Contrasts

Psalm 80:1-19                       Jeremiah 23:1-4                    John 9:35-10:6

Contrasts

“During World War I, some Turkish soldiers tried to steal a flock of sheep from a hillside near Jerusalem. The shepherd, who had been sleeping, suddenly awakened to see his sheep being driven off on the other side of the ravine. He could not hope to recapture his flock by force single-handedly, but he knew how to get the flock to return to him. Standing up on his side of the ravine, he put his hands to his mouth and gave his own special call, which he used each day to gather his sheep to him. When the sheep heard the familiar sound, they turned and rushed down one side of the ravine and up the other toward their shepherd. No one could stop the animals. The shepherd was away with them to a place of safety before the soldiers could make up their minds to pursue them – and all because his sheep knew their master’s voice.” (adapted from Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, Michael P Green, Baker, 2005)

I am told this is a true story, but even if it is not, the illustration still paints a vivid picture of what Jesus tells us about the Good Shepherd and his Flock in our Gospel passage today. The sheep in the story responded to the call of their shepherd even amidst the confusion and anxiety involved in being driven on by sticks and stones and shouting soldiers. Jesus used a similar illustration to show how his followers would always react positively to his voice despite threats and, indeed, years of incorrect teaching...and, in stark contrast, as we have seen in the Gospel of John several times already, how those who were not his followers would not hear nor respond positively to his voice regardless of the multitude of his inexplicable miracles and his Word-centred preaching and teaching.  

But the ultimate contrast in this parable lies in the realm of reality – of what is real versus what is not real – or what is true versus what is not true. In this story, Jesus teaches us that human reasoning does not always accurately correspond with fact. Besides their blundering blindness in their misjudgement of the healing of the blind man, the Pharisees thought that by rejecting Jesus and excommunicating the healed blind man, they were effectively excluding them from the congregation of God’s people, when, in reality, the exact opposite was true. They were, in fact, excluding themselves. In the scheme of things, what humans perceive to be correct often needs to be modified or changed. Our perception of things needs to be refracted through the prism of God’s Word.

The Gospel passage we read from today began with the second meeting of Jesus and the healed blind man. What is interesting in both these meetings is that, while the man played an active role in his defence before his interrogators, with Jesus he was almost completely passive. In both cases, he was a passive recipient of Jesus’ merciful compassion, firstly in his physical healing and then in his spiritual healing. The only time the man ever asked Jesus to do anything for him, was when he asked him to reveal the identity of the Son of Man.

In many ways, this serves as a perfect illustration of any relationship we may have with our Creator God. The initiative is always his. From the moment the first humans were created, it was God who came to us first in fellowship. In his choice of Israel, he made it perfectly clear that they did not choose him, nor did they deserve him…he chose them because he loved them (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). Jesus said something similar in John 15:16 when he reminded his disciples that they had not chosen him, but he had chosen them and appointed them to bear much fruit. Indeed, the Scriptures teach us plainly that no one seeks after the true God – if he did not reveal himself to us, we would be lost. 

In the case of the healed blind man, it is Jesus who initiates, Jesus who pronounces true judgement, Jesus who draws in what was expelled, and Jesus who regenerates. The narrative reveals the glorious reality that lies beyond our senses of a God who sovereignly calls his people to himself through no effort or work of their own.

But there is a tragedy in this narrative as well. Three groups of people very actively rejected the gift extended to them. They did not listen or respond positively to the voice of the Shepherd…a voice heard in the sheer impossibility of the miraculous healing. The healed blind man, on the one hand, concluded that Jesus was not who the Pharisees judged him to be based on his biblical knowledge of how God works…even though he may not have had a clear understanding of who Jesus was, he knew that the miracle could not have been performed by one who was not from God. 

On the other hand, we have those who observed the miracle…admittedly theirs was a second-hand type of observation, but still, since they heard the testimony of the parents who affirmed that he was indeed their son who had been born blind, they were witnesses…but because what they perceived to be true did not match what was true, they could not come to the correct conclusion. 

The parents themselves also missed the opportunity of a lifetime. They knew this man was their son. They knew he had been born blind. They knew that what had happened to him was miraculous. They should have been able to make the connection…but they did not because of fear. Fear can render us blind to even the most obvious truth. It is not just the young who fear the sneers of their peers. 

And then there are those who ought to have known better. Those who knew the Scriptures well. Those who taught the Scriptures to others. These are perhaps the most tragic figures of all…the shepherds who were meant to tend and care for the flock of God were destroying them and driving them away. Throughout history, we have seen shepherds destroying the Church because of their arrogant refusal to obey what God commands in his Word. I believe there is a special punishment reserved for those who wilfully mislead people…as James says, those who teach will be judged more strictly (James 3:1). But, as Jeremiah reminds us, and as we see in the case of this healed blind man, God himself will gather his flock and bring them back to his pasture where they will be fruitful and multiply. 

