April 28, 1996 Fourth Sunday of Easter John 10:1-10

BACKGROUND

Today's reading offers two parables or metaphors. The first shows a contrast of ways to approach the sheep. Entering through the gate is the way of the good shepherd. All other ways are not in the best interest of the sheep. The second parable describes the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd. The sheep only recognize the voice of their own shepherd, not that of the stranger who does not use the gate. Any one who had just heard Jesus condemn the blindness of the Pharisees should have heard this as a warning about listening to their teachings. Still, as with the other parables of Jesus, those who hear these stories do not understand their meaning. Jesus must interpret them for the crowd. In addition to being the Good Shepherd, Jesus is the gate through which we, the sheep, enter. Others try to destroy. He wishes to show the way to fullness of life.

STORY

This is the story of how a village became the orchard center of the area. The people were on the verge of starvation. The river that flowed through their fields overflowed and destroyed their only crop. People grumbled, "If only we could have done like other villages and used the land in the hills to plant our seeds." It was not just the stone wall that surrounded the land that kept them away. The long ago curse a dying man put upon the land frightened them. The present villagers weren't sure how the curse originated. Still, they were afraid of the land behind the wall. If only someone could get behind the wall, they would know if the curse still held. When word of their dilemma spread, suggestions aplenty were offered. One man proposed to build a catapult, offering to be shot over the wall with a rope attached that would pull him back. He wanted half of their stored grain. Too much, said the leaders. Another offered to build a scaffold around the wall so the village leaders could peer over it. They would need to cut down all the trees in the village for the scaffolding.The leaders were unwilling to do that. Finally, a stranger, a young man, offered to go behind the wall. He said he knew the way in and was not afraid of what he would find. Since he was not one of their own, the leaders let him take the risk. The youth went to the door of the wall, pulled out a stone, reached in, opened the door from the inside, and entered. When the youth stepped out, he held what looked like a red ball. He invited the leaders to approach the door and peer in. What they saw were row upon row of trees, filled with more red balls. As they gaped in astonishment, the young man bit into his red ball and encouraged them to pick one and do the same. When they marveled at the taste of the ball, the man youth told them that it was his ancestor who as a soldier had saved apple seeds and then planted them on his return. Not sure if the seeds would flourish on his land, he built the wall to keep the villagers from trampling them. When he and his foreign wife and child were driven out of the village because of prejudice, he took his secret with him. He had not cursed the villagers but had warned them away from his property, hoping to return someday and share his secret with them When marauders killed him and captured his wife and child, the villagers took his words as a curse. The woman and child were rescued and settled in a distant village. The story of the apple orchard came down to this young man. He came to see if the story of the walled in hill was his family story. Being as generous as his soldier ancestor, the youth offered to take down the wall, share the fruit of his trees and help the villagers start their own orchards. No longer completely dependent on the whims of the river, the villagers were able to trade their apple products for grain. They had a new lease on life.