1 Kings 21:1-10, 15-21a
Bad Shepherds and Mr. Rogers
James Sledge June
16, 2013
The Lord
is my shepherd, I shall not want, says Psalm 23. God says to King David, “It is
you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel.” Jesus says, “I am
the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Not
surprisingly in a culture where sheep herding was common, the metaphor of
shepherd was applied to God, to kings, and to Jesus as Messiah, an image drawn
from shepherds protecting their flocks from predators, and guiding them to good
pasture and water to drink.
Few
of us have much familiarity with shepherding, but we still use the metaphor, at
least in the church. In the service where John Ohmer was officially installed
as rector at The Falls Church Episcopal, the bishop carried a shepherd’s crook
, a symbol that he is called to shepherd the diocese.
In
the Old Testament, the kings that follow after King David are also supposed the
shepherd Israel, to watch over God’s flock. Some of them do, but a lot of them
don’t. Prophets lament the lost sheep of Israel burdened by their bad
shepherds. The prophet Ezekiel says, “Ah you shepherds of Israel who have been
feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you
clothe yourselves with wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed
the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick,
you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you
have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them.”
In
much the same way that Jesus speaks centuries later, the prophets judge kings
by how they care for the sheep, especially the most vulnerable. And God’s
judgment is especially on these “false shepherds” who enrich themselves at the
expense of the flock.
King
Ahab and Queen Jezebel certainly fall into the category of false shepherds. Their
story opens with this ominous note. Ahab, son of Omri did evil in the sight of
the Lord more than all who were
before him. And in our reading this morning, Ahab and Jezebel engage in
a textbook case of bad shepherding, murdering Naboth in order to get what they
want.
It
is more than God can bear, and Elijah is dispatched to speak to Ahab on Yahweh’s
behalf. “Thus says the Lord: In
the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your
blood.” The Old Testament isn’t
at all squeamish about a little blood and gore. To keep this morning’s reading at
manageable length, we only heard prophecy against Ahab. Jezebel’s is even
gorier, and if you read on far enough, you’ll see both their fates come to
pass.
I
can do without the blood and gore, but there is still something profoundly
comforting about the story of Ahab and Jezebel. The notion that God is appalled
whenever leaders use their position to pad their and their cronies’ nests at
the expense of the weak and vulnerable gives me hope. I only wish that God’s
timetable was a bit quicker.
Living
in the DC area, we see lots of shepherds, people charged with the welfare of
districts, states, the nation. And the current cynicism toward politicians says
something about the sort of shepherds we often judge them to be. Our form of
government is intended to ensure that all are represented, that the little
sheep don’t get pummeled by the big ones or abused by bad shepherds. But the
cynical view expects our shepherds to be in league with the wealthy and special
interests. And when they finish playing shepherd, it expects them to find
lucrative careers as lobbyists.
Jesus,
the good shepherd, doesn’t generally keep company with the wealthy and the
corporate bigwigs, but he is regularly found among the weak, the sick, the
exploited, and the vulnerable. He says that his followers will be found there
as well. And he insists that how people treat “the least of these” will be the
measure by which they are judged.
Relatively
speaking, Americas are some of the most generous and charitable people in the
world, so there are ways in which we reflect Jesus and the prophets’ concern
for the weak and vulnerable. But we are also an extremely individualistic and
consumerist country where people are judged by the clothes they wear, the car
they drive, and the home they live in. The pressure to measure up on all these
can be tremendous, and it is easy to get so focused on self that we lose sight
of “the least of these,” even decide that everyone’s fate is their own doing,
and “not my problem.”
It would be easy to miss it from the
shape Christianity sometimes takes in this country but the faith is not simply
about “believing in Jesus” and being moral, or about a few litmus test social issues.
In both Old and New Testament, faith is about building a good and just society,
one that is especially attentive “the least of these.” Jesus calls it the
kingdom of God, and at times he goes so far as to say that this new day will require
a great leveling, one that lifts up the poor and lowly while pulling down the
rich and powerful. And he calls all who would follow him to adjust our ways so
that they fit into the new ways of this kingdom.
______________________________________________________________________________
Today
we recognize our graduates, and we celebrate their significant accomplishments.
We also look forward to the choices that lie before them, choices about college
majors, career directions, and life goals. And on this occasion we do well to
remember that such choices are often intimately connected to moving toward a
good and just society, to bearing witness to God’s coming kingdom. In making such
choices, what is it that drives you, that motivates you? What sort of world do
your choices envision?
Fred Rogers, of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood fame, was a man
of deep faith and actually an ordained Presbyterian pastor. There’s a famous story
about him being chauffeured to a fancy party at a PBS executive’s house and there
discovering that the limo driver was going to have to wait outside for hours. Realizing
this, he insisted that the driver come in and join them, much to the consternation
of his wealthy host.
On the way home,
Rogers sat up front with the driver. On learning that they were passing near
the driver’s home, he asked if they might stop so he could meet his family. The
driver reported that it one of the best
nights of his life. The house came alive when Mr. Rogers entered. He played
jazz piano and visited with the family late into the night. And for the rest of
his life Rogers sent notes and kept in touch with a driver he met that one
night.[1]
Now none of us will
ever be Fred Rogers, and few of should aspire to be. But I am quite sure that
he well understood about good shepherds and bad ones. He knew all about the
kingdom, God’s new, good, and just society, and he lived his life in ways that
embodied that new day, and that let others glimpse it. That is one reason people
found him so appealing.
According to our
scripture today and according to the stories of Jesus, God is with and for the
Fred Rogers of the world, no matter how powerful and successful the Ahabs and the
Jezebels of the world may seem. And in all of our life choices, whether you are
just now considering your college major or career track, whether you are
nearing a career’s end, or whether you are deep into retirement, Jesus calls
every one of us to work for the coming of God’s new day. And God has sent us
Jesus, the good and true shepherd, to show us the way.
Thanks be to God!
No comments:
Post a Comment