Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

John 10:1-18

The first part of this passage is the nearest thing we have to a parable in the Gospel of John, for otherwise, and unlike the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, the Fourth Gospel has no parables. John 10:1-6 makes it clear that the only way to enter the sheepfold is by the gate, and that the shepherd is the one who leads the sheep, who know him by his voice. Then in verses 7-10 Jesus explains that he is the gate, and in verses 11-18, he further elaborates that he is also the good shepherd who lays his life down for his sheep. This is rich imagery, hearkening back to stories and images in the Israelite scriptures, Ancient Near Eastern texts, and Greek and Roman literature. One of the earliest ways of depicting Jesus, moreover, was as a good shepherd as evident in this third century fresco from Italy. Thus early on, the Gospel was communicated by visual means.

[http://timotheosprologizes.blogspot.ca/2006/12/homily-for-feast-of-st-john-damascene.html]

Finally, this is an example of how a gospel writer draws from the lore of traditions that existed prior to the creation of the text, as well as how the text itself then went on to influence art and life within the early church. It is a testament to how religion, culture, and multiple forms of expression intermix and mutually influence one another to form a rich and complex legacy that exists to this day.

-Alicia Batten