Shepherded
2 "The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice."
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:2-4,7-10)
One Sabbath day, Jesus gave sight to a man who had been born blind. Because the man had been blind from birth, the disciples asked if his blindness was caused by the man's own sin or the sin of his parents (at that time, all disability was considered to be the result of, or punishment for, sin). Jesus answered that the man's blindness was not the result of the sin of the man or his parents but "so that the works of God might be displayed in him", John 9:3. Jesus then healed the man by placing mud on his eyes and sending him to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. So, the unnamed blind man knew only the voice and the name of the one who healed him.
The Pharisees were responsible for certifying any claims of healing with the intended purpose of restoring people to their family and faith community. As they questioned the formerly blind man, some Pharisees commented that Jesus could not be "from God" because he had done this on the Sabbath. When the formerly blind man boldly defended Jesus, the Pharisees threw him out of the temple.
It was in this context that Jesus spoke to the healed man, who had just been cast out of his faith community, and to the Pharisees who were with him, and had rejected both the healed man and the Healer. Jesus encouraged the healed man who proclaimed his faith in Jesus for giving him sight - which, potentially, would change him from being a beggar to being a contributor to his family and community. But Jesus condemned those Pharisees, who claimed spiritual superiority, for being so steeped in legalism that they were blind to who Jesus is, and blind even to their own need to be shepherded by a Savior.
We should consider what habits, traditions, or communal/societal expectations keep us from the full and abundant life that Jesus offers - stealing our joy, killing our productivity, destroying our peace. In humility, may we ask God to remove the things in our lives that keep us from seeing Jesus as our Savior and accepting the gift of abundant life he offers, and to dispel any pride within that may cause us to think we have no need of him.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; 3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff-- they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long. (Psalm 23)
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