Are you vulnerable?

WE ARE VULNERABLE

Jn. 10:27-30

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus compared His disciples to sheep.  That is a familiar biblical analogy.  The prophets often used this image.  Isaiah wrote, "We have all gone astray like sheep."  The psalmist said, "We are His people, the sheep of His flock."  This theme runs right throughout the Bible:  people are like sheep.  When we pause to consider it, that is not a very flattering comparison.  Sheep are not noted for their intelligence, or their strength, or their speed, or any of the other qualities that we admire.

Some creatures have the ability to find their way home.  Dogs do, cats do, and pigeons do.  Take them miles away, turn them loose, and they will eventually get home, but not sheep.  Take them a short distance from the fold, turn them loose, and they will just wander aimlessly.  If they ever get home, it will be by sheer accident.  Some creatures, like the big cats, are noted for their strength.  They do not need anyone to take care of them.  They can take care of themselves but not sheep.  They need a shepherd; else they will die or be killed.

For myself, I do not like this biblical analogy.  If I had to be compared to a four-legged creature it would be a lion.  If someone said, "Look at that person.  He is just like a lion."  It would mean he is strong and courageous.  But if someone said, "Look at that person.  He is just like a sheep."  It would probably mean he is easily led, he hasn’t a mind of his own.  He just goes along with the crowd.  If someone compared me to a lamb, that would be a little better.  It would probably mean that I am gentle.  But a sheep?  No one wants to be called a sheep.

That is, however, what Jesus called His disciples.  He said, "My sheep hear My voice.  I know them, and they follow Me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish."  What did that mean?  From His side, it meant He loved His disciples and was committed to their care now and for all eternity.  From their side, I think it meant they were vulnerable.  They could be easily hurt.

To say that of you and me may not be flattering, but it would certainly seem to be true.  We are vulnerable.  We can be hurt quite easily.  In childhood, it is stubbed toes and skinned knees.  In the adult years, it is broken relationships and broken hearts.  It ruined reputations and faded hopes.  It is unfaithful friends and unfruitful efforts.  There are a thousand different ways that we can get caught in the machinery of life, and come out bruised, battered, and broken.  When Jesus called His disciples "My sheep", He knew what He was saying.  We are vulnerable.  How do we deal with this reality in our lives?

The first thing we do is accept it.  We are like sheep and it is really quite foolish for us to pretend otherwise.  Yet, that is what we often do, at least some of us.  We swagger through life, acting as if everything is under control.  It really does not matter much what may happen.  We are big, strong, and tough.  Let come what may, we can handle it.  No challenge is too great.  No fate is too severe.  We can handle it. 

If you and I should ever find that neither friend nor foe could hurt us we would not be real men and women.  To be subject to pain is part of what it means to be human.  Let us accept this truth about ourselves and not pretend otherwise.  We are like sheep.  We are vulnerable. 

Another thing we can do with this reality is share it.  Sheep are what we call gregarious animals.  They do not try to go it alone.  They live in flocks.  For some reason, sheep need each other, and so do people.  It is not so bad being vulnerable, when we are surrounded by friends and family who are just as vulnerable as we are.  We can use this fact to our advantage, encouraging those weaker than ourselves and finding help from those stronger than us.  But some people try to hide their vulnerability from everyone.

A woman in the middle years of life said, "I do not remember ever hearing my father say, “I was wrong”, or “I am sorry”, or “Please forgive me.”  He never said words like these which was sad.  However, His daughter was vulnerable.  She had gone through a painful divorce.  As a single mother, she had struggled with rearing her children.  As the family breadwinner, she had just about made ends meet.  She had wept.  She needed help, but her father put on this brave front, and could not show care for his daughter.  He could have cared and he could have become an intimate friend with her.  The result was that they were never close. 

One of the most loved athletic figures in the world is professional golfer, Ben Crenshaw.  The reason for this was obvious.  On the final day of a Master’s Tournament as he was walking down the eighteenth fairway, he was fighting back tears.  The crowd knew why.  On the previous weekend, in Austin, Texas, his golf coach and life-long friend, Harvey Pennick, had died.  Crenshaw had dedicated this tournament to him.  On the last green, he sank the final putt, winning the Masters by one stroke.  He held his face in his hands, and wept like a child.  He made himself vulnerable in front of all those people.  Ben Crenshaw is not only a great golfer; he is a real human being.  That is why he is so loved.

Lord Jesus, You called Your disciples, "My sheep".  We are all vulnerable.  Let us share this part of us, not only with each other, but also with You for You are vulnerable too, for You have been hurt.  You understand our pain, because You have been there.  May we not be afraid to cast our every care upon You.  You can be trusted to hold us gently but firmly in the hollow of Your hands.

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