For the first three Sundays of Easter the gospels have been about Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to his disciples. Here is a short recap. On Easter Sunday, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and she thought he was the gardener; on Apr.16th we heard the story of Jesus first appearance to his disciples, minus Thomas, then to Thomas a week later, and; last week it was the story of Jesus appearing to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. All of the gospels report on events of Easter Sunday or a week later.

The gospel for April 30th (John 10:1-10) reverts to a time before Jesus’ death and resurrection. It takes place just after Jesus had cured the man born blind and the Pharisees doubted that he had been blind. We can read this morning’s gospel as a commentary on the Easter gospels of the preceding weeks, or, in the context of that encounter with the Pharisees. Either way, it is fraught with ambiguity. Here it is in its entirety:

Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’

Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So again Jesus said to them, ‘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. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

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The people who chose the readings for this Sunday may have wanted to reference the fact that Mary Magdalene did not recognize Jesus until he called her by name. They might have been recalling this passage from Easter Sunday:

She turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). (John 20:14-16)

This morning’s gospel says, the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ It was Jesus’ voice, particularly the way he said her name, that Mary recognized. In this sense, this morning’s gospel was prophetic. 

On the other hand, the disciples on the road to Emmaus walked and talked with Jesus but did not recognize him by his voice as they engaged him in conversation. While Jesus was the outsider in this group of three he seems to have taken over the conversation… beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures … (Luke 24:27). It was not until he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him;(Luke 24:30-31) There was a ‘signature’ quality to his words that identified him uniquely. But they did not recognize him by his voice.

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Jesus used the extended metaphor about sheep, gates, gatekeepers and the voice of the shepherd to explain a complex relationship with him but they did not understand what he was saying to them. Jesus’ primary audience for this parable… they… are never defined. It could have been the Pharisees of the preceding chapter or it might have been his disciples. Whoever they were, they were not the only ones who struggled to interpret who Jesus was in this gospel. Many have wrestled with interpreting the multiple symbols for Jesus: shepherd? gate? gatekeeper? 

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In the final two verses Jesus explained: 

I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

We understand these two verses to mean that Jesus is ‘the way’ to an abundant life. 

But even here there is ambiguity. Purveyors of the ‘prosperity gospel’ have used this as a passage to justify accretion of material wealth as a sign of Jesus’ favour. They take the phrase as an endorsement of not only abundance but excess, arguing that this surfeit is what Jesus wanted for them.

Others see it as a promise of rewards in the afterlife. They look at other verses in scripture, such as: you always have the poor with you (Matt 26:11) and Blessed are the poor, (Luke 6 ) and see a strong indication that poverty will persist in this world even among those who are blessed. They argue that the only way poverty is consistent with Jesus’ promise of abundance is that poverty during earthly life will be followed by abundance in the afterlife.  

Another group believes that the ‘abundant life’ is different from material wealth. It refers to a sense of well-being, living in alignment with God’s wishes, sharing our abundant blessings of peace, security, food, clean water, health systems, warmth in winter, that we enjoy. In fact it involves simplicity. The abundant life is lived in the present.

Our Quaker brethren look at simplicity and the abundant life this way. 

  • Valuing the spirit over material objects.
  • Using financial and natural resources carefully.
  • Making use of public services such as transit, libraries, museums, nature centers and historic sites.
  • Celebrating acts of kindness and generosity 
  • Keeping popular culture in perspective to avoid distraction from what is truly important.
  • Attuning ourselves to the wonders of nature and a sense of competence through hands-on crafts.
  • Keeping life simple so people are free to live in harmony and alignment with the soul's purpose.

For many, the abundant life arises from an alignment with the way they observed how Jesus lived: simply and in communal relationship, with a focus on love and the wishes of the Father.

(The interpretations of the abundant life, sketched above, are only outlines. There are many more nuanced discussions of the definition and its implications. It remains, for us, a subject of discernment.)

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  • Create a parallel metaphor using a pet dog or cat instead of sheep to make sense of Jesus’ story.  
  • What is it about Jesus’ life that authenticates his ‘voice’ for you? Is it his teaching? His miracles? The stories of his resurrection? His life among the fishers, prostitutes, beggars and possessed?  (If you imagine Jesus’ voice, is it resonant? Melodic? Rhythmic?)
  • What is the abundant life for you? How do you go about achieving it? Where does God fit in the definition?

Peace
Michael