I owned a small business for ten years, which started as a coffee cart. When people asked about my goals, I’d typically answer, “World domination!” Of course, this was a joke. But like a lot of jokes, it wasn’t really a joke.

I had every intention of growing a small coffee empire, one coffee cart at a time. I was in full empire building mode and was for many years. It was a blast. And it about killed me, it was so hard.

Satisfaction of Empires

That’s the thing with empires is they can be very satisfying endeavors. We