"Good News: Jesus is the Gatekeeper -- and We Are NOT!"

Pastor Michelle Manicke
Apr 27
8 min read

Perhaps I only imagined it or maybe it showed up in one of my dreams because I've searched all over, and I've never been able to find it since.... I'm talking about a cartoon drawing I saw several years ago that shows Jesus behind a gated wall. In the cartoon, there are people standing inside the gate, alongside Jesus, and one man is scratching his head and saying to another one, "I just don't understand it. The gate is locked, so how do all these people keep getting in?" The other man points to Jesus and says, "It's Jesus! He keeps reaching over the wall and pulling people in one-by-one!. .." Friends, even if it only exists in my head, I love that image because THAT'S who Jesus is, and THAT'S what Jesus does! He opens his hands and extends his arms to welcome and embrace all who are downcast and all who've been cast out.

Now, as I've said, I've never been able to find that particular drawing, even though I've done numerous Google searches over the years. So, maybe I did imagine it based on similar work I've seen by artist David Hayward, who also goes by the moniker "nakedpastor" - NOT because he's a streaker, but rather, because he does his best to lay bare the naked truth!... In any case, I'm going to show you three of Hayward's cartoons,^{(1 You can find these cartoons on the final pages at the end of this sermon)} so that you can see for yourself why I think the image of Jesus pulling people over the wall is the kind of cartoon he would draw, and why I just might commission him to create that image for me someday!. ..

So, in the first cartoon, we see Jesus at work erasing all the lines human beings are drawing between each other Drawing lines is what we do, isn't it? We

humans are always trying to divide ourselves into groups and box others out, so that we can feed our delusion that we're somehow better and/or more deserving than they are.... In the second cartoon, you see Jesus and a rainbow sheep on a hillside. Jesus and the sheep are both wearing harnesses and holding onto a rope. Jesus braces himself against the mountainside, so that he can pull the vulnerable rainbow sheep up to safety, and he tries to reassure the frightened sheep by smiling and saying, "I got you!" Friends, this cartoon makes me smile because, again, that's who Jesus is, and that's what he does: He reaches out to raise up those who are down and out ....

In the third cartoon, you see the image of a church building with people on the inside barricading the door, so that Jesus can't come in. One of them is saying to the others, "Don't let him in. It will change EVERYTHING!..." Ah, the irony AND the naked truth! I mean, you and I don't have to look very far these days to see that a number of churches have largely succeeded in shutting out the true Son of God, who comes to bring abundant life not just for some people, but for this whole world, which God deeply loves and which God desperately desires to reconcile.... Friends, it's heartbreaking to witness the way in which the compassionate Jesus of Scripture - the Jesus who welcomes the stranger, heals the sick, and feeds the hungry- is being cast out of churches in order to make room for people to worship a false messiah - a cruel and controlling messiah, who sanctions harsh policies that heap burdens on the poor; a powerful and prejudiced messiah, who loves some nationalities, but not others; a wanton and warlike messiah, who wholeheartedly approves of dropping bombs on tens of thousands of children, women, and men living in faraway places like Iran and Lebanon and Gaza and the West Bank of Israel.... For those of you who might be surprised by this, it IS literally tens of thousands: The latest death toll from Gaza is over 75,000 people killed since October 7, 2023; and during that same time period, more than a thousand Palestinians were killed in the West Bank. Also, as of April 10^th, more than 3000 people had been killed in Iran; and as of Friday, more than 2000 have been killed in Lebanon. Together these figures add up to more than 81,000 people killed And lest we forget, that's not just a statistic; that's 81,000 individuals who were living their lives as spouses, grandparents, parents, children, siblings, friends, and coworkers- much the same as you and I are doing.

So, right about now, I imagine some of you might be thinking, "That's all very interesting, Pastor Michelle, but what does it have to do with today's Scripture readings?..." I'm glad you asked!... I think one of the reasons those cartoon images popped into my head this week is because in a prophetic way they contribute to the necessary work of laying bare the naked truth, which is a vital part of calling our religious and political leaders to account. After all, revealing the truth for the sake of this world God loves is what Jesus does throughout the gospels, and it's what you and I and all who follow Jesus are called to do.

