OF GOD, SHEEP AND KARMA
The Rev. Harold Shepherd, CD, M.A., S.T.M., LL.B., LL.M.,
Ph.D.
Sermon from May 2, 2004
My sheep hear my voice. I know them,
and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will
never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What
my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one
can snatch it out of the Father's hand. John
10:27-29
One of the characteristics of Jesus’ teaching was his
ability to express principles about the Kingdom of God in
language that was comprehensible to the average person on
his day. For this reason, he spoke in parables or used
language drawn from daily life to make his point. One
example of this is Jesus’ reference to sheep. The
domestication of sheep and goats can be traced back to the
earliest levels of recorded history in Palestine. In fact,
the story of Abraham is one of Semitic migration from
Mesopotamia to Palestine to take up the life of a Bedouin.
This very ancient culture exists to this day in the Middle
East. For the most part, they were semi-nomadic- remaining
on their ancestral home territory during the rainy season
from October until March, then would need to move around
during the dry summer season when the vegetation in one
area had been consumed. The Bedouin, or “people of
the desert,” lived simple lives in proximity to the
land. So it has been for generations. Given the harsh
conditions, the relationship of the sheep to the shepherd
would have been one of dependence. This illustration would
have meant much more to people living in that environment
than to us living in a modern urban setting. But, what was
Jesus saying be referring to sheep?
First, God is not an impersonal force who created the
world, but takes no particular interest in its affairs.
This was the approach taken in the 17th century by Deists.
For them, God is like a watchmaker who, after building the
clock and winding it up, lets it operate according to its
own internal laws without additional intervention.
Buddhists also do not believe in a personal God who has a
plan for people’s lives. For them, life is a cycle
(“samsara”) the involves re-incarnation. What
happens to us after death depends on what we have done in
life. Virtuous acts leave an imprint on our minds, as do
negative acts. The “law of karma” dictates a
relationship between cause and effect. Those who sow seeds
of virtue during life will reap future happiness. In the
end, we are the masters of our own destinies. Many
contemporary forms of teaching that emphasize self-help
through positive thinking take a similar approach, although
the benefits are seen in terms of one’s own lifetime.
It is not self-evident for many people in our culture that
God has a plan for their lives. They may believe in a
supreme being, but spirituality is a matter of inner growth
and self-discovery through finding their own path. Because
of the individualistic nature of this enterprise, no one
religion can lay claim to absolute truth. Each person must
explore values and find a system that works for them. In
the end, all paths lead to God. This is a rather common
approach in today’s “new age” religions
dedicated to “self-actualization” or
self-fulfilment. It can also be found in philosophical form
through existentialism, even within Christianity. This
approach is concerned with becoming fully human and alive
through committing oneself in solidarity to suffering or
marginalized people. Because there are no internal or
external forces that compel one to act in a certain way,
one is completely free to make decisions, although one is
ultimately responsible for the consequences of those
actions. In all of these systems, meaning, value and future
quality of life are all directly related to choices that we
make in our daily lives for better or for worse. There may
be a God and we may be held accountable for our actions,
but this will take place through the law of cause and
effect, not as the result of a directing mind.
For Jesus, our relationship with God is not so. Like a
shepherd, God knows each sheep and cares for each one. The
rod protects us from predators and the staff guides the
sheep. The shepherd knows where the water and vegetation is
and directs the flock to it. There is a guiding mind who
always seeks the best interests of the sheep. This is
achieved in community, not by each sheep seeking his or her
own path based on what seems right to them. Those who stray
from the shepherd risk becoming the meal of a wild beast.
This imagery tells us a lot about the nature of the Church.
Although the Wisdom traditions of the Hebrew Bible teach us
that many of God’s laws and principles can be
discerned in creation, we also acknowledge that we are
called to have a personal relationship with God- to know
the shepherd and to follow his voice. God loves us and has
a plan for each of our lives. He has revealed himself in
Christ and speaks to us through Scripture and the Holy
Spirit. The gentle prodding of the staff may be
occasionally uncomfortable, but it leads us to green
pastures and fresh water.