Sometimes it feels smarter to stay behind locked doors, minding your own business. The United States is on track for a record setting year of mass shootings. Still, you heard about that guy who killed eight kids, his own kids age 1-12 no less, and you start thinking, “Man… if family isn’t safe, who is?” Be careful out there. Trust feels like a luxury nobody can afford. And please, don’t give me a trite, “God will take care of you” bumper-sticker line. I’m not here for that.

Understood. And granted there are sweet parables on sheep and safety within the flock designed to comfort the soul looking for a shepherd to provide and protect. It harkens back to the old psalm, “He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23) Cute. Comforting. Makes you want to breathe deep and pretend the world’s not on fire. The Good Shepherd has got this.

Lions, Tigers and Bears…And Robbers

But hold up. Now, read this carefully. It’s true; pastoral portrayals calm, sooth, comfort. The soft-focus shepherd stuff calms your nerves, quiets the panic in your throat. But right next to that? There’s the thieves, killers, predators: the “lions, tigers, and bears, oh my” of real life, what threatens the good life. Jesus promises within his sheepfold, he is the gate and those who enter through it will be protected, saved from that which will steal and kill and destroy, the one who keeps the wolves out. Back then, folks knew sheep needed someone watching the door, keeping the flock safe from whatever was lurking in the dark, keeping them secure and separate from danger.

And honestly? A Good Shepherd sounds real good right now.

It’s a nice thought, and nice thoughts are fine, sorely needed now in the noise, negativity and fear loudly playing in the background. These sheep are dear to the shepherd, and at the sound of his voice, they come to him. What a sweet picture: Jesus has his flock all around, a baby lamb in his arms, and if you look closely, you’ll find even the infamous black sheep is included among them. So nice…but listen.

Here’s the twist — the part folks skip because it messes with the cozy picture.

The Conundrum

“He calls his own sheep by name…” They are familiar and loved and each special to the shepherd. Sweet. Safe. Known.

“…and leads them out.” What? Out? If the sheepfold the safe spot, why steer them into that mess, that danger?

But then they’d miss out on those green pastures. If they stay locked in, they risk giving up on the good grass, the real nourishment. The sheep and shepherd take the chance, sticking close where they can hear the Good Shepherd’s voice, gathered together as he leads and goes ahead of them.

To be blunt, this isn’t saying literally to forget precautions, go out in the world, and God will protect you from it. Such an interpretation makes God small, a spiritual dispenser of bulletproof vests. God’s not a vending machine for safety gear. God’s purposes are greater than only the immediate concerns of the day.

Treacherous Travel

To walk through the Good Shepherd’s gate means stepping into that “valley of the shadow of death.” Following him is risky. It never was wholly safe; his life was the epitome of taking on risk. He wouldn’t play it cool with safe messages that pandered to religious hierarchy. He chose disciples with zero clout, no influence to aid his cause. He hung with the wrong crowd: Romans, tax collectors, hustlers, despised Samaritans, women of all kinds. He touched the sick people most avoided. He literally tossed over the tables holding the Temple commerce.

He took risks, big risks, in getting people to green pastures.

Being called by name by the Good Shepherd is to follow him not in safe, comfortable living. You get led but to places where the world is irreligious and dangerous, places everybody else avoids. Name your spot: homeless camps, shelters for mentally disturbed teenagers, recovery rooms for the addicted, porn studios, motels that house the sexually trafficked, where shadowy valleys are dark alleys, anyplace that makes you cringe and draw back, clutch your bag and cross the street.

That’s where Jesus goes, leads the flock, all for the love of God. Because that’s where the hurting are. It’s risky, and he knows it better than any of us.

Yeah, eventually the wolves got the Good Shepherd. He risked it all to meet people where they were, even to the point of death. But that death? That was the gate, the door, the entry into a life that restores the lost to a new kind of living, an abundant life now with purpose beyond oneself.

It swings wide for those who hear his call to follow him, not into the sheepfold though, but on paths that lead out and into the hearts of those who need a Good Shepherd. It’s not a call to hide in the sheepfold. It’s deeper than just “stay safe.”

It’s a call to step out into the world, into the mess, into the lives of people who need a shepherd with purpose, with courage, with love that actually costs something.

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

 John 10:1-10

Named 2024 Notable Book Award by Southern Christian Writers Conference!

The Trouble with Jesus: Considerations Before You Walk Away by Constance Hastings

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