Now, let's zoom in and take a closer look at today's reading from John's gospel. In order to better understand what Jesus is talking about here, you need to know that chapter 10 of John's gospel is a continuation of the story of the man born blind, which begins in chapter 9. Many of you already know this story, so, I'll just offer a quick recap. In chapter 9, Jesus heals a man who's been blind since birth, but instead of celebrating their neighbor's healing, the religious leaders and others in the community refuse to see the truth of what's taken place. The religious leaders proceed to interrogate this man whom Jesus has healed. As they do, they grow increasingly angry because he tells them the truth, instead of giving them the lie they want to hear namely, the lie that Jesus was NOT the one who restored his sight. By the time they finish their interrogation, these leaders have come to view

Jesus's healing of the blind man as a potential threat to their authority, so, they call the man a liar and cast him out of the synagogue and out of the community Let's

pause for a moment and let that sink in: The man born blind has consistently told the truth about what Jesus has done for him, and yet he's called a liar and is put out of the community - kicked out the door by the very ones who are charged with shepherding the community. In fact, when they see the strong reaction against their son's healing, even the man's own parents cut ties with him because they're afraid that they, too, will be judged by the gatekeepers and kicked out of their worshiping community.

But when Jesus hears that the religious leaders have driven the man out, he goes and finds him, and calls him to be his disciple. Jesus, who in today's reading from John refers to himself as the gate of the sheepfold, opens the door and invites this outcast to enter into an intimate relationship that will lead to abundant life.... Friends, as outsiders looking in at this story, you and I are given a glimpse of the subversive wisdom of God that turns the world upside down! Near the end of John 9, we get to listen in, as Jesus goes on to say that the religious insiders are "blind" to the new thing God is doing. Indeed, one could also argue that they're "deaf" to Jesus's teaching and to the powerful witness of the man who was formerly blind. To say it another way, they do not listen to Jesus's voice because they don't belong to his sheep.

Turning to John 10, we hear Jesus offer his disciples some words of warning about whose voice we listen to and whom we choose to follow. He declares that his sheep do not listen to thieves and bandits who try to enter the sheepfold under false pretenses. And in case anyone is confused about how to distinguish the Good Shepherd from the wolf in shepherd's clothing, Jesus offers this comparison: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly ...."² In today's reading, we also hear Jesus clearly articulate the purpose of the gate - that is, his purpose! -which is to welcome in fill who listen to his voice. Again, he declares, "I am the gate³ for the sheep." In fact, in verse 16 Jesus will go on to say, "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must go and bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So, there will be one flock, one shepherd...." Friends, when you and I bear in mind the gospel message that God has sent Jesus to reveal God's love for the whole world, we can begin to understand that entering into the sheepfold is synonymous with entering into relationship with Jesus Just so there's no misunderstanding, here I want to pause again and correct some potentially damaging theology: Contrary to the interpretation of some biblical scholars, Jesus is not the "gatekeeper" who's trying to keep people out of the kingdom. Jesus's sheepfold is not an exclusive place. Instead, like the Father's house, which Jesus describes in John 14 as having "many rooms," the sheepfold also has more than enough room for all Jesus's lost lambs to come inside and enter into an abiding, intimate relationship with the God he has come to reveal. To say it another way, Jesus has come so that you and I and all the children of God may have life and have it abundantly both now and in the age to come....

Recently, I've had a conflict situation in my own extended family, and I've also had several conversations with some of you that've touched on the painful divisions between those of us who believe we're faithfully following the merciful and generous Jesus of Scripture and some of our family members and friends whom we see following a Jesus we don't recognize - a merciless and selfish Jesus who seems suspiciously aligned with the thieves and bandits who come to steal and kill and destroy.... Friends, when such divisions hit close to home, it's heartbreaking, and it's confusing. Sometimes you and I may even find ourselves thinking, "How can it be that these people I thought I knew are believing and behaving in this way? Am 1 the one in the wrong here?..." This past week, I had to pause and remind myself and a friend of something many of you have heard me say in previous sermons: "If it's not loving, liberating, and life-giving for ALL PEOPLE, it's NOT of God...." That's how we test the spirits to see whether or not they are of God.

My friends, I'm deeply grateful for the witness of Scripture, which allows us to hear our Master's voice calling us in and affirming that we belong to him and nothing can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. I'm also grateful for Jesus's reminder that he is the gatekeeper, and we are NOT! And I'm grateful for the gift of this caring community, which the Holy Spirit has gathered together in this time and place, so that we may encourage and build one another up to continue Christ's mission of loving and blessing the whole world one neighbor at a time.

Thanks be to God for the true gift that keeps on giving - the gift of abundant life! Amen.