By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
v25Jesus answered, “I have already told you, but you would not believe me. The deeds I do by my Father’s authority speak on my behalf; v26but you will not believe, for you are not my sheep. v27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. v28I give them eternal life, and they shall never die. No one can snatch them away from me. v29What my Father has given me is greater than everything, and no one can snatch them away from the Father’s care. v30The Father and I are one.” (Read: John 10:22-30)
The gospel lesson appointed this fourth Sunday after Easter and a secular world-wide celebration are very appropriate for us to reflect upon even as we go to the polling places this Monday to elect our leaders. With electioneering at its best (and worst) in conventional and electronic platforms, the voters are enticed to vote for a candidate using every means including deception. By deception I mean making lies to be true, fake to be genuine. We have to be discerning. The gospel lesson tells us about the sheep listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ and we can tell of his goodness on the ‘deeds I do by my Father’s authority’(v.25). In almost all part of the world, this Sunday also pay tribute to a great person of great goodness, the mother. This maybe a stroke of serendipity that the lesson and occasion happen a day before election. Let us meditate on them and be seriously guided and discerning!
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Even if you are not a Bible reader you may have learned or heard that the Bible often refers to political and religious leaders as shepherds. In the Old Testament in particular, bad leaders are portrayed as bad shepherds, while God and the future Messiah are described as good shepherds. Furthermore, it is the voice of these shepherds that lets people know their trustworthiness. Jesus tells us that his sheep will listen to and know his voice, not that of the hired hand. Earlier in this chapter Jesus explains to a group of Pharisees that, “the sheep follow him [the Good Shepherd] because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” How can we know the voice of a good shepherd or a good leader based from Jesus’ words in our gospel?
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v25Jesus answered: I have told you, and you refused to believe me. The things I do by my Father’s authority show who I am (John 10:25 CEV). As we prepare to vote for our shepherd in government this Monday, please consider the follower characters of a good shepherd, a good leader as modeled by the Good Shepherd himself. We are not looking for a Jesus Christ to lead us in this election. But being Christ’s followers irrelevant to what church we belong we are enticed to follow the Christ-like way of leadership as qualifications of who to vote for. In summary as exemplified by Jesus the good shepherd showed great concern for his sheep. He provided for them in terms of nourishment and rest. He guided them, leading the way. He was intimately involved with the flock and concerned for the safety of each individual. These in general are our bases on identifying a good shepherd or leader in our time but we can be more specific. And by what the politicians have done (or failed to do) and not promise to do, must be our measuring stick. Let us be more discerning and intelliegent!
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A good shepherd or leader should lead and care by Example. The shepherd “goes on ahead of [the sheep], and his sheep follow him” (10:3-4). Any true leader will lead by example. It is not a case of “do as I say, not as I do.” They are to be worthy models to follow. The law says we pay tax. Then all shall do as expected with no exemption. Trustworthy. Sheep follow the good shepherd “because they know his voice” (10:4). This was learned over time from the consistent and caring treatment of the shepherd toward the sheep. It is not blind obedience. A leader needs to cultivate a deep sense of trust from those he or she leads. This is a quality where one’s voice speaks volumes about the character and care of a leader. Provision. A shepherd provides good pasture (10:9). A sheep says of the shepherd (Psalm 23): “I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.”
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True leaders provide for the needs of those they lead. For instance, they do not grind down their employees in unhealthy environments at less than livable wages. They do not fire them without caring about what happens to them. When it comes to a leadership choice, a person is more important than a profit. A leader acts in a way that gives “life” to those he or she leads (10:10).
Sacrificial. Five times Jesus speaks about laying down his life for the sheep (10: 11, 15, 17-18). This shepherd chose personal sacrifice for the welfare of his sheep.
So it is with true leaders. They willingly experience personal sacrifice for the benefit of those they lead. It’s not about the leader; it’s about those they lead. Hence, if you have billions of pesos due for payment to alleviate the plight of the people why delay paying it?