The marginalised and disenfranchised beggar was sought out by Jesus and his physical sight was enhanced and augmented by spiritual sight. 

At this point, Jesus introduced himself as a crossroads. “For judgment I have come into this world,” he said, “so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” There is, and always has been, so much to be observed that testifies to the truth, both natural and supernatural, and yet, like the Pharisees, some repeatedly reject the obvious because they have already decided not to accept any alternative to whatever view they may hold to. They do not believe because they will not believe. They cannot see because they will not see. 

Some Pharisees who were with Jesus at the time (who, by the way, could have been from the group who had interrogated the healed blind man) naturally reacted to this statement. The contrast between their question and the one just asked by the healed blind man is glaring. On the one hand, the healed blind man asked, “Who is he, sir? Tell me so that I may believe in him.” It is almost a confession of spiritual need: “No, I don’t see, but I want to so please help me see.” 

Whereas, in a damning question, the Pharisees asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Clearly, they felt Jesus was referring to them in his statement, otherwise, they would not have asked such a personal question, and clearly, they expected him to either retract his comment or explain it in such a way as to exonerate them. But rather, in his reply, Jesus revealed them to be the blindest of all.

You cannot cure someone who refuses to acknowledge that they are ill, can you? You cannot change those who don’t think there’s anything wrong with them. They must acknowledge their spiritual bankruptcy before they can admit their need for God’s gracious gift and payment in full for sin. They must admit that they are blind before they can see. 

The Pharisees believed that they were right…they believed that they could see clearly. But when they looked at the law they saw only the sins of others, not their own, and therefore they saw no need for spiritual deliverance. Indeed, they congratulated themselves that they were righteous and not like other sinful people.

In the parable that followed, Jesus took the contrast even further. There is only one way to enter the sheepfold of God and that is through the door God has provided. It is only the true shepherd who can gain access through that door because he is the door. Those who seek to gain access to the sheepfold via a different way are exposed as thieves and robbers…blind guides, if you will, who wish to create a doorway of their own. 

The shepherd who enters by the door and who also is, in truth, the door, leads the sheep in and out of the sheepfold and the sheep follow him because they recognise his voice. Despite the voices of those attempting to clamber over the walls of the enclosure or the voices of those who try to steal them away, the sheep respond only to the voice of their shepherd. 

The imagery is simple. Jesus’ first-century listeners would have recalled many stories about sheep and shepherds from the Old Testament. They would have understood that the sheep represented the people of God and that the enclosure represented the covenant relationship they enjoyed with God. But Jesus used this well-known image to create a new image in which he was both the entrance to the covenant relationship as well as the one who led them into that covenant relationship. God the doorkeeper or the watchman opened the gateway through Jesus, but only through Jesus…no one else. 

But perhaps the most important thing to note at this point is that Jesus says it is impossible for true believers to follow imposters. “They will never follow a stranger,” Jesus said, “in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognise a stranger’s voice.” The healed blind man could not dismiss or denounce Jesus even though the voices of all those around him…his neighbours, his leaders, and his parents…all demanded that he do just that. 

The Pharisees mistakenly believed that by excommunicating the healed blind man they had expelled him from the sheepfold…but in this parable, Jesus revealed that the exact opposite was the truth…the reality. Like the hungry Turkish soldiers, the leaders of Israel were attempting to steal the sheep away from the shepherd, but like the Jerusalem shepherd in our opening story, Jesus, both at once the only true shepherd as well as the only true entrance to the sheepfold, called his own to himself. And they followed him…

The healed blind man, no doubt, had no idea at first why he was defending Jesus at the risk of his own expulsion…but he did…despite the pressure from his peers, his superiors, and even his own parents. He could have agreed with their assessment simply for the sake of keeping the peace. After all, he had what he wanted. For the first time in his life, he could see! So, he could have simply shrugged and said, “Whatever”, and walked away. 

But he could not follow the voice of strangers as he had heard the call of his shepherd. The entrance had been flung open…the only step he had to take was to say “Lord, I believe!” and with that confession, he stepped into the sheepfold, not out of it! 

There are many false shepherds today as there have been throughout history…thieves and robbers…who attempt to steal the sheep out of the sheepfold. But there is only one true gateway and one true shepherd and one true fold. And because the sheep only listen to the voice of the true shepherd, nothing and no one in all of creation can ever separate us from the love of God that is ours in Jesus. 

Out of the barrenness of our spiritual deadness, Jesus brings us to new life in him, giving us a new meaning and a new future. He leads us out of captivity into true freedom. 

So, today, as you partake of the symbols of the greatest gift ever given to humankind, remember where he found you and where he is taking you. And, above all, remember why he took you! Like the healed blind man, we too must stand firm and defend the truth!

Shall we pray? 

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2023