“No one will snatch them out of my hand.” There probably is not a single phrase in the entire bible that is more powerful than that. It is a phrase that speaks to the close relationship that Jesus has with those who follow. Jesus, our shepherd, calls out and we follow. He knows us and we know his voice. Where he goes, we follow. We are never separated. And, at no point, does Jesus lose track of us. “No one will snatch them out of my hand.”
This is true of actual sheep by the way. Most people are taken back by the relationship between even modern day shepherds and their sheep. For example, when visiting Jerusalem, even today, you may see a sheep herder taking his sheep through the edge of the city, crossing at crosswalks, and the sheep stay right with him through all of the chaos of the city. The shepherd never loses sight of them. No one will snatch them from his hand.
And, in the ancient world where early Christians were hung on crosses, fed to loins, and stoned to death, the word from Jesus that says, “No matter what they do to you, no one will snatch you out of my hand,” is a word to which you cling with your life. It is a word that says, “no matter what anyone does to me, I am God’s.”
I like that. More than “like,” I need that promise, especially this week. This week seemed to be filled with people being snatched away. Last Friday my best friend from childhood died at the age of 46. His death was so out of the blue that it seems as though he was snatched from us.
And, then, my wife’s grandmother died. She became dehydrated where she was staying, and it became too much for her to overcome. Though she was a ripe age, it still feels like she was snatched away for no good reason.
Then, we find out that Pastor Michael Hughes died in his sleep. As you know, he was dedicated to the active mission of Christians in our area for many years and was a listening and comforting voice to colleagues in ministry, such as myself. He was a good friend, and he was snatched away in the night.
So, I need to hear this promise from Jesus Christ, that we are never snatched away from his hands. On weeks such as this, it is a promise to which I cling.
It is a promise to which abused women cling. “No matter how you smack me around, no matter what you force me to do, you cannot steal me from God.”
It is a promise to which forgotten and maligned Argentine Aids patients cling. “No matter where you hide me, no matter how you try to forget me, God will not lose me.”
It is a promise to which those who face the death of a child cling. “My little boy may have been taken from me, but he cannot be taken from his Father and brother in heaven.” “No one will snatch you them of my hand.” These are incredible words of promise to those who believe and belong to Jesus’ sheep.
They are words of promise that sooth a grieving and hurting soul. But, they are more than that. They are also words that bring us together in Jesus Christ. They speak to who Jesus is. Jesus is the one who will not let go. On this, Jesus and God the Father agree. God is a God who will not let go. We are bound together, as a people, as siblings of Jesus Christ, because God will not let go. I guess that you could say that we are a people who do not let go of those around us.
And, that makes me think of Tabitha (or Dorcas in Greek). She was a disciple of Jesus Christ who did not let go. She was a seamstress. She was a maker of clothes to keep people warm and protected from the elements. And, probably most importantly, she was incredibly loving.
Not only did she make clothes for a living, but she also made clothes so that people could live. The Bible says that Tabitha “was devoted to good works and acts of charity.” She was so devoted that when she died, and people could not believe that she was gone, they gathered together all the clothes that she had made, and given away through acts of love, and made a sort of memorial of cloth in her honor for everyone to see. She was so loved that the people showed the love made with her own hands to the apostle Peter. She was so loved that the people of her community could not bear to have her snatched out from their sight.
She was a sheep of Jesus Christ who used her wool to keep others warm. She was a sheep of Jesus Christ who followed her shepherd and never let go of those surrounding her, especially those in need. She was one with Jesus Christ just and Jesus is one with God the father. And, she may have been snatched away from her community, but she was never snatched away from Jesus Christ.
Peter prays in Jesus’ name, and soon Tabitha, the devoted sheep who literally covered those around her with wool of love, sat up, very much alive, and was returned to her people. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand,” Jesus declares.
What if people, when they encounter the church, the siblings of Jesus Christ, felt to their very core that they could never be snatched away? What if people felt like they were wrapped with cloth of love forever when in the presence of the siblings of Jesus Christ? What if?
Do you remember Michael, my best friend since kindergarten, who died suddenly? Though I have known him forever and he me, I learned something new about him over this past week. I learned that he loved his students. It is not that I am surprised about that. He was a teacher of history and culture, and he loved those subjects, and I knew that he loved to teach those subjects. But, what I did not know was how he showed his love. He would take the time to write personal post-it notes for each student, encouraging them in their studies and encouraging them through life. One could say that he covered people with post-it notes of love in the same way that Tabitha covered people with cloth of love, and in the same way that Jesus never forgets a single one of his sheep.
“No one will snatch them out of my hand,”
Psychology teaches us that our actions shape our beliefs. You heard me right. It is not beliefs that shape our actions, but actions which shape our beliefs. Which means that “I’ll believe it when I see it” should probably be changed to: “I’ll believe it when I do it.”
I have experienced this actually. My care and respect for the destitute in the world was pretty much non-existent until I was forced by my pastor to visit a soup kitchen, serve food to the homeless of the city, and actually sit down with them, eat, and talk with them. When I saw that these people had real problems and real needs, and that I had taken part in helping that day to alleviate some of those needs, then I began to believe that we need to care about the poor and the homeless.
Belief and following are not separate things. When we take action, when we follow, then we begin to believe.
So when Jesus says, “you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep,” this is not a condemnation. Rather, it is an invitation. Jesus is teaching what we already know to be true, “you cannot understand until you follow.” It is an invitation to be a part of the sheep. It is an invitation to be a part of this community of people who do not let others be snatched away. It is a holy invitation into a life of wrapping people with love. It is an invitation to do as Jesus does. And, if you do, you will soon deeply understand the promise, “No one can snatch you out of my hand.” And, then you will believe.
Actions shape our beliefs.
So, here is my challenge for you this week. It can go one of two ways. If you heard this text and felt left out of the sheep, or if you heard this text and it created in you a desire to do more and be more in the faith, then I urge you to do something very Christian: Do something to a neighbor or enemy that shows them they are wrapped in love. In other words, “love your neighbor as yourself,” and you will begin to feel as if you are a member of the sheep. After-all, you will believe it when you do it.
For others of you, if you heard this text and felt complete comfort, then I invite you to grab someone in your life who does not feel such a connection to Jesus and his sheep. Invite them to help you with whatever you are doing this week that wraps your neighbor in love, because, they will believe it when they do it with you.
In that way, we will all be able to take comfort in Jesus’ words, “No one will snatch them out of my hand.”
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