PARADIGM FOR LEADERSHIP: A CALL TO RENEWAL
Prayer: Lord, Speak to us for we are listening, and prepare our hearts to
hear your voice, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Introduction:
What is it about the Church
that people look up to? What is the image that is being portrayed of people
serving as pastors, priests being considered to be called by God? How much of
such expectations do people really find in each and every one of the so-called
people of God? And what is the image we depict being created in the image of
God? In the world that we live and thrive with, corruption and injustice is to
be found everywhere, even within the church itself. Whether it is priests being
caught in adulterous acts, taking bribes, or misusing the property of the
church to make a living and leading a luxurious life for themselves, the people
can see the church as a threat to themselves rather than it being an answer to the
sufferings in their lives. I have heard about a person who came to work at the
mission field that I have had worked during my internship. He was said to be a
mission worker from another church. It so happened that the village thrives on
spirit worship and a girl was said to be possessed by an evil spirit. The
mission worker was asked to pray for the girl but the situation came to be
misused as the girl was exploited and she bore a child to the person. Sadly,
the man never settled with her and neither did her child survive. Such ironies
as leaders and exploiters of the people are not something new but which existed
since times immemorial. The incident reflects upon the passage read to us and
how Jesus identifies himself in one of the great sayings “I am the Good
shepherd”. In such a country as ours
where the majority of the populations are poor people, the church stands to
represent Christ. As to whether or not the church stands on the side of the
poor, the marginalized and the destitute can be understood from how Jesus looked
at the religious leaders of his time. Jesus Christ, in the passage, provides
for all who chooses to follow his footsteps and see your Paradigm for
Leadership: A call to renewal.
The paradox of the Unjust Christian Leaders:
The present day context sets a stage of confusion as we live in a country
with many religious groups and interdenominational clashes. There is much
contention among the leaders as to who is really the shepherd and to which
group of people, thus causing much scattering amongst the people. One-third of
the poor people in the world are known to belong to India according to the
Times of India. Such people fall victim to oppressions of many sorts and the
oppression that takes place is not only from political or the social structures
but also the religious structures with which Jesus also had many encounters. It
can be seen that the passage points to Jesus having a conversation with the Jews
after his healing of the blind man as is found in Chapter 9 of John’s Gospel.
The healing of the blind man had brought about a heated discourse between Jesus
and the Jews who contended the blind man’s proclamation of Jesus as Kurios, or
Lord and further along they were themselves to be declared as being blind because
of their self-righteousness. The ensuing conversation eventually led Jesus to
speak of the parable of the Good Shepherd and the door to the sheep. This
identification in John’s gospels sets the stage for Jesus to identify Himself
as the Shepherd that Yahweh had spoken of in Ezekiel 34 that He would come look
for the lost sheep that the religious leaders have neglected and manipulatively
used for their own benefit. While the Old Testament portrays the shepherd to be
the ones feeding themselves, who eat of the fat and clothed themselves with the
wool of the sheep, neglected the sheep and cared only for themselves, it also
gives a promise of Yahweh Himself being a shepherd to the lost, broken, and
abused sheep viz., the people of Israel and to all the nations altogether. These
shepherds never strengthened the weak, or healed the sick, or bound up the
injured, or brought back the strayed and many such qualities that are not
supposed to be seen among the religious leaders during the time of Ezekiel.
Such an imagery of Jesus as the shepherd was not something new to John’s
writing but it is found in the other parts of the synoptic gospels (Mark 14:
27,28; Acts 20: 28-30; 1Peter 5:2- 4) and in the Psalms. Also those who did not
believe in Jesus were regarded as lost sheep (Matt 18:10 – 14; Luke 15: 3 – 7).
Like the Jews, it can be seen within the Churches today how leaders have
become so distant from the sheep, who are considered the members of the Church
or anyone who have gone astray, for that matter. Thus we are unable to address
the real needs of the people. The pastoral perspective of the parable can
hardly be missed particularly in view of the Christian ministry as tending the
sheep, as is also found in the thrice-repeated command to Peter, to feed Jesus’
Lambs/ sheep. There is a great burden to do so as there are those who
unlawfully claim to have control over the sheep resulting in the destruction of
the flock. There are Christian leaders who represent Jesus but do not follow
his example and yet proclaim to be the shepherds. Many pastors today claim that
they do not have authority over the sheep, or to address to the very needs of
the people for fear of the authorities of the church and thus causing the
people to be in confusion. It is a pertinent problem everywhere when leaders
chose to use the scriptures for their own benefit just as the Jews did and to
use their position to oppress other people or to shy away from the oppressions
that the people face. Thus in such a context, Jesus offers Himself to be the
Leader of the people, the long awaited shepherd of Yahweh.
