Goodness and Mercy

Charlotte Collins Reed

Christ Church Episcopal

May 12, 2019

4 Easter C

            I have some sympathy with those in the gospel reading this morning who say “"How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."  In a week when we have seen yet another school shooting, which followed a week with a school shooting, in a world where a week without an act of violence against a school or a faith community seems rare, in our own congregation where we experienced great loss due to illness in the first months of the year, I can find myself saying to Jesus “If you are the Messiah, tell or show us plainly.”  The fourth Sunday of Easter is always Good Shepherd Sunday, when we hear a portion of John’s gospel in which Jesus’ followers are referred to as Jesus’ sheep, and Jesus is either directly or implicitly referred to as the Good Shepherd.  We hear the familiar and comforting words of Psalm 23 “The Lord is my shepherd.  I shall not want.”  How do we reconcile the Jesus the Good Shepherd and the promise of the 23^rd Psalm that goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives with such violence and deep sadness?  If you are the Messiah, Jesus, tell us plainly.

          In the reading from Acts, Tabitha, a beloved member of the Christian community, has died.  She was devoted to good works and charity.  Peter prays, then says to Tabitha’s dead body “Get up.”  And Tabitha does.  Peter has raised Tabitha from the dead.  Why Tabitha and not our loved ones?  Why Tabitha and not those who have died in schools, houses of worship, or countless other places as a result of gun violence? 

          I have come to believe that I ask the wrong question of the reading from Acts.  Tabitha was raised from the dead not because she was a better person than anyone else, or because she was more beloved, or did more acts of charity and kindness.  The main character in the story is not Tabitha, as dramatic as her story might be.  The main character is not even Peter, despite his powers of miraculous healing.  The main character is God.  Peter prays and connects himself with God, then says “Tabitha, get up.”  Peter does not do anything else.  He doesn’t touch her, or say any magic words, or take any action other than to pray.  God raises Tabitha from the dead through Peter.

          Jesus’ response in the gospel reading to those who question him is to point to the works Jesus has done. Jesus has healed the blind, fed the 5000, healed a lame man, and turned water into wine. To those who oppose him, Jesus wonders aloud how much more they need to see if those actions are not convincing.  This passage reflects the tensions between the Jews and the Christians in the late first century or early second century.  There is no reason for us to reflect those tensions, however, and Jesus is probably just as impatient with me as he was with those in the gospel lesson.  To me, and to others with the same question these days, Jesus says "I have run toward tragedy, not away from it. I have put my own life at risk to help others and lost my life. I have comforted scared children and given teachers courage.  I have held those who weep and given courage to survivors to go on.  What more do you need to see?" Just a few verses before our gospel lesson this morning, still in the Good Shepherd section of John’s gospel, Jesus also says, quite clearly, "I have other sheep who do not belong to this fold." Not all the sheep look, act, or believe just like us. But some way, some how, all human beings can demonstrate the compassion and care of Jesus whether they belong to this fold or another, and in that goodness and mercy, the Good Shepherd is hard at work.

          For the sheep who hear Jesus’ voice and have chosen to follow Jesus, Jesus always refers to sheep in the plural. Jesus says "I know them...I give them eternal life...no one will snatch them out of my hand." Sheep are meant to be in community, in relationship, with each other. No one sheep is meant to navigate life alone. We navigate life together, and by doing so, we know the power of something more than ourselves in our midst. We know the Good Shepherd.  In the very existence of that community and through that support, the Good Shepherd is known, the Good Shepherd’s voice is heard, and goodness and mercy are felt.

In the well known words of 23rd psalm, we hear the Psalmist say "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For you are with me." Knowing Jesus as the Good Shepherd is not a guarantee that no harm will come to us or those we love. Knowing Jesus as the Good Shepherd means that, even in the valley of the shadow of death, we are not alone.   The question to ask is not “Why doesn’t God raise my loved one from the dead, or prevent senseless and deadly gun violence?”  The question to ask is how can we attach ourselves to Jesus the Good Shepherd the way that Peter attached himself to God, allowing Jesus to work through us to prevent senseless death, to bring comfort and hope to the grieving, and to make Jesus known through acts of goodness and mercy.   The question is not why the Good Shepherd has not done what we need and want him to.  The question is how we can be what the Good Shepherd needs and wants us to be and do so that the world will know deep and lasting goodness and mercy.

                                                                             Amen.