The Shepherd and the Narrow Gate
By Larry Ricksen
Painting by Kathleen Reilley - Mission Ranch 2014
In 2014 my wife and I were vacationing in Carmel. The day before returning home we set out on our favorite hike in the late afternoon when the shadows grow long and colors are enhanced. The hike starts on a trail 100 feet above the ocean, descends to a meandering dirt path above the sand, and eventually circles around a 15 foot cross on a small hill overlooking the vast ocean on one side and the Carmel river on the other. This is our “thin” place where the Celts said the membrane between the visible world and the unseen world felt especially permeable. Here it is where our souls are refreshed, where we stand in awe and wonder at our God’s magnificent creation, and are reminded as we circle the cross of God’s love and forgiveness offered to all humanity through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
On the way home we decided to stop by Mission Ranch for a glass of wine on the outdoor deck. In the distance the sun is setting above Point Lobos, the Santa Lucia mountains are illuminated by the pale sun light, and a flock sheep are lying down in the large green pastures. We noticed for the first time a single black sheep among the two dozen white sheep all of which were resting together and we learned this black sheep was not first accepted when it first joined the flock.
After the sun set I noticed a man climb over the fence to the left of us about 50 yards from the sheep. He walked about 10 feet beyond the fence and simply stood there observing the sheep. We wondered what he was doing. As we turned our attention back to the sheep we noticed that all of them were now standing and carefully watching him. He didn’t move for 15 minutes and the entire time the sheep were still and never took their eyes off him. We wondered whether he was a friend or foe.
Finally, the man starting slowly walking toward a narrow gate near the edge of the huge pasture and the sheep began to follow him. When he reached the gate he opened it and the sheep filed through two by two with the black sheep leading the flock. There was no rush for the gate and no pushing or shoving to get a better position. And we didn’t hear a word spoken by the man so what we observed happened in silence.
It wasn’t until the next morning as we enjoyed our spiritual breakfast that we recognized the beauty and blessing of what we had witnessed. It was a visible expression of our life with Christ, our good shepherd.
John 10 Excerpt . . . “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep 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 are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
Psalm 23 . . . The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.