I am preparing to take the funeral of a person who died age 71. She had been disabled from birth, could not communicate, and had severe learning difficulties. She required 24-hour care and has been very much loved by her family. I am a guest vicar at this church.
After the usual funeral reading from John 14, concluding with “I am the way, the truth and the life – no one comes to the Father except through me”, I am going to add this passage from John 10:
“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. 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.”
I love this passage from John 10 because it records Jesus telling his disciples (who might have felt excited being part of the ‘in-crowd’), that Jesus knows others. He will call others in the kingdom that the disciples do not know. These other sheep may listen and communicate with Jesus in a different way. That, too, is God’s call.
So, I was quite surprised to read a comment on this text from the person planning the service. While he liked John 10: 14-16, he said “but it cannot mean there is salvation for those who have not come to Him and we always need to be careful to avoid giving that false assurance, which might leave people satisfied not knowing Him”.
I am not sure we can say that. Salvation is God’s call and not ours. We are called to offer this hope continually in Jesus’ name.
I am guided by this verse from Ezekiel 22:30:
“And I looked for anyone among them who would repair the wall, and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it…”
This verse tells me that alongside building the wall of the family of God (which all Christians are called to do), there is also a need to stand in the gap on behalf of the people. The person I am burying today, had minimal communication and there is no way of knowing the nature of her faith in Christ. No-one knows except God. Jesus’ teaching tells us this, and so we can, in prayer, hand this person into God’s safe hands.
Revd Nigel Rawlinson
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