The image of the good shepherd brings up complicated feelings for me. I'll explain why - hoping everyone else sort of feels the same way. I don't have answers in this message. All I come with is a bunch of questions. I'll ask them and I'll try to answer them.

1) Why does Jesus use this metaphor for himself in this particular setting? A lot to explain here in the email so I'll boil it down. Given he's in the temple and the people are celebrating the Feast of the Dedication, it seems as though Jesus is equating his presence with the very presence of the divine. This is one of the I AM statements that Jesus makes. OR, it could be that God's presence doesn't dwell in the temple. It's out in the wilderness with the sheep, the hired hands, and the wolves. In other words, God's with the outcasts, the unclean, the nonreligious.

2) What does Jesus mean when he says he knows his sheep and they know him? This part makes me uncomfortable. In my experience, a life of faith isn't quite this straightforward - not this certain.

3) Who are the hired hands in our lives? The hired hands don't have skin in the game. They're in it for themselves - personal gain. When danger comes, they run. Who are the voices we listen to that might be doing us harm? Who are we letting shape us and mold us?

4) What does the church soften this image so much? Yeah, look at those pictures of Jesus as a shepherd. They don't match what Jesus says. The good shepherd is gritty - has skin in the game - even lays down his life for his sheep. How do we embody this kind of love in the wilderness? How do we embody this kind of love for each other?

Speaker: Aaron Vis
Scripture: John 10:11-18
http://bible.com/events/49255244

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