Do you get frustrated like I do with having to remember so many numbers. What’s your mobile phone number? What’s your customer number? What’s your PIN number? What’s your licence number? What’s your medicare number? And with so many scams these days even with your Password protecting your bank and other accounts they have what’s called “2 step verification”. What that means is after you’ve put in your account number and password you get a text message with a separate number you need to enter as a 2nd password. Gone are the days when your name was your identity. When your name was trusted.
Names are important. God’s name was given to Moses as his protection against Pharoah. Jesus was given the name that is above all names that at the NAME of Jesus every knee would bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Not at his NUMBER. In fact in the Book of Revelation warns about the Beast who would be identified by his NUMBER – 666. How comforting to know that as Christians we are not numbers to God but baptized into the name of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s interesting to compare that with our pets that we call them by name – we assign them a name.. It’s only humans that are being reduced to numbers and those numbers become very impersonal.
We constantly hear how our population number is getting too big as our population number edges towards 8 billion. We devalue the importance of human beings by referring to humanity in number tolls. We have to reduce our population because of climate change and overuse of resources – but isn’t every person a child of God? We have to get the road toll down to an acceptable number. Even if we get it down to ONE – that’s ONE too many especially if it’s your loved one.
God’s relationship with us is personal. We are brought into God’s family through our Baptism. And as a result, our relationship with one another is described as family – brothers and sisters in Christ. And we see an example of how that looks in our first reading from Acts: 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.
And what we discover through this is that this is the secret of mission. This is the secret of church growth. There is no point going out into the world and inviting others to become part of a fractured family that doesn’t get along. A family that argues with each other and puts one another down.
No – we see how this family of disciples through their “family love” drew people into their family as day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. Did you hear that – THE LORD added to their number. They didn’t add to their number; the LORD added to their number. It wasn’t a program or worship style – they broke bread – they prayed – they shared. In fact Jesus revealed that very same secret to his disciples before he was put to death: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. Again, did you hear that “By this” – by loving one another – everyone will know you are my disciples.
Jesus calls us into a very special relationship with himself as our Good Shepherd which is a very protective relationship against those who seek to do us harm. He is quite specific about the harm these “false shepherds” intend calling them a thief and a bandit with the intention to steal and kill and destroy. On the other hand, Jesus calls us to have life, and have it abundantly. We get an image in our Psalm of that abundant life: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters. He revives my soul and guides me along right pathways for his Name’s sake. Did you hear that – for his NAME’S sake.
It doesn’t mean our life is without difficulty as Christians. No, our Psalm speaks about the valley of the shadow of death but in those time we won’t be afraid because our Good Shepherd will be with us. And sometimes our Good Shepherd disciplines us when we go off track – his rod and his staff – they comfort us. A rod and staff were used for correction to lead back to safety. Much like a lead on a dog can be uncomfortable when used to disciple a dog that wanders toward the road and you have to yank them back. Sometimes our Good Shepherd prunes which can be harsh but produces new and lush fruit. In fact, St Peter says similar about those times:
It is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
As our Good Shepherd, Jesus is leading us forward to the place he knows we need to be. Sometimes that requires a lot of faith and trust and sometimes a harsh rebuke when we wander away like Peter did – get back behind me Satan. Peter wanted to lead the way which was not the way Jesus spoke of and was told to fall back in line behind the shepherd. And that’s because he is protecting us from the things that lay ahead.
They have to go through him – much like a hero in a movie protecting his loved one who stands in the way and says “you have to go through me first”. Or even more appropriate – over “my dead body” – which is exactly what Jesus has done to protect us. He has placed his crucified and risen body in front of us to protect us: He says – “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.
As our gate he is both the one through whom we enter our eternal rest and the one through whom the enemy must go to get to us – who only want to kill, steal and destroy – but they can’t. Because Jesus has defeated them and won the battle for us. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. You are not a number – you are a child of God for whom Christ has died.
So may the peace of God that surpasses our understanding watch over you now and forever. Amen
