Take me, instead!

The Friday morning Gospel Reflection from the Daily Devotions reads:

Jesus, you are the good shepherd,
you are willing to die for the sheep.
You are the good shepherd:
as the Father knows you and you know the Father,
and your sheep know you;
you are willing to die for us.
The Father loves you because you are willing to give your life;
no one takes your life from you;
you give it up of your own free will;
you are the good shepherd.
Jesus is the good shepherd who understands our frailty,
and knows each one of us by name.


Some theologians think that Jesus didn't really exist. They think that the story of Jesus's brief two year tenure of preaching and teaching is a wonderful story teller's symbolic representation of the life that we, ourselves, are supposed to live. Some believe he really did exist and the stories in the bible are actual accounts of one man's journey in God, or even God made manifest.


I have always been a little confused by Jesus. Unlike many Christians, I usually talk about God or the holy spirit, instead. In particular, his death confuses me. Is it suicide; God killing itself? Why couldn't Jesus twiddle his thumbs and stand on his head and have that redeem our sins, instead? How does death redeem our sins, anyway? Etc. Etc.

The one thing I can do is relate to the passage above. Maybe it is because I grew up in the country and know people who had sheep. Sheep are very skittish and shy. They also actually get to know the voice of one or two people and respond positively to them and will follow them around. I also know that sheep are valuable commodities and can imagine shepherds going to great lengths to protect their flock.

If you can't relate to sheep then ask yourself what parent wouldn't be willing to give up their life for their child, if given the opportunity. I would make that trade in an instant. Put me under that truck. Give me that cancer. Holy spirit protect my children. Lift up the wings of the plane so that they can be carried safely across the country. Keep them afloat. See to it that no one hurts them. Provide them with enough food. Keep their hearts from being broken. Encase them in your love. Protect them from harm.

So, just like God, the Father, is like a parent to us, Jesus wasn't just being a good shepherd, he was being a good parent as well. Whether in truth or in metaphor the message remains the same. Why our redemption had to happen the way it did is still beyond me, but the message is clear that he really did love us with a deep and profound love.  "Take me", he said. "Take me, instead."