The Eyes Of The Shepherd

John 10: 1-10
‘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. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Over the years there have been three well-known songs (that I’m aware of) that emphasize the phrase, “I can’t keep my eyes off of you.” A couple of the songs written more recently are quite haunting and beautiful and whenever I hear them something pulls at me deep within. The songs themselves are simply love songs but what always gets me is that one phrase, “I can’t keep my eyes off of you.” Whenever I hear that phrase, I see and feel the eyes of the True Shepherd.

Shepherds, the true shepherds Jesus was talking about, could not keep their eyes off their flocks. This wasn’t just a matter of keeping a watch on valuable goods simply because it was their job; this was real love. True shepherds were intimately connected with every individual sheep in the flock and true shepherds were always watching to make sure each sheep was well fed, safe and comfortable.

Comfortable? Yes…comfortable.

• “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” A shepherd would go ahead of the flock, find good pastures for grazing and make sure there were no predators and no poisonous plants. A sheep that is lying down means the sheep feels absolutely secure.
• “He leads me beside still waters”. Sheep will not drink from rushing, turbulent water. It frightens them. The shepherd would find clean, still pools for his flock.
•“Your rod and staff comfort me.” The rod and staff weren’t just symbols of protection and discipline. When the sheep went into the enclosure at night, the shepherd would ‘lay down the rod’. Only one sheep could enter the narrow gate at a time and every sheep was examined and its fleece combed through with the rod as the shepherd looked for ticks, burrs and other irritants that might keep the sheep from resting comfortably.
•“You anoint my head with oil.” Flies were a terrible bother to sheep and, if flies irritated them, they would be restless and upset and not eat or rest. The shepherd would pour oil on the sheep’s head to keep the flies away.
• “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” At night, after the sheep were examined individually and were at rest in the enclosure, the shepherd would lie across the narrow gate. Nothing could get in and nothing could get out without the shepherd being aware of it. Jesus is the gate and no one gets in or out except through him.

It’s no wonder the Pharisees in this week’s Gospel didn’t understand what Jesus was talking about. They had never been true shepherds, not literally nor figuratively. He was implying that they were the thieves and bandits who came before him. They were thieves and bandits because they did not love the sheep nor did they care much for the flock’s comfort and safety. They did not minister lovingly to the flock but ruled with arrogance and selfishness, robbing the flock of its basic needs while attending only to their own love of status, power and authority.

 Jesus was having none of that. He could not abide false shepherds who did not love his people, his sheep, the way he did. The way he still does. His heart raged at those who called themselves shepherds but had no concern for the lost, the ‘cast down’ (sheep that had somehow gotten onto their backs and were unable to get back on their feet), the lame, the harried, the anxious, the hungry and the thirsty. The rules were more important than mercy and compassion.

“… I can’t keep my eyes off of you.”

I was perusing a National Geographic magazine recently and there was a heart-rending photo of a shepherd boy weeping in utter devastation and grief because a vehicle had run into and killed six of his sheep. The photo was called “Inconsolable”.

“… I can’t keep my eyes off of you.” 

If a sheep was prone to wandering off on its own, the shepherd would use the rod to break its leg – and then the shepherd would carry it everywhere until its leg was healed. By the time the leg healed, the sheep was deeply attached to the shepherd and no longer desired to wander. I don’t know about you but I’ve had my spiritual legs broken a few times. I didn’t want to be carried. I wanted to run, be free, do my own thing and fix my own problems. It didn’t feel right to be incapable and it was uncomfortable to be carried. But now…

“… I can’t keep my eyes off of you.”

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

He came to take back his flock, to lead his sheep through the Cross - through the mountain valleys up to green pastures of abundant food in the high plateaus, places that could only be safely reached by moving through the shadowed valley. He came to rescue his people from the cruelty of the ones who had left the flock to wander alone in the dry wilderness. He came to rescue his own from the ones who had taken their eyes off the flock and no longer cared for the wellbeing and comfort of the sheep.

He can’t keep his eyes off of you.