Disciples
Are…
Wise
as
Serpents,
Innocent
as
Doves
More
Than
a
Fence
Ezekiel
34.23-31
Matthew
10.5-16
Central
Presbyterian
Church
Lafayette,
IN
November
1,
2009
Dr.
William
M.
Smutz
In
the
poem
“Mending
Wall”,
Robert
Frost
describes
the
annual
spring
ritual
of
walking
with
his
neighbor
along
the
stone
wall
that
divides
their
property.
Each
man
walks
on
his
own
side
of
the
wall,
and
together
they
reset
the
stones
that
frost
and
snow
and
hunter
and
animal
have
displaced
over
the
course
of
the
past
winter.
As
they
tend
to
this
chore,
Frost
asks
his
neighbor
why
they
even
bother
to
mend
the
wall.
I
only
have
apple
trees,
says
Frost,
and
you
only
have
pine
trees.
It’s
not
like
they
are
going
to
cross
over
the
wall
and
bother
each
other.
In
utter
seriousness
the
neighbor
responds,
‘Good
fences
make
good
neighbors.’
In
utter
seriousness
the
neighbor
responds,
“Good
fences
make
good
neighbors.”
Whether
we
know
Frost’s
poem
or
not,
most
of
us
have
probably
heard
the
line
about
fences
and
neighbors,
and
at
some
level
many
of
us
probably
agree
with
it.
There
is
something
comforting
about
the
separation
and
the
clarity
that
a
fence
provides.
A
fence
makes
clear
where
the
boundary
is,
and
whose
side
is
whose;
a
fence
offers
privacy,
and
clarifies
an
area
of
responsibility
–
I
rake
the
leaves
in
this
area;
a
fence
keeps
some
in
and
others
out!
When
it
comes
to
people,
however,
and
our
relationships
with
each
other
–
our
boundaries,
for
better
or
for
worse,
don’t
come
with
fences.
At
least
not
the
physical
kind
made
of
wood
or
plastic
or
chain
link
or
wrought
iron
or
barbed
wire.
We
do
have
boundaries,
most
of
us…
But
they
are
emotional
and
relational
and
not
physical.
Kinds
of
behavior
with
which
we
are
comfortable,
and
not
comfortable.
Situations
in
which
we
feel
safe,
and
in
which
we
squirm.
Topics
of
conversation
which
we
find
acceptable,
and
those
like
sex
and
money
and
religion,
and
maybe
even
politics,
which
we
frequently
find
less
acceptable.
For
the
most
part
we
have
great
difficulty
with
these
less-tangible
inner-personal
boundaries.
They’re
not
like
a
fence
that
can
be
seen
and
touched,
and
that
clearly
separates.
Our
emotional
boundaries
are
invisible
and
uncertain,
and
can
change
and
shift
as
rapidly
as
our
moods.
And
yet,
as
difficult
as
emotional
boundaries
are
for
us,
I
believe
that
having
and
maintaining
healthy
emotional
boundaries
is
an
important
aspect
of
our
discipleship.
For
Jesus
consistently
displayed
wise
and
appropriate
and
healthy
and
faithful
emotional
boundaries
in
his
interactions
with
others.
And
as
his
disciples,
we
are
called
and
expected
to
follow
in
his
ways
and
steps.
In our Old Testament lesson, Ezekiel describes the shepherd-servant whom God will raise up to care for the people of Israel, and to care for all people everywhere. God’s good shepherd will bring order and justice and will protect the weak from the strong. God’s shepherd-servant will know who he or she is, and what she or he is suppose to do; and not be turned aside from God’s purposes by anyone else for any reason. The good shepherd will model the characteristics and qualities that God’s people –that disciples like you and me – are to embrace and to live out.
Our
Gospel
lesson
is
a
reminder
that
Jesus
is
the
good
shepherd-servant,
and
that
our
calling
as
disciples
is
to
the
world.
