The Good Shepherd

Spirituality Column #26
May 8, 2007
Current in Carmel (IN) Newspaper

The Good ShepherdBy Bob Walters

Should Jesus have fired the Apostles?

The 12 Apostles of the four Gospels were a motley crew … regular just-like-us guys of their time. They were hand-picked by Jesus and had constant front-row exposure to Christ’s teaching and miracles.

Look how they reacted to Jesus: God Incarnate, The Good Shepherd.

As a group the Apostles variously wavered in their faith, were confused by His teaching, second-guessed His intentions, questioned His divine nature, betrayed Him to the Pharisees, went to sleep on Him in the Garden, denied knowing Him at His trial, ran from Him at the crucifixion (everyone but John), and when He appeared in a locked room with them days later … doubted Christ’s resurrection.

With friends like that, who needs a Pharisee?

The point is, should there be a Christian anywhere who is surprised when another Christian goes astray? Or should any of us be surprised when we doubt our faith or question God’s motives?

It is instructive to see how Jesus reacted.

Jesus mildly rebuked the Apostles who slept as He prayed for His life at Gethsemane, basically shrugged off Judas’ betrayal, and struck up an engaging conversation with Pontius Pilate, who soon gave Him over to execution.

Above all, He was kind and compassionate with the downtrodden; and brilliantly shrewd with the proud. He did not un-define sin for the comfort of others, but urged all to “follow me” (20 times in the Gospels) and to “go and sin no more.”

Jesus brought grace, yet warned about end times, hypocrisy, unbelief and the eternal consequences. He was plenty tough, but grace does not mean there was no room for sternness and admonishments in His teachings.

When we sin – and keep sinning – we miss the exquisite experience of Christ as the Good Shepherd.

That’s an experience you want.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) has great reason to be glad God does not remember our sins.