John 10:14-16
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
I’ve hosted a live Christian talk radio show each weekday since 2011 and when I take phone calls about 1/3 of my callers are African Americans. I have never been afraid to take on hot-button issues and race/racism is a topic that gets a fair amount of play…especially this year (2020). Unlike the mainstream media where they tend to focus on the most strident commentators, on my show the overwhelming majority of African American callers are brutally honest about the topic of racism in our nation—both past and present—yet they are calm and have a biblically based perspective. They are also willing to be forgiving and never appear to hold a grudge.
“So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
One of the most remarkable things about the early church was its diversity. Did that word just “trigger” you? Don’t let it. Jesus is the One True Shepherd and every lamb in his flock belongs to…one flock! This was an anomaly in 1st century life, to say the least. There were multiple and deep divisions along multiple lines amongst all the people:
Jew & Gentile
Master & Slave
Rich & Poor
Roman & Non-Roman
Adult & Child
Women & Men
Educated & Uneducated
Religious Leaders & Common Jews
Citizens & Tax Collectors
We have the same issues today, don’t we? Not so in the early church, and that was an incredible mystery to the watching world. What were all these people doing in the same place at the same time worshipping one God in unison? They were united under the same banner and it stripped away all of their worthless differences while retaining the differences that made them unique and beautiful. As the saying goes, the ground is level at the foot of the cross. The cross removes any perceived advantage and declares all mankind sinful, regardless of ethnicity or status or gender or age. We all become “poor” for the same reason and in Christ, we all become rich for the same reason. In Christ, no man has an advantage over another.
There is a myriad of issues that need to be addressed with respect to racism in our nation, but none of them will actually provide lasting change on a personal level. The only force strong enough to do that is the the One True Shepherd who creates a unified flock of sheep that, while retaining their distinctives, is also capable of a supernatural “oneness.” It is a unity that overrides and heals both petty and significant differences alike, all to the glory of God.