Counter Approach of Jesus towards Leadership:
The contention between Jesus and the Jews brought about an identification
of Jesus as the “I AM” or Σγώ Σίμί. What is it about Jesus that sets him apart
from the existing order? What will Jesus accomplish which others have failed?
Ezekiel 34 clearly shows where the leaders have failed and Jesus gives the
counter approach to the religious leaders and showing them a clear example of
who they were to be like, thus pointing to Himself as the prime example. Verse
19 shows a problem that had created division among the Jews themselves, while
some accused him to be out of his mind and demon possessed, others were
convinced with his words and believed him. The Jews who had not understood the
words of Jesus only proved themselves neither to be part of the flock nor to be
His followers for they do not hear His voice or follow Him. The Festival of the
Dedication or Hanukkah was a Festival
of Light which was celebrated annually from the 25th of the Ninth
month Kisleu until the 2nd
of the tenth month Tebeth. It brings
out the importance of Jesus as the Light of the world and His healing of the
Blind man clearly shows that people were created to be in the Light depicting
the major theme in the Johanine literature. The fact that Jesus stayed in
Jerusalem from the Feast of Tabernacles to the Feast of Dedication and the
Passover prepares us to culminate into the highest degree of hostility between
Jesus and the Jews eventually leading to the crucifixion. Jesus walked the
portico of Solomon which was a colonnade in the outermost court on the eastern
side of the Temple and outside the Temple proper and was a meeting place of the
early Christians.
What did the religious leaders lack that had caught so much anxiety? The
paradoxical lifestyle of the religious leaders paved a way to Jesus offering
his alternate way. The good shepherd who knows them by name indicates the
intimate relationship between the Jesus and his followers as is seen in the
Palestinian practice of calling their sheep by name. Jesus denounced all those
who came before him which could be regarded as the pretended revealers and
pretended saviors of the Hellenistic Gnostic religions. The Pharisees and
Jewish leaders were also among those who misinterpreted the law for their own
advantage which is not uncommon among church leaders or the governing bodies of
today or any other group of people whose concern was only for themselves. It
can be seen that there were the external factors that resulted in the
scattering of the flock. It can be seen here and the parallel of this chapter
in Ezekiel 34 that internal factors were more important that had brought
destruction to the flock to which Jesus identifies himself as the door to which
one enters into the flock. It is by following the Shepherd that one gains
access to the sheep. A true pastor must have such a relation with Jesus and
with his/her people that he/she follows Jesus and they follow Him. Jesus
identifies Himself to be the door denoting the point that he was the way to
having the abundance of life. His “knowing” the sheep and this is understood
clearly in the OT context indicating an intimate relationship with the flock
and He declared them to be all His just as Yahweh did so in the Exodus. His
‘going before’ the sheep implies that he knew where food was available with the
courage to handle any possible danger. This draws a parallel to the Psalmist’
shepherd in Psalm 23 who leads him through the valley of death without the fear
of any danger. The shepherd speaks to them to encourage them, discipline them,
and exhort and instructing them along the way. Such traits are not likely to be
found in the hired shepherd or the gatekeepers, who are known to be hired to do
their work in the Palestinian context and are to be accountable for any lost or
harmed sheep. A contrasting difference between the hired workers and the Jesus
was that while they work for the sake of themselves, Jesus was totally
committed to the flock, the ‘fold’ includes not just the Jews or the Jewish
Christians but also the entire human race and the cosmos. The idea of one flock
and one shepherd can be found in Ezekiel 37: 15- 24 where the terms One king/
one nation is found. One flock denotes the unity between all races- Jew and
Gentiles under one shepherd, Jesus (Eph 2:11- 22; 3:6; 4:3 – 6). This is the
new community that Jesus envisaged. Christian unity is not something that
happens automatically but it requires work, and surrendering the principles
that cause the flock to divide such as caste, color, creeds, and socio-economic
distinctions not only at the congregational level but also at the
denominational level and the national level altogether. The most important
characteristic about Jesus being the shepherd that is found in the Johanine
writings is that while the Jews threatened to stone Him, He reveals the reality
about His leadership which was that no one was to take His life but that He gives
it up for the flock. John reveals that God’s eternal love for the Son converges
on the salvation of the world by means of Jesus’ death and his resurrection. If
Jesus is to give life to others then He must rise again, and the resurrection
being the completion of His death and implying that the cross will not be the
end of His Life as his opponents thought. Unlike any other leader, he gives an
alternate way to those who would flee from fighting for the flock. His death
and resurrection paves the way for the Church to carry out His prophetic
mission. It was to stand for all that Jesus stood for and knowing they are to
give their lives fighting for it. Thus the role of the church is a continuation
of what the good shepherd has left behind.