Jesus
invites
and
expects
us
to
be
out
among
God’s
people
making
a
difference
for
good;
to
be
speaking
and
demonstrating
God’s
love;
to
be
inviting
others
to
join
us
on
the
never-ending
and
never-dull
adventure
of
discipleship.
As
Jesus
invites
us
out
into
the
world,
however,
he
invites
us
to
leave
behind
part
of
who
we
are;
he
invites
us
to
let
go
of
those
unhealthy
emotional
boundaries
that
give
us
so
much
trouble.
Jesus
invites
us
to
let
go
of
certain
habits
and
patterns
of
behavior
that
lead
us
to
fence
ourselves
off
from
others
instead
of
embracing
them.
Jesus
was
always
out
among
people
who
did
not
value
his
passions
for
God’s
justice,
and
for
sharing
the
love
of
God.
He
could
have
stayed
away
from
such
people,
fenced
himself
off
from
such
people,
in
order
to
remain
pure
and
secure
in
his
values.
Jesus
could
have
let
the
opinions
and
values
of
others
sway
him,
and
change
his
focus
to
something
less
then
God
desired.
But
Jesus
was
always
clear
about
who
he
was,
and
what
he
was
doing,
and
whom
he
served.
And
he
continually
invited
those
around
him
to
be
transformed
through
God’s
love
of
them.
I
believe
our
effectiveness
and
faithfulness
as
disciples
is
enhanced
or
limited
by
the
emotional
and
relations
boundaries
that
we
embrace
and
practice
toward
others.
Does
God
define
us,
or
do
others?
Do
we
empower
others
to
be
in
charge
of
their
own
life
and
their
own
faithfulness,
or
do
we
interfere
by
trying
to
do
such
things
for
them?
Do
our
relationships
with
others
create
life
and
new
possibilities
for
faithful
living,
or
something
less,
something
more
like
despair?
Embracing
the
example
of
Jesus,
imitating
the
healthy
emotional
and
personal
boundaries
he
practiced,
involves
much,
much
more
than
simply
building
a
fence
around
ourselves,
around
our
families
around
our
community
or
nation
or
church,
and
declaring
that
everyone
on
the
inside
is
good,
and
everyone
on
the
outside
is
bad
or
scary.
Our
Gospel
lesson
ends
with
Jesus’
warning
that
when
we
go
out
into
the
world
like
he
expects
us
to,
we
will
be
like
sheep
among
the
wolves…..And
that
we
need
to
be
wise
as
serpents
and
innocent
as
doves.
Now,
for
sheep
to
survive
when
surrounded
by
wolves
is
something
of
a
miracle.
So
I
think
Jesus
is
telling
us
that
the
only
way
to
survive
discipleship,
is
by
always
bringing
the
best
we
have
to
our
relationships
with
others.
To
come
to
others
knowing
who
we
are,
knowing
that
it
is
God
whom
we
serve,
and
knowing
that
we
can
be
completely
honest
with
all
others
–which
I
believe
is
the
innocent
as
doves
part.
That
we
can
be
completely
honest
about
the
transforming
love
of
God
which
we
come
to
share,
because
Jesus
is
our
example,
and
Jesus
is
our
protecting
presence.
We
can
be
among
wolves
and
feel
safe,
because
Jesus
guides
us
and
cares
for
us.
Toward
the
end
of
“Mending
Wall”,
Robert
Frost
worries
about
the
offense
given
by
the
building
of
walls
which
fence
some
in,
and
fence
others
out.
He
suggests
that
those
who
build
fences
live
in
some
kind
of
darkness,
where
fear
and
the
need
to
be
in
control
justify
their
actions.
Jesus invites us to be more than fence builders. Jesus invites us to live beyond our fears; to put aside every emotional boundary we can create, and reach out to all those around us with God’s amazing and transforming love.
It’s
time
to
go.
God
has
need
of
us,
and
we
are
God’s
people.
It’s time to go. We are Jesus’ disciples for the world!
Amen!!!
©
2009
William
M.
Smutz