Once upon a time Jesus told a parable that compared the way sheep respond to their shepherd with how they respond to a stranger or bandit. The sheep run away from people they don’t know, but when the shepherd calls his sheep by name and leads them, they recognize his voice and follow him (John 10:1-5).

But the people Jesus was talking to didn’t get the parable (10:6). So he explained it some more. He identified himself as the gate that the sheep use to enter the sheepfold, and as the good shepherd, who lays down his life for his sheep. In contrast to the thief who comes to steal and destroy, Jesus had come to give abundant life (10:7-11).

And this wasn’t just for a few people nearby: it was for people far away, too, “other sheep that do not belong to this fold.” Jesus would bring them, too, so that there would be one flock of the one shepherd (10:16). This was not just his own idea, he told them: “I have received this command from my Father” (10:18).

Some people found their hearts deeply moved by this message; others decided that Jesus must be demon possessed or insane (10:19-21). It’s the same today: just as much as people back then, we have to make our choice. Do we think that Jesus is the gate through which we come into the kingdom? Will we follow him because he’s the good shepherd who has laid down his life for us, and for all the world, even for those faraway people that we might not know, or might not like? Or do we think, instead, that we can just shrug and dismiss Jesus, because anybody who talked like that must have been out of his mind?

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We haven’t managed to follow you too regularly, Lord; we’ve failed to hear your voice, and often we’ve gotten ourselves distracted and missed the gate and the abundant life. But we trust in you, because you are the good shepherd who comes to find us lost sheep and bring us safely home. Lead us, Lord: we’re ready to follow.