Invested. The shepherd has a personal stake in the well-being of the sheep. A hired hand will abandon them when the going gets tough or dangerous – for him, it’s only a job. The shepherd is invested in the sheep and sticks with them through thick and thin (10:12). The investment is the promise to serve the people no matter what made during the campaign and debates.
So it is with true leaders. They are personally invested in those they lead.
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Relational. “I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (10:14). The true leader takes the time and energy to build solid and genuine relationships with those he or she leads. Those led are not viewed as mere employees, servants, or objects; each is known and treated as an “image of God.”
Visionary. Jesus moved toward increasing the size of his flock – those who would become his genuine followers (10:16).
True leaders have a vision for the future and move toward it.
These are a few qualities modeled by Jesus the Good Shepherd and we can learn from his example to become better leaders and select good leaders in this opportune time of election.
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The following observation expressed in a sermon by a lady preacher ten years ago still holds and alarmingly more intense today: “Today it is perhaps harder than ever to distinguish between voices of the good and the bad shepherds, simply due to the large number of loud, public voices competing for our attention and our loyalty. And furthermore, these voices that attempt to shepherd us through confusing paths often contradict one another. It can indeed be quite challenging to discern the voice of a trusted guide out of a cacophony of facts, pseudo-facts, speculations, opinions and falsehoods that bombard our ears every day. Some voices employ the tried and true tactic of taking unpleasant or threatening truths and casting them into the realm of doubt or uncertainty. When the jury still seems to be out, we can go with business as usual rather than confronting harsh realities and enacting some changes.”
The voice of the good and bad shepherds has increasingly become more sophisticated and efficient with the advancement of information technology. It is now up to us to discern, screen, sift or assess the information being fed to us.
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And this Sunday is also Mother’s day. I have no qualms of saying that basically by nature and instinct mothers come to the level of the Good Shepherd. This is cut and paste what I wrote sixteen years ago in this paper regarding mother: “We all know that the early years of a child are so important. Our attitudes, our personalities, our values, our habits, our principles —perhaps above all, our self-esteem — and to some degree, our IQ’s, are shaped powerfully by what happens to us in the first years of early childhood. And we must admit that our mother is the most influential person and teacher that molded us to become what we are today. If we detach ourselves from the good formation, we received from our mothers we will be likened to a branch cut off from the vine and we perish – literally. For sure, trouble will come our way once we veer from the guidance and principles that our mother inculcated in us. If we maintain ourselves connected to these, even if our mother will be gone, she will always be with and abide in us.
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In addition, let me share (again) this piece written by David Weatherford entitled, ‘Tribute to Mother’. “Your gentle guidance has immeasurably influenced all that I have done, all that I do, and all that I will ever do. Your sweet spirit is indelibly imprinted on all that I have been, all that I am, and all that I will ever be. Thus, you are a part of all that I accomplish and all that I become. And so it is that when I help my neighbor, your helping hand is there also. When I ease the pain of a friend, she owes a debt to you. When I show a child better way, either by word or by example, You are the teacher once removed. Because everything I do reflects values I learned from you, Any wrong that I right, any heart I may brighten, any gift that I share, or burden I may lighten, is in its own small way a tribute to you. Because you gave me life, and more importantly, lessons in how to live, you are the wellspring from which flows all good I may achieve in my time on earth. For all that you are and all that I am, thank you, Mom.”
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Again maybe a stroke of serendipity, don’t you think the good shepherd of this country amidst all —— is a mother?
Let us pray.
For the Election
Lord, guide the people of the Philippines in the election of their leaders
in government. Help us to choose trustworthy leaders and servants who by honest
administration and laws may promote righteousness and
peace, and the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
For National Unity
O God, the Lord of all nations, who has given us this good
land for us to dwell in: Enable us to love our country. Let our
cultural diversities be our means towards unity. Bless all our
efforts to foster understanding and goodwill, and lead us
into the paths of fellowship and peace, through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
