man for something he did? (Which is hard to understand, because whatever it was happened before he was born.) Or, is God mad at the man’s parents? (Which doesn’t seem fair, punishing the man for something the parents did.)

Jesus says: Neither. Rather it was so God’s glory could be seen.

So, Jesus heals the man’s eyes; and he again made the “mistake” of healing on the Sabbath. After a big fight between the Pharisees, and the former blind man, he gives his allegiance to Jesus.

And Jesus proclaims: I cam into the world to give sight to the (spiritually) blind. And to demonstrate to one’s who think they (spiritually) see, that they really don’t get it.

And, of course, some Pharisees, who know the system — and, therefore, “truly,” and “fully,” understand God’s heart, and God’s desire — were listening. And they asked Jesus: You mean us?

So, Jesus began comparing his family with a flock of sheep. Sheep were kept in a fenced area, of sheepfold. There is a gate. The gate is the correct, and proper way for the sheep, and the shepherd, to enter, and exit, the sheepfold.

Thieves don’t come through the gate. Shepherds come through the gate. The shepherd knows his sheep personally. The sheep know the shepherd personally.

The sheepfold becomes a metaphor of God’s family, and God’s kingdom. Sin means there is no legitimate way into God’s family, that we can provide for ourselves. We need someone to open the gate for us. We come to the gate. The gatekeeper knows us. He calls us. And he opens the gate for us.

But the sheep are not just in the sheepfold. They go out to pasture. God’s people are not just in god’s family. They go out into the world. But they don’t go alone. The shepherd goes with them. He goes into the sheepfold, calls his sheep, and brings them out. He finds the best grass for them. He finds abundant water. He protects them from predators, and thieves.

(NOTE: We all know people who have suffered. They have been beaten, and stolen from. This short paragraph can, by no means, respond to the question: Why does bad stuff happen? The factors are too numerous, The connections are too complex. Like all people, I would love a 10-word sentence, that would fully, and completely, explain evil. I don’t think that is possible though. I do think that God’s heart is for abundance, peace, and rest for his people. Peace, and rest, usually means no thieves, or predators.)

It is the presence, and the active involvement, of the shepherd, that leads to the abundance, and rest, of the sheep. And the sheep need to keep contact with, and connected to, the shepherd. They will have no rest, or provision, if they wander away.

Like the shepherd, who puts his life on the line to protect the sheep, Jesus gave his life, so the sheep are granted access to the sheepfold. So, mankind can be included in his family, as they give him allegiance. Without Jesus choosing to lay down his life, we have nothing.