04/27/2026
Easter 4A 4/26/26 Coventry Cross The Rev. Elizabeth Tattersall
“Good Shepherd” Sunday
John 10:1-10
Sheep are often thought of as being stupid. However, like most mammals, they are quite intelligent.
Reasons why sheep are viewed as stupid include the fact that they are herd animals, so they will tend to go along with the crowd. Humans have also been known to get caught up in group/mob mentality. Sheep may panic and act foolishly when they are frightened. The same is often true of frightened humans.
Here’s some evidence of their intelligence. Sheep can remember 50 different faces (of their fellow sheep, humans, other animals). They can navigate complex mazes, often mastering them after only two or three trials. They experience a range of emotions. They have a good sense of smell and taste which enables them to choose to eat plants that are healthy for them and to avoid plants which would harm them.
So do not feel belittled that Jesus compared his followers to sheep and styled himself as the shepherd. The shepherd cares for the sheep, watches out for them, is ready to protect them from dangers. The shepherd knows the sheep by name, and the sheep know their shepherd.
With a good shepherd, the sheep don’t need to fear wolves or other dangers.
Fear does have a place in keeping us safe. It’s natural and appropriate for us to be careful climbing ladders because we fear falling, or to be cautious crossing a busy street so that we are not hit by a car.
However, fear is rampant in our world. Politicians, many media outlets, advertisers, social media influencers all use fear to try to manipulate people. We’ve all heard such statements. “Vote for me to make your community safer.” (were we unsafe?) “Vote for me to protect your rights.” “Vote for me because my opponent is evil.” “Buy this product so that you will stay young.” (we can’t avoid aging)
But the fears that advertisers and politicians encourage us to feel are often fears which are not significant threats to us. For example, our immigrant neighbors are NOT eating our cats and dogs. When we understand how fear is being used by others to manipulate us, we can resist it more effectively.
says Professor Christopher Federico says, “Fear induces withdrawal, stepping back, being cautious. Fear and anxiety get us to stop and re-assess. But often when we re-assess because of fear, we tend to seek out information that reinforces the idea that a threat exists—which is not necessarily the most accurate or objective information.”
Fear can make people support a policy they would otherwise oppose. When you find fear is motivating you, ask yourself “How credible is the threat?” and do some research. Use your formidable brain to assess the situation or claim rather than getting caught up in the group or herd fear mentality.
Rufus Jones (Plain Living p. 72) wrote in about the year 1940: “Christ’s major point…is to get rid of fears and anxieties. It might almost be said that the substance of his mission as a teacher was to free us from the slavery of fears. ‘Who am I to be so fearful?’ he keeps saying. Stop your unnecessary worries. Cut out your excessive anxieties. It has been well said that the most ruinously expensive of all our emotions is fear. It is that very emotion of fear that has thrown our world out of joint and brought us to this unspeakable calamity.”
When we embrace the idea that Jesus is our shepherd, that his life and teachings are for our benefit and when we directly examine his life and his words as they’re recorded in the gospels, then we can see for ourselves that Jesus taught people to trust each other, to support each other, to help each other, to love each other.
Today’s reading from Acts illustrates that kind of love and helping, in which people used their resources to support their fellow believers.
Some friends of mine have told me that when they were younger they belonged to a Christian group which was almost a cult. Although they left that group after a few years, there were things about being part of it that were good; in particular, the exemplary way that the members of the group supported each other’s well-being.
When we trust Jesus as our shepherd, we can live with love as our guiding principle, instead of letting fear and hatred rule us.
A wise man among the Native Americans was asked by his grandson about the conflict and discord in the world. The elder reflected for a moment and then replied, “My child, there are two dogs battling within my heart. One is full of anger, hatred, and rage. The other is full of love, forgiveness, and peace.” The old man paused, and he and his grandson sat for a moment in silence by the side of the stream. Finally, the boy spoke again, “Grandfather, which dog will win the battle in your heart? The one filled with hatred, or the one filled with love?” The old man looked at his grandson and replied, “The one I feed will win.”
The Rev. Rebecca Hansen (Sermons that work) writes: “We are surrounded on all sides by invitations to fear. The fear peddlers in our culture sound a lot like the thieves Jesus describes in … John’s gospel: those who fail to protect the flock because, “they care nothing for the sheep.” The result of their actions then, is to “scatter the sheep,” Jesus says.
“Fear can keep us off balance, divided, and scattered as a people. Instead of coming together in a unified way, we can become so busy and distracted with protecting ourselves—or fighting with one another—that we don’t even realize what the thieves are up to.
“We sheep desperately need a reminder to ignore—and even clearly oppose—the many voices of the thieves who surround us with fear. Instead, we need to listen to and follow the voice of the Good Shepherd, the one who calls us by name.
“This shepherd leads us out of fear and division into peace and unity, where, as Jesus says, “we may be one flock under one shepherd.” The Good Shepherd, unlike the thieves, loves us. Instead of taking from us for personal gain, the Good Shepherd even gives his own life for us. In God, we really have nothing to fear because we are always in the hands of the one who loves us and will never let us go, in life and in death.”(endquote)
Fear can hold us back from doing things that we dream of doing. It can stop us from entering into a relationship, and it can prevent us from leaving a toxic relationship. Fear can hold us back from leaving a job that feels like drudgery and seeking work that we will find more fulfilling. Fear is our enemy. When we choose faith in Jesus, when we choose love and forgiveness instead of fear, we can become our best selves.
What would you do if you were not afraid?
