Jesus sure liked his farming metaphors….this morning we’ve got sheep and shepherds and fields and harvesters.
And the question is always…who’s who? Who are the sheep? Who is the shepherd? What is the harvest and who are the laborers?
Well….the first one is easy…the crowds were the harassed and helpless sheep…it says so right in the text. Now the thing we all need to remember about sheep is…that they are pretty much toast without a shepherd. They need someone to protect them from the predators…the wolves and mountain lions…as well as the natural elements…floods and snow and the like. They need someone to show them the way to food and water… and to find a place of safety for them and help the injured and lost. Without help, they don’t survive. They are vulnerable. And it seems that the crowds who sought Jesus out were that pathetic.They desperately needed a shepherd. They needed someone to care for them. They were, in Jesus’ estimation, harassed and helpless..and would not make it on their own. .
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So in other words…these crowds were made up of people who couldn’t do the right thing to save their own lives. Without someone to help them out, they’d starve or let themselves be taken advantage of or get eaten up by greedy wolves. They’d get lost and never figure out where they were supposed to be or what they were supposed to do. They were so needy. Really, they were the losers in life, And Jesus….Jesus is the shepherd who has compassion on them.
Now I ask you.. how many of us would see ourselves in that group? How many of us would like to place ourselves among of that needy crowd? We aren’t that bad off, right? We can take care of ourselves. We don’t need help. We aren’t THAT pathetic, surely…we aren’t like THOSE people….are we?
But here’s the reality…the only people who actually follow Jesus, are THOSE people…the ones who realize they need him. The ones who think they are doing just fine on their own…they’re home, at work, at the pub, at the market. They’re not sitting at the feet of this 30 something itinerant teacher. It’s the needy ones who come. It’s the ones who need compassion that seek Jesus out. The ones who are desperate for grace. Who seek healing of heart and mind and body. It’s the ones who keep making the same mistakes and can’t figure out what they are supposed to do…who crowd around him..
So if we’re here…if we’re followers of Jesus…then that’s who we are, people. So there can be no more illusions of self-sufficiency or independence. Martin Luther’s last words were “We are beggars all”. Not an idea that appeals to those of us who fancy ourselves a little more “together” than that. But that’s the reality, nonetheless… ALL of us are beggars, needy and desperate. There is no one “better than” or “more deserving” than others among us. We’re the crowd. Who need compassion. Who need grace and healing. Of heart and mind and body. And who keep making the same dumb mistakes. We are the helpless. And until we own that…we can’t receive the help we need. Until we realize we need Jesus, the good shepherd…and listen for his voice through every day of our lives…we will stumble along. Arrogant and blind to what God is doing in the world all around us. Clueless and unaware of the abundant grace that gives us life.
So…that metaphor is cleared up…we’re the sheep…Jesus is the shepherd.
But what about the abundant harvest and the desperate need for laborers?
Well…the laborers seem to be the disciples Jesus is sending out…the twelve needy folks who have securely attached themselves to him…from all walks of life. So, in Jesus’ way of doing things, the sheep become the laborers, it seems. When they are under the shepherd’s care, when they receive Jesus’ grace, they are sent out to work in the fields….and it doesn’t matter who they are or what their background is. I love the list of disciples we have here…particularly because two who get their own descriptions are Matthew “the Tax collector” and Simon “the Cananaean”. It pays to unpack those monikers a little in our politically charged climate. Matthew was a tax collector… and what that meant is that he worked with the Roman government…he was a collaborator. Simon, however, was a Cananaean…another term for a Zealot. They were the folks who wanted to overthrow Rome by force. Politically, these two could not be more different. But it turns out, they are both pathetic sheep. They both need Jesus. And they are both sent to be laborers in the field. So, this work…it has nothing to do with your political leanings. And then, the other disciple who gets a description is Judas…who betrayed Jesus. Judas needed Jesus, too, it seems…even though he mucked it up royally. And Jesus still included him. Still cared for him. Still sent him out. It seems that anyone can work in God’s fields…. And just what are they supposed to do? Well, Jesus is very specific about that, actually.
Jesus sends them out to cure the sick and raise the dead and cleanse the lepers and cast out demons.
That’s the job description. For the sheep. For the ones who follow Jesus. For us.
It sounds a bit daunting. But one thing is clear….we are sent out to care for those in need. Not to judge people. Not to scold people. Now…we are sent out to do what Jesus has done for us…to show compassion on people who don’t deserve it…who make the same stupid mistakes…and who sometimes will betray us. There is so much hurt in this world…so much suffering…so much pain…so much need. Our job is not to add to it. It is to seek healing in this world for others…of heart, mind, and body. The harvest is plentiful….the work to be done is vast.
We are beggars, who have received so much in our lives…grace upon grace….it is then up to us, who have received….to give. And this…just this… is the kingdom of God. When love and compassion are lived out for those who don’t deserve it…God’s kingdom is near. When we give, without expecting a return….when we love others with the love that God pours into our hearts…God’s kingdom is near. I love when Jesus says “You have the authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, to cure every disease and every sickness.” We shake our heads and say…no we don’t. I couldn’t cure my mom. I can’t fix everybody who is sick or mentally ill or addicted. Not even the best trained docs can do that. And true…we don’t have a magic wand. But what we do have is the promise of God and God’s grace that meets them where they are and we have God’s word and bond that nothing can separate them from the love of God. What we do have is the ability to love people…broken people…hurting people. What we do have is the authority to have compassion on people when they are harassed and helpless. What we have is the capacity to be kind. We can’t just hold up our hands and say “that’s out of my pay grade”….we have been given the authority to make a difference in this world. We are beggars…we don’t have much to offer….but we have been entrusted with the depths of God’s grace which are unfathomable. And so we act. We are sent . And in Christ, our little becomes more than enough.
Jesus liked farming metaphors…and another he used was about the kingdom of God that was like a seed….so small….but in God’s care, it became more that we could imagine. A haven … a home…a safe place for the birds. That’s our job. That’s the work. Small acts of kindness and compassion and grace…that make a safe place…a haven…a home for God’s beloved children…whoever they may be. Amen.
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