This Sunday’s gospel reading from John chapter 10 is all about the power of relationship which shapes recognition and identity.  The action takes place in the temple in Jerusalem and tells us that ‘the Jews’ were gathered around Jesus, questioning him.  It is not clear whether these are priests, scribes and other leaders, or members of the public present in the temple spaces.  What we do get is a sense of the body of people pressing in around Jesus with their anxious, even perhaps aggressive, demands for some sort of statement from Jesus: “how long will you keep us in suspense?  If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”  It feels like they are asking Come on Jesus. Give us a straight answer, yes or no, are you the man to lead us to freedom from our oppressors? 

Were the people asking the questions afraid that Jesus would say ‘Yes’?  Were they asking because they so desperately waited for a champion against the Roman occupying forces overshadowing them, a rescuer from all their fears?  Were they confused by all they had seen and the stories they had heard?  Perhaps they didn’t quite know themselves what they were hoping to hear.

Jesus doesn’t give them that straight yes or no.  Instead, he tells them that they don’t get what he has been saying and doing, don’t believe, because they do not belong to his flock.  His sheep hear his voice and follow him.  Believing is not about a handy checklist of answers.  It is about a long-term relationship, a growing together, in order for understanding and trust to develop and last.  Jesus’ flock spent time with him, lived with him, shared meals and conversations, got to know his voice, his words and his message. 

And when Jesus describes the relationship with his flock he doesn’t say ‘My sheep hear my voice; they know me and they follow me’; rather, he says “I know them”.  It reminds us of how Jesus speaks of his believers in his prayer to God the Father (John ch 17) both for those who were disciples then and also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word. (17:20)   This is a relationship which starts with God knowing each one of us, God already in our lives and reaching out to us. We simply need to be open to hearing and responding. The invitation is open to everyone who asks the questions: to the angry or hostile, to the anxious and fearful, to the confused, to those who have heard something and are intrigued or puzzled, to those who know they are waiting for something or just don’t know what they are seeking. Right now, there are many who can identify with one of these groups.

It is a journey of exploring and asking and of welcoming each other into spending time in sharing experiences, uncertainties and stories which give each other the opportunity to perceive God at work in our lives, to become attuned to his voice and to choose to trust. This is also an invitation for each of us to become a part of the shared conversation which can move us all, the questioners and the trusting, from the shadows of doubts and burdens, hopes and fears, into the light of God’s presence and into finding new identity belonging within God’s flock.

Lucy G

Image by Lucy G