The Sheepfold and the Voice of the Shepherd

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Stone sheepfold John 10:22-30 Recently my boys have been spending a great deal of time outside in the area that will soon be transformed into our garden. They spend endless hours digging in the dirt for worms. They then promptly take those worms and throw them to the chickens. It amazes me how even chickens can learn to recognize sounds or voices. My oldest makes this funny high-pitched sound when he comes out of the house and heads toward the coop. The chickens practically fall over themselves running toward the fence or out of the coop when they hear him making his sound. They know there is food to follow! In Sunday's Gospel Jesus tells us that, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." and "I am the gate for the sheep." Today, again, Jesus mentions that His sheep know His voice and follow Him.  In these few verses we learn that Jesus is both gate and shepherd for the sheep. In those days and even today in some places, a sheepfold w
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If today you hear His voice..

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Mark 4:1-20

"If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts." (Psalm 95:7,8)

For a long time I interpreted this as saying that if today you happen to have God speak to you, you should not harden your heart. However, I now see this as saying that God speaks to us everyday and in many ways. In fact, He is constantly speaking to us. Yet, often when I hear that still, small voice of God, I do harden my heart because what He is speaking is making me uncomfortable.

Keeping this in mind helped me to wade through the depth and richness of today's Gospel. It was especially important to listen to what is really being said by Jesus. In fact, the Gospel repeatedly tells us to listen. Jesus begins His parable with that very word, "Listen!" He ends the parable by saying the word "hear" twice. Then in the course of explaining the parable to the disciples, He uses the word "hear" five times. I think Jesus is trying to drive home a point!

In this crowd there were many different types of people. Many of them were the same folks who had traveled great distances to hear Him and be healed by Him. In this crowd were people who fit into the four categories Our Lord uses in His parable. There were those who had evil intentions and ideas. They heard the words of Jesus but never allowed the seed to be planted. Instead, their evil thoughts and intentions consumed the seed of the Gospel like a bird. There were those who were weak and simply following the crowd. They too heard the word of God and something inside of them may have been stirred. Yet, when confronted by friends, family, or religious authority, the plant of faith quickly withered and died. There were people there that were of a worldly mindset. While they were seaside listening to Jesus' words they were filled with joy and hope but they allowed the cares of the world to choke out their belief. Finally, there were those who were open, honest, and contemplative. They heard the word, took it in, prayed over its meaning and it began to take root. The more they tended to their faith, the more it grew until it became fruitful.

Jesus knew that all of these types were in the crowd and knew that each one would receive His words in their own way. They all heard the same thing but reacted differently. He also knew that many, like the scribes, Pharisees, and Herodians, whom He had already dealt with, would not be able to understand His word. They had ears but could not hear because of their own stubbornness and therefore they would not turn and be forgiven. They heard His words but hardened their hearts.

I believe here I have to be fair and not assume that everyone outside the select group didn't have a clue as to what Jesus was talking about. I must admit, that if I read the parable only and forget that I know what happens next, the parable is a bit strange. It's basically a strange gardening lesson.

I would like to think that perhaps I would have left that place thinking about what He had said, prayed about it, and contemplated it for quite some time until God revealed to me what it meant.  I'm not sure that would have happened, it would have depended on the soil of my soul at the time.

One other thing to consider in this Gospel is God's generosity. If we read the passage carefully we will see that 3/4 of the seed was wasted. He knows it will fall in areas where it just won't grow yet He never holds back His grace!  How then can I be selfish in any way?

FROM THE SAINTS - "...the sovereign goodness poured an abundance of graces and benedictions over the whole race of mankind and upon the angels; [...] every one received his portion as of seed which falls not only upon the good ground but upon the highway, amongst thorns and upon rocks, that all might be inexcusable before the Redeemer, if they employ not this most abundant redemption for their salvation." - Saint Francis de Sales, Treatise on the Love of God, book 2, chap. 7


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