Beauty surrounds us, but we usually need to be walking in a garden to know it - Rumi
There is so much trouble in the world today. The unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The destruction of the infrastructure of that country and the pain and suffering of its people. The despair of those displaced by that war. The effect on the other countries in Europe. The increasing cost of living here. And, of course, the Covid pandemic has still not gone away. People are still suffering from its effects. Where is God in all this? Is there any good news?
Well, yes there is. Today’s readings all point to the Good News that God loves unconditionally, those who believe and follow Him. The very familiar Psalm 23 tells of God’s comfort for those who believe: ‘The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ And St Peter’s raising of the Greek lady Tabitha indicates that God’s love is not confined to one nation but is freely offered to all who believe. In the Gospel reading Jesus sets out that message clearly. In fact He makes three points: Firstly, Yes, He is the long awaited Messiah the prophets had predicted would come. The Messiah to lead them, God’s covenant people, to their rightful place as leaders of God’s Kingdom here on earth. Secondly, He stresses the need for those who wish to be His followers to believe that. And that is the key, Belief. And lastly, He sets out very clearly God’s promises to those who believe. In setting the scene of the Gospel passage, the Evangelist tells us that on that winter’s day, as ever, people gathered round him, eager to hear Him speak, or perform a miracle. The crowd included, of course some Pharisees and scribes. They asked him “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Now, some of the crowd may have asked out of curiosity, but others asked to trap Jesus into saying or doing something that they could use against Him. They all knew from their Scriptures that a Messiah was coming but was this the man? Certainly he seemed to have miraculous healing powers. They had seen the sick healed, the lame made to walk and the blind to see. And as a good Rabbi, or Teacher, he certainly knew the Law and the prophets. There were a few problems, of course. For example, he did not always conform to their traditions and their interpretation of the Law. (By now the Ten Commandments had been amended, expanded and reinterpreted over the years.) If he was the Messiah surely he would conform to the Law in every respect, as every good Pharisee must. And he did have some rather harsh things to say about the Jewish establishment. Jesus exasperated answer was, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe.” In other words, “Look, you have seen the sick healed, the blind made to see, and the lame to walk. You have heard me speaking. Is that not sufficient to prove who I am?” The Jews, in common with many people today, I suggest, were trying to reason out if Jesus was the Messiah or not. But human reason will only take one so far. Belief, faith or trust,( they have the same Greek root pistis) go one step further, they cannot be defined by human logic. St. John Henry Newman once wrote: ‘Faith is a gift of God; we obtain it by prayer, we cannot gain it at once, but we can gain it at last.’ Reason precedes faith but does not, and cannot explain it. To prove His claim to be the Messiah Jesus uses the analogy of a shepherd with his flock of sheep; something with which his audience would have been familiar. Here he points back to the good shepherd discourse described earlier in St John’ Gospel, but at the same time evokes the memory of David who was both a shepherd and a king. David whom they knew was the ancestor of the Messiah. However, “Because you don’t believe, you are not of my flock”, he says. “Those who do believe are my sheep. They hear my voice. I know them and they follow me.” Now, and here is the Good News, He goes on to set out God’s promise to those who believe. And since we are of His flock in that we believe, what God promises to us. But first of all, we need to remember that Jesus never promised that we will be saved from sorrow, suffering or mortal death. Jesus never promised that the road through life would be smooth, nor death easy. There will always be ups and downs, peaks and troughs, joy and sadness. Sometimes at one moment great joy and the next bitter sadness. What He does say, however, is that He knows His sheep. He knows each of us by name. He knows what we need and what is best for us. He knows each of us by name. He knows what we need and what is best for us. Then, He promises us eternal life; a life that will know no end. Death for those who believe, He says, will be not be the end but the beginning of a whole new and glorious chapter. Life in the presence of God. That may seem rather tenuous, something way off in the future. But eternal life does not begin in the future; God’s gift of life is already present in each of us. And lastly, He promises; ‘No one will snatch them out of my hand.’ Here He is echoing God’s promise to the Israelites about to enter the Promised Land: ‘It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’ Deuteronomy 31:8. If his listeners needed further proof of His claim to be the Messiah, He ends by stating quite clearly: “The Father and I are one.” So, Jesus is the Messiah, He loves us unconditionally and wants what is best for us. It may not seem like that at times but we can trust Him. That means that at the sorest moment and the darkest hour we can still be conscious of the everlasting arms of God, beneath and around us. Even in those times we will know the serenity of God. This week, then let us take comfort in God’s glorious promises and give thanks for all His gifts to us. This week, too, perhaps we can pray especially for those who, for whatever reason, may feel lost and without the protection of the shepherd they once knew. Let us also remember those who are searching for a flock in which to make their home. Amen Readings: John 10:22-30. Psalm 23, Acts 9:36-43.
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AuthorI am an Authorised Local Preacher in an Anglo Catholic parish church, in the Diocese of Essex UK Archives
February 2022
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