Embodiment of Jesus, the Good shepherd:
The death and resurrection paves the way for the church to carry out the
mission of Yahweh as it represents the body of Christ (Romans 12). The leader
of the flock reaches out for the lost, the least and the last and so should the
Church. No longer must thieves and robbers be allowed to harm the flock but it
is the shepherds who follow Christ to take up the burden and fight for the
cause of all people. In a world where there is much division among the
religious groups, can be encouraging to see the Ecumenical movement bringing
unity among the different denominations. The motto of the Church of South India
formed in 1947 says, “That they may all be One” and the motto of Church of
North India formed in 1970 says “Unity, Witness, Service” all point to the
fulfillment of the vision of ‘One flock, One shepherd.’ Christian unity is not
a one time achievement but an ongoing process. Denominations are coming
together and accepting the Scriptures, the Creed, the baptism, Eucharist and
ministry. It can be encouraging to hear of Muslims who were able to worship at
Sikh gurudwaras. Religious differences have further divided the country such
that we are incapable to address the more pertinent questions that we face
every day. The development of the country rests not only in the politico-
economic and social spheres but must penetrate into the many religious groups
that have further fragmented and divided the nation. The identification of
Jesus as the good shepherd penetrates deep into the Indian soil. A country
rampant with corruption calls out for leaders who would not seek out for their
own benefit but to live and die for whom they represent, be it Church leaders
or the political leaders. The death and resurrection of Christ points to
selfless leaders who would seek out the lost, the weak, the marginalized, and
oppressed fighting for their cause even to the point of death. It is in such
selfless acts that the salvation of the country can be realized. The Churches
have become highly hierarchical and it seems difficult to get anything done
unless it has been initiated from the authorities. Yet we so easily miss out
the significance of the Death and resurrection of Jesus showing that death
itself is not the end of the problem but that God shall raise us for what we
stood for. As it is seen when Jesus stood before those who wanted to stone Him,
He makes them realize that they were not in control by stoning Him but that He
gave it up himself for the truth. He stood for it knowing that no one can
destroy the truth, not death itself.
Jesus’ words had caused so much anxiety and frustration amongst the Jews
and they did not want to move further from the fact as to whether He was the
Messiah or it was a plan to get Jesus to say something so that they could catch
Him. This further establishes that they were never able to understand His words
as the truth is concealed from the unbelieving but are revealed to His sheep.
It was not just the words of Jesus but also his works that bear witness that God
had sent Him. The ‘good works’ extend to beyond Jesus’ miracles to include His
acceptance of sinners. Jesus was not to be condemned for his miracles but for
blasphemy where he was charged of claiming to be God even though he was just a
man. Jesus affirmation that I and the Father are one can be difficult to
understand but forms the crux of John’s theology. It is here that John
identifies Him as the preexisting Logos and the One who promises the Israelites
that I will be your shepherd. This unity is not merely moral unity or in works
and speech but is seen to be the union in essence. The Church, thus, which
represents the body of Christ, takes upon itself the responsibility to care and
protect whole-heartedly the cause of the sheep.
We may think that while God has taken upon Himself the responsibility of
being the shepherd, what then can be the role of the sheep? The parable only
gives us the imagery of God’s care for the sheep, but we are people capable of
caring and taking up the cause for the downtrodden and the oppressed. The
Church that takes up the role of the shepherd is nothing but all individuals
sharing in the community to uplift the cause of each other and the natural
world with which we have been entrusted with.
Conclusion:
It is Jesus’ vision that the shepherd takes up the cause for the sheep
just as He did so. By doing so, it will change the image that people have of
the Church. They would know their leaders would not lead them anywhere that
would bring harm to them or would abandon them to the point of death. The
church leadership would be filled with people who would not live for themselves
or for their own luxury but ones who seeks the lost, heals the sick and ties
the wounds, bring salvation to each member who hears their voice and follows
them rather than slaughter them, who looks out for ones who have lost their
place, their identity and social status. We fight for the cause of God denying
ourselves knowing we will be brought up if we were struck down just as Jesus
did.
Where are the sheep? Or have we gone on to fall asleep?
Who hears their cries? Or do we just ignore until they die.
Who knows their pain? Unless we go and feel the same,
Who feels their need? For all have gone to fill their greed,
Jesus gave up life for the Sheep, What have we to give?
No comments:
Post a Comment