FISH, SHEEP AND PEOPLE

Jesus, help me trust you as much as a pet can trust me to take care of it! Amen.

"Anyone who sneaks into a sheep pen is a robber," Jesus said; "but when the gatekeeper walks through the gate and calls his sheep, they know his voice and follow him. You're like sheep, and I'm the gate -- only people who come to you through me are safe to follow."

Any kid who's ever owned a goldfish knows that, when you feed fish, they sense the food hitting the water and swim to the top of the tank.

A fish or animal doesn't have to be very smart to know that, when there's food coming, they should go after it -- and when there's a person who brings them food and takes care of them, they should follow that person.

Jesus talked about exactly that idea in this week's Gospel (John 10:1-10). He used the example of sheep: When they see the shepherd (Jesus used the word "gatekeeper") coming, they get excited, knowing he brings them food and keeps them safe. The sheep will follow him anywhere.

You have to feed a goldfish or other pet every day for a while before it gets used to you. If a pet is fed at all different times, by different people, it doesn't know who owns it or who's bringing food.

It's sort of the same with us. Jesus hoped people would treat Him a little bit like your fish treats you -- that we'd trust Him, feel happy to be around Him and expect good things from Him!

Feeding a fish also teaches you not to let anyone else mess with your pet. Kids who splash the water or overfeed a fish can scare and hurt it. In Jesus' example, the sheep trust the gatekeeper because he doesn't let anyone hurt them.

That was the other part of Jesus' message: that He's like the gate, keeping hurtful people away from us, and God the Father is like the gatekeeper. We can trust God the Father and trust Jesus to bring us closer to His Father.

Being as trusting as a sheep isn't a "baaad" idea!

(04/10/08)