One community, one Shepherd / Giedrius Saulitis
author: Giedrius Saulitis
translation by B. Rauba
The text of the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 15), read this year during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, speaks of the final victory of Christ over death – when the whole world will be changed by God’s power, and mortals will become immortal. With interdenominational Christian connections in mind, this text leads us to believe that the church will ultimately be united. Not by human power, but by God’s. Therefore, on this ecumenical prayer evening, I chose a verse from the Gospel of John where Jesus directly says: “I have other sheep that are not from my fold; and I need to bring them; they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16). Let me immediately note that the one shepherd of the united church is Christ, and not a man. The context clearly reminds us of this: “I am the good Shepherd, and I lay down my life for my sheep” (John 10:14,15).
Secondly, I would like to draw attention to the fact that Christ’s flock is one, but it lives in different places. Differences between faiths are a reality that is not easy to see, but once seen, it is accepted. Therefore, throughout the history of the church, they try to convert Christians living in other folds, lure them into their flock, and if that doesn’t work, slander or destroy them. It is still difficult to understand that the word “united” does not mean “the same.”
The phenomenon of another brother or sister’s self-expression must be understood as God’s will. By asking rhetorically, Jesus himself seems to suggest what we need to strive for: “If you love only those who love you, then what is your reward? Or don’t tax collectors do the same? Or if you greet only your brothers, how are you better than them? Or don’t tax collectors do the same?” (Matt. 5:46, 47). “If you do good to those who do it to you, then what merit does it give you? And sinners do this” (Luke 6:33). Loving Christians from another flock without destroying our own is a great challenge, but this is the path Jesus calls us to follow. Karl Rachner called Christian unity the difference of a reconciled church. May the Lord hear our prayer this evening and bring us closer and reconcile without destroying our differences.
Without a doubt, in the Gospel of John Jesus speaks of Gentile believers whom he will call as well as the Jews. But today, the sheep from another sheepfold are still sisters and brothers from other churches. Today we can classify different confessions as different cultures, and encounters with theological differences can lead to culture shock. One must have patience and humility in order to see not what divides, but what unites. In the eyes of Christ, the church is one, but it includes all Christian churches. In heaven it is not like in Lithuania, there are no traditional and non-traditional, recognized and unrecognized religious communities. I’m being ironic. It is also unlikely that in the Heavenly City there is an area for Orthodox, Catholics, and at the end for Evangelicals. God’s closeness cannot be measured by confession. It is not belonging to one denomination or another, but the knowledge of Jesus that determines spirituality on earth and in heaven. I don’t think there is anything in the sky like the Berlin Wall.
In both political and church life, walls are built due to insecurity and the search for one’s ambitions. But people who follow Jesus must give this up. The uncrucified desire for power, in my opinion, is the main cause of Christian disagreement. Paul says that if among you there is disagreement, strife, envy, malice, gossip, this all indicates that you are guided by the flesh (Gal. 5:20). In every denomination we will find both saints and sinners. Some encourage you to follow Jesus, while others, on the contrary, discredit Him.
The body of Christ, wounded by schism and destroyed by ruptures, can only be healed by God’s power. But while we wait patiently for “the time of general restoration” (Acts 3:21), we still must do something. We can pray, as Jesus did, “that we may all be one.” “As you are, the Father is in me, and I am in you” (John 17:21). We can stop slandering and bad-mouthing the sheep of the other fold by reminding ourselves that Jesus shed his blood for them too. We can extend our hands to each other in the name of friendship, as the Jerusalem apostles did – James, Kefa, John and Paul, although ours, like their missions, may be different. Let’s stop building walls, as the Israeli king Basha did in Rammah, building a wall so that his sheep would not run over to the tribe of Judah. Let’s better break down the walls of mistrust, like King Asa of Judah did. Let us remember that Jesus blesses peacemakers.
Global unity between faiths is unlikely until, as Paul writes, “death has been swallowed up in victory,” but local unity is easier to achieve. God will take and answer our prayers. I know one thing – that any work for the Lord is not in vain, even if His fruit ripens much later than we would like. Let the words of the Lord, “there will be one flock, one Shepherd,” inspire us to work for this.
source: btz.lt
