The gospel from John is about sheep and shepherds, hired hands, and wolves. The reference to wolves reminded me of a phrase that goes, “Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.” That also got me to thinking about Little Red Riding Hood, parts of which I couldn’t remember so I looked it up on Google, and was reminded that the wolf eats both the Grandma and Little Red Riding Hood. That’s the way the story ends on Google. But I seem to remember that another version has the woodsman rushing in to subdue the wolf in some way, slit open his stomach, and out jumps Grandma and Little Red Riding Hood. I wonder if the woodsman and the Good Shepherd might be compared? Seems pretty violent, frankly, when you really look at it, and actually the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, so unless the woodsman somehow trades his life for Grandma and Little Red Riding Hood, that’s where the comparison would seemingly end. I suppose both the woodsman and the Good Shepherd saved the day in their own particular way. “Onward Christian Soldiers” comes to my mind with the Good Shepherd leading us into battle against all the wolves that would snatch us and scatter us. What a stirring, martial hymn that is! It recalls for me some wonderful parades in the late 40s and early 50s in Elizabeth, New Jersey, with lots of soldiers marching and jeeps beeping and we’d decorate our bicycles with red, white and blue crepe paper, and there were lots of guns and Army, Navy, and Marine Corps music. I was an acolyte back then and could have fantasized taking the cross and jumping into that parade to lead all those Christian soldiers. I don’t think I was particularly aware of Jewish soldiers or soldiers of any other religion for that matter, but I suspect I would have given them a dispensation ignorant as I was as to how Jews had suffered at the hands of Christians. Fifty years later there is a different image that comes to my mind which is the battle scene in the Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve forgotten exactly where Aslan is at this point, but remember it was a clear-cut conflict between the good guys and the bad guys. Yea for the good guys, Aslan’s team! That’s the side I want to be on! I didn’t like that creepy queen. Earlier there were wolves in her castle that she sent to gobble up Lucy and the others, much like the wolf who gobbled up Grandma and Little Red Riding Hood. It was scary, but I seem to recall thinking that Aslan, the lion, like the woodcutter, would somehow save the day, just like the Good Shepherd although Aslan lays down his life and the Good Shepherd lays down his life but the woodcutter doesn’t. Would the woodcutter have done that for Grandma and Little Red Riding Hood? I don’t know. Maybe if he had loved Grandma and Little Red Riding Hood he would have. Aslan does, but I don’t remember why. The Good Shepherd does, but it seems to me that that’s a little extravagant for a bunch of dumb sheep. Maybe somebody would be tempted to call this story the one about the dumb shepherd. Of course I’m not a sheepherder, but it seems to me that dying for the sheep isn’t a particularly good stewardship of your resources. But if the wolf is really Satan, then we have a whole different twist. If the wolf is just about to eat me up I’m going to recite the Lord’s Prayer with unbelievable fervency, “Deliver us from evil.” But where is that Good Shepherd? And if I cry out to him will he know my voice, will he know me? The Bible says “yes.” Phew! That’s a relief—or is it? Can I hedge my bets? Do I have the luxury of hedging my bets? Most of the time I’m pretty wary about someone else knowing who I am. I don’t mind the priest part or the rector part, and I don’t mind anyone knowing what my school records were or even my hobbies. But what about the secrets? What about things I’m not so proud of or have some guilt around? Would I be willing to entrust that information to someone else? And yet my safekeeping, if this story in the Bible is correct, depends upon the good Shepherd knowing me. But if the Good Shepherd is Jesus, doesn’t Jesus automatically know who I am? Doesn’t God automatically know who I am? Well, theoretically, yes. Somewhere in the Bible it also says that even before I was born God knew me. That’s a scary thought! All those blips on the screen God knew long before they even became blips on the screen. But then there are two parts of the equation: The Good Shepherd knows me, but I’m supposed to know the Good Shepherd. And how can I know him unless I’m honest with him? How can I know him unless I’m willing to take the risk of relationship? Otherwise I’m just sheep #643, good enough for lamb stew but not much more. I think I’d rather be Ned, and I think I’d rather he be Jesus, and that we really know each other.
