April 30th Fourth Sunday of Easter Te Rātapu Tuawhā o te Aranga: John 10: 1-10

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After a week off, Michael is back with the latest panel to dig into our Sunday Gospel and see what sorts of challenges, good news, and applicability they can mine from it. This week it's the parable of the Good Shepherd. In a time and country where, as Joel points out, sheep do not respond to the shepherd in the way they did in Jesus' time and place, what does the parable have to say to us? What is the sheep fold? What sort of gate is it? Kelvin, Nicki and Joel dare to think widely and deeply about this, one of the most famous of Jesus' stories.

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.

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