Hear His Voice – Jesus the Good Shepherd
John 10:1–10 NRSV
10 “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. 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 hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Lectionary Reflection - Sunday, May 7th
I treasure the above scripture for it's loving generosity and compassion. When it comes however to individuals like US House Representative, Mo Brooks, from Alabama who professes to be Christian, it would seem that his Jesus is more likely to say, “Live life abundantly? Hell no! You got a health problem, then you lived life wrong. You failed to live life the right way. So you think your suffering supposed to cost me something? Forget it! Now pay me something for my tough love advice and get the hell out of here.”
Politicians like Representative Brooks represent “Old Order” thinking. They think the sick and afflicted should have to pay more money for their healthcare than others fortunate enough to have good health. Politicians like Brooks nauseate me with their faulty flawed thinking. What I wouldn’t do for a month where Brooks and all other politicians of his disastrous political persuasion had to be at Jesus’ side day in and day out while Jesus went about healing the sick. Jesus didn’t say, “Sorry you have a pre-existing condition, I can’t heal you.” Or “Sorry, you’re needs are outside my scope of care.” Or, “Here’s you bankrupting healing bill for returning your vision to you.” Or, “Holy Moses, what a dream come true, as the disciples' employer, I don’t have to provide healing anymore. Yippee!!”
Brooks’ Christianity I don’t get. I will never get the Christianity of individuals like him. Mostly, I think people of his persuasion rationalize magical thinking. They are part of a strand of Christianity hell bent on bringing about apocalyptic end times so the good times follow. They think this way rather than think how humanity can lovingly, generously, and compassionately bring about “The Just and Peaceable Reign of God” here on Earth. They have such frightening dysfunctional perspective that they forget who created the Earth. They forget who helped the Earth evolve into being able to sustain life, even human life. They forget how the very air that they breathe day after day comes from God. They forget therefore that all they have and are belongs to God not to them. If God were to suddenly say, “Sorry, I’ve got to raise the premiums on the air you breathe because you’re taller and bigger and require considerably more oxygen than your human predecessor a millennia or two ago,” Brooks would be the first to howl in protest and cry foul!
Brooks and GOP House members like him, forget “The One” who freed people from physical and financial slavery. They forget God's counsel to all persons of faith -- “freely, freely, you have received, freely freely give.” The forget about Jesus who freely healed others, who freely raised people from the dead, who freely cast out the demons causing mental illness --- who did all this without charging people one damn penny. Jesus only ever gave one of the greatest commandments humanity has known, that commandment being to love God who loves without restraint or condition and to love God with all one's heart and mind and strength and to love others as generously as you love yourself. Hear that Brooks? So get with the program Brooks.
When politicians and people of faith like Brooks, finally start voting against and pressuring against monstrosities like Ryancare & Trumpcare, also known as the American Healthcare Act or AHCA --- then I will be convinced that Brooks and politicians like him truly hold Jesus and their faith close to their hearts, minds, and spirits. The political behavior of politicians that rush the latest version of Ryancare & Trumpcare to a vote in the US House of Representatives, without benefit of assessment by the Congressional Budget Office, is nothing other than pure evil and a day will come when God brings such persons to account for their sinful neglect and abandonment of their fellow citizens and fellow human beings in need -- just as the following scripture promises:
The Judgment of the Nations - Matthew 25:31-46 (New Revised Standard Version)
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,[a] you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Be a Judge of the Nation, Call Congress @ 1-202-225-3121 to say "Hell NO to AHCA". Call now or email or fax or tweet!!
God's Peace Be With You!
Brad Shumate
Free of Encumbrance
Eugene, Oregon
USA
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