We’re closing in on the 75th anniversary of “The Lord of the Rings.” Although once consigned to the literary ghetto of the fantasy novel, the book and subsequent movies are now part of our common currency, and most people have at least a vague idea of the difference between humans, wizards, orcs, goblins, balrogs, dwarves, elves, hobbits — and ents.
Although, mind you, the characters in the book aren’t always sure themselves. In one scene, after the hobbits Merry and Pippen find shelter with an extremely long-lived tree-like creature named Treebeard, he attempts to describe just exactly what ents, his species, are: “We are tree-herds, we old ents. Few enough of us are left now. Sheep get like shepherds, and shepherds like sheep, it is said; but slowly, and neither have long in the world. It is quicker and closer with trees and ents, and they walk down the ages together.”1
I’m not sure we’ll get much deeper into the relationship between trees and ents, but shepherds and sheep — well, that’s biblical. David, the boy shepherd who became a shepherd king, is famous for having sung, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Jeremiah and Ezekiel cried out against kings who proved to be evil shepherds.2
Today’s passage from the gospel of John is preceded by a passage in which Jesus proclaims himself to be both the gate to the sheepfold and the good shepherd. These words were spoken in response to the opposition from the religious and political authorities who were proving to be poor shepherds. Jesus had just restored sight to a man born blind. When the authorities objected because Jesus broke their interpretation of Sabbath law by healing on the holy day, Jesus seems to be saying they were the false shepherds, and the truly blind.3
Lights! Lights! Lights!
Fast forward to today’s passage. [Editor’s note: Depending on the lectionary you use, your reading may not include verses 22-26. You may wish to narrate the following background nonetheless.] It is now, John tells us, “the festival of the Dedication,” or as we know it, “Hanukkah” It’s winter, it’s colder and Jesus is walking, we are told, “in the portico of Solomon” no doubt to keep out of the wind and stay a little warmer.
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