To Be Known
with Rev. Barbara Gorsky
April 21, 2024
We can be shepherds by forming authentic relationships that begin by knowing ourselves and then seeking to know others and always, always listening for the voice of the true shepherd who leads us into green pastures.
The Scripture
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will 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 your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
John 10:1-18
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.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
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Malala Yousafzai learned at an early age who she was. Her life experiences of injustice, her struggles of being female living in a male dominated, oppressive society, propelled her into a life of activism for women and children. She was the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate at the age of 17. Here is a quote from Malala, “It is very important to know who you are. To make decisions. To show who you are.” I read this and found her words really connected me to the sermon this morning and the significance of knowing oneself and then living out this “knowing.” When I think about my own ability to differentiate myself from my surroundings and claim who I was at 17 years of age, I am even more inspired by her.
This passage in John that I just read is titled: Jesus the good shepherd. At the foundation of this image of Jesus holding a sheep, with other sheep grazing nearby is a thread of connection woven throughout this entire passage focused on this concept of “knowing,” or “being known”. The shepherd knows the sheep and sheep know the shepherd. The Father knows the son and the son knows the Father. Of course, there are other things thrown into the mix; the bandits, thieves, the hired hands, the wolf…all descriptions used as a contrast to the character and action of “the good shepherd.” The good shepherd knows who he is and makes decisions on this knowing that reveal his love and care of his sheep.
Finish reading
The significance of this “being known” is not lost on me. And it’s connected to my own personal struggle with Facebook. Mind you I have not even ventured into tic tock or Instagram or any other social media. Why the struggle? It’s the endless questions that keep swirling around in my mind. How many hits to I get when I post something, how many friends do I have? What should I post, what will people think about what I post, is it too personal, is it too generic, what pictures to post, do I need to get permission to post some pictures, who will be seeing this…at the end I find I am in a state of paralysis.
I sincerely believe at the core of my struggle and yes, anxiety is this deep seeded need to be connected, to be accepted, to find my own group and to have authentic relationships. And I believe under this yearning to have authentic relationships is the deep desire to be known, known fully with all of my flaws and gifts, known but still loved and accepted. Great clarity about this struggle came to me when I listened to a podcast on Unlocking Us by Brené Brown when she interviewed Esther Perel. She is a psychotherapist, New York Times bestselling author and is one of today’s most insightful and original voices on modern relationships. She has her own podcast and many, many books that would be worth your time to listen or read. Esther Perel coined a new acronym with a fresh twist, the acronym is AI. I know what you’re thinking, artificial intelligence, right? Oh but no, she calls it artificial intimacy! She said this on the podcast, “I can have 1,000 virtual friends, but nobody to feed my cat, nobody to ask to go and pick up a prescription at the pharmacy, but 1,000 people who are giving me likes and dislikes, and all kinds of things that are now becoming the foundation of my self-esteem.”
She opened up my eyes and I get it now, I understand my own personal struggle better, instead of experiencing connections that are enriching and fulfilling, all I get is a false sense of connection that leaves me feeling disconnected and alone. Oh yes, I might know the food someone is eating or the trips they are going on, but I don’t really know what’s happening on the inside, their hopes, their desires, their struggles. What to pray for them.
This idea of true connection and knowing and being known really is at the core of these words Jesus is speaking. In the passage, he is talking directly to the Pharisees; the Pharisees who have often been at odds with Jesus. They were good about telling the people what they should do, demanding strict adherence to the laws and traditions. They were “rule followers”. This confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees transpired because of an event that happened earlier. Jesus had given sight to the blind man, you remember that story, the Pharisees called his parents in to ask them questions about how their son’s sight being restored and then asked the man, himself how he regained his sight. And they became rather indignant with his explanation, so offended, that they drove this man away. Elisabeth Johnson, an editor from “Working Preacher” says it best, “The Pharisees who have interrogated the blind man are supposed to be the shepherds of Israel, those who care for, protect, and nourish the people. Instead, they expel the healed blind man from their community, refusing to believe that Jesus and his healing work come from God. They are more concerned about guarding their power and authority than about the well-being of the people.” I might be going out on a limb here, but I think the metaphors Jesus uses; the thieves, the bandits, the hired help are all descriptive words used to describe the Pharisees. Jesus is the true shepherd, the Pharisees as the thieves, bandits, and hire hands…did not know the sheep, and the sheep did not know them. This knowing requires intimacy, a deep connection that compels one to do the best for another, Jesus describes it as laying down his life, sacrificing for those he cares for.
The Pharisees were fake Shepherds…they had a superficial connection to the people…like artificial intimacy, they might have thousands of “hits” or people under them, but they don’t really know their sheep. They are called to care for, nourish, and protect the people and instead they drove them away, put up barriers to knowing the true God.
Now it’s easy to paint the Pharisees as a corrupt bunch of men but there is most likely a little bit a Pharisee in each one of us. The need we have for power and control, the need to portray this image of perfection and superiority. Isn’t that why we post some of the things we do? We seek connection but we’re scared to be vulnerable and real and far too often we settle for artificial intimacy. The good shepherd calls us to do the work of discovering just who we are and to whom we belong. And the good shepherd knows us…we are known by the living God.
Malala cares for women and children. She continues to live her life as a shepherd. We can be shepherds too! And it won’t happen through our “likes” or “dislikes” in the virtual world. We can be shepherds by forming authentic relationships that begin by knowing ourselves and then seeking to know others and always, always listening for the voice of the true shepherd who leads us into green pastures. Amen