Loving God, we look to you for all that is needed, and seek the abundant life that only comes from you.  Lead us into your life and your salvation this day, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            This is not a reading that we normally hear on Ash Wednesday.  In the Narrative Lectionary, which moves chronologically, this is a follow-up to the story that we heard on Sunday about the man who was born blind.  It would seem that Jesus is still speaking to a group of Pharisees who can’t seem to grasp who Jesus really is.  And so, Jesus uses the closest thing we have to a parable in the gospel of John in order to help them to see.

         He speaks to them about sheep and shepherds, thieves and bandits.  However, they still don’t understand what he is saying to them.  Then he expands on the sheep metaphor and tells them, “I am the gate for the sheep,” and “I am the good shepherd” (Jn. 10:7, 11). Jesus also points ahead to the cross, as “the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

         You may have noticed in today’s gospel that, all the way through, Jesus stands in contrast to those who are thieves and bandits.  While Jesus comes to give abundant life, there are thieves who come “only to steal and kill and destroy” (Jn. 10:10).  I will leave it to you to identify any world leaders who might fit the description.  Yet, there are other thieves who can be identified, both in the history of Israel, and today.

         One of the things that Jesus’ hearers would definitely have known is that the prophets sometimes spoke about Israel’s bad shepherds or false shepherds.  These were kings and leaders who fed themselves rather than feeding the sheep, and who allowed their people to become a prey for others (Ezek. 34:1-10).  By contrast, God is portrayed as Israel’s true shepherd, who would actually feed and care for the sheep (Ezek. 34:11-16).  For those who actually paused to think about what Jesus was saying, he was giving them plenty of insight into his true identity.

         For us, too, when we pause to think about what Jesus was saying, we not only see who Jesus is and what he is willing to do for us, but we also get a sense of the things that can draw us away from Jesus.  Are there competing voices that we hear, that maybe even claim to speak for God, but that only serve to draw us away from Jesus?  Are there things that threaten to steal the abundant life that Jesus brings?  Are there “hired hands” whom we have trusted, but who simply run away when we are in danger?

         There are plenty of things, it would seem, that can rob us of abundant life these days.  Levels of stress and anxiety are high.  Uncertainty seems to be the order of the day.  We are more aware than ever of threats to peace both in our world and in our country.  It is more important than ever for us to focus on the one who is the way and the truth and the life.

         Surely this is the gate that John describes, as Jesus not only shows the way, but is the way.  Those who enter through Jesus find salvation, God’s shalom, and eternal life.  While there will continue to be things in this world that can rob us of the abundant life that Jesus brings, we are reminded today that Jesus not only cares for us and guides us, but willingly lays down his life for us.

         Today we receive an ashen cross that reminds us of the truth of our own mortality.  However, there is another truth hidden behind that cross that stems from our baptism into Christ.  It is the truth that was spoken at our baptism: “Child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.”  Truly, we are dust, and to dust we shall return.  This is why Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has laid down his life – that we, too, might receive salvation through him.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Ash Wednesday (NL 4)                              John 10:1-18

March 2, 2022

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2022 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved