This is the assurance that we are disciples of Jesus...

1 John 2:3-6 (NRSV)

³ Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. ⁴ Whoever says, ‘I have come to know him’, but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; ⁵ but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: ⁶ whoever says, ‘I abide in him’, ought to walk just as he walked.

The story of Jesus has been told in many ways; His life, death and resurrection have been used by many different interest groups to justify their own values, attitudes, beliefs and actions in the living out of their own world view. These world views are superimposed on the story of Jesus like a type of lens through which a Jesus focussed on meeting the interest groups perceived needs emerges. The disciple of Jesus has a constant struggle to search for the authentic Jesus of the bible and what He taught, practiced and called His disciples to live out in their lives. In our press here in the UK over the past few days there has been a story running about the certain groups holding and promoting Anti-Semitic values and practices. These views and practices are the exact opposite of what Jesus valued, His life practices demonstrated and what He taught. No disciple of Jesus can be faithful to Him while at the same time practice hatred towards the Jewish people (or any other people for that matter). Racism is an addictive, life controlling, life destroying issue and requires repentance, the sincere seeking of forgiveness, the making of amends, a life commitment to the promotion and practice of inclusion and the Christ like valuing of all human life unconditionally.   This Truth is taught by John in today’s readings. The practice of the Truth in the life of recovery is outlined as: we know Jesus and the recovery of who God has created us to be if we ‘keep his commandments’ (see Matthew 22: 34-40). There is no other Truth. Any alternative telling of Jesus values, attitudes, beliefs are described by John as lies. There is no Christian Truth: values, attitudes, beliefs and practices based on anything other than this foundational principle that Jesus taught the love of God and love of our neighbours. ‘…whoever says, ‘I abide in him’, ought to walk just as he walked’ expresses this Truth perfectly.

In John 10: 11-18 we read Jesus words:

¹¹ ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes^[a] it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.’

Here Jesus deploys a well-used metaphor / symbol for God in Hebrew thought that of ‘Shepherd’ and applies it to Himself. In the story, Jesus describes two flocks; His primary audience the Hebrew people (14) and another flock (16) both belong to Jesus and in the end form one flock with one shepherd; Jesus. The second flock is the non-Hebrew people. Both together, all of humanity invited to share in the joy and security of being one people; one humanity. The Truth in the life of the recovery of people who God created us to be is this; we have been created and reconciled into one family in all our rich diversity in and through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. This is the Good News of how Jesus walked this earth.  ‘…whoever says, ‘I abide in him’, ought to walk just as he walked’ this is the assurance that we are disciples of Jesus.