Every day this blog will set the bible passages from the Revised Common Lectionary alongside a headline from world news.

CHRISTIAN WORSHIPPERS MASSACRED IN EGYPT

Genesis 28:10-22

10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went towards Haran. 11He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. 12And he dreamed that there was a ladder* set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13And the Lord stood beside him* and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; 14and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed* in you and in your offspring. 15Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’ 16Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!’ 17And he was afraid, and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’

18 So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19He called that place Bethel;* but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that you give me I will surely give one-tenth to you.’

After the killings in Egypt

All stories about Jacob are characterful and none more than this, in which the Lord tells Jacob that he and his descendants are central to God’s purpose of bringing blessing to all the families of the earth. Jacob responds by trying to tie God more firmly to his own welfare: if God looks after Jacob, he will look after God. He names the place, that is, he makes it his own, by calling it “house of God” although its present owners call it Luz. Jacob perverts the call of God into an assurance of support for him and his tribe. Indeed, a whole dimension of religion can be illustrated by the contrast between those for whom “house of God” means “we learn to be on God’s side” and those for whom it means “God learns to be on our side.”

If those who killed the Christian worshippers in Egypt are Moslems, they are bad Moslems who have forgotten the justice of Allah and have turned their God into an idol of ideological supremacy. Christian imperialism from Constantine to George W. Bush has been an example to them. I was pleased to see that Moslem leaders in Egypt have declared their horror at this atrocity and offered their condolences.

Jacob’s story goes on to show the painful steps by which he learns what’s involved in being a blessing to “all the families of the earth.” It’s a lesson that people of faith need to learn again and again.

one flock, one shepherd

John 10:7-17

7 So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

11 ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.

Bible language about sheep and shepherds is always about the people of Israel and its leaders. Jesus characterises the kings/leaders of Israel as thieves and bandits who used the people to enrich themselves through murder and destruction. There are many such leaders/governments today. A people for whom Jesus is the way into community (the gate) will find abundant life as opposed to abundant death.

One flock?

Jesus is depicted as both “gate” and “good shepherd”. As good shepherd Jesus exposes himself to the violence that threatens the flock, giving his life not just for them alone but for all sheep everywhere. The gospel of John is a favourite of those who interpret its teachings in terms of individual faith and salvation. My only criticism of that is its limitation: the language of this gospel is often, as here, uncompromisingly political, and we have to learn what it means for Jesus to be our leader (and our model of leadership) as well as our saviour. As political persons and communities we are asked to choose between the good shepherd and the thieves and bandits.