Virtual Worship @ 9:30am, April 25th -
Rev. Rebecca Migliore, preaching - Lectionary is (John 10:11–18)
In a similar way to Psalm 23, John 10:11–18 is a passage whose familiar, comforting message exists in some tension with its context. Echoing Peter’s experience in Acts 3–4, John 9–10 recounts Jesus’ healing of a blind man followed by a contentious discussion with religious leaders in which Jesus employs metaphors of sheep and sheep-tending to attempt to reveal himself to the entrenched leaders.
A good shepherd’s love for the sheep bears the same qualities as those described in the 1 John 3: sacrificial, bold, power-filled. Furthermore, this shepherd is not the shepherd only of these sheep. One flock, one shepherd (v. 16): other sheep, ultimately all sheep, belong to this shepherd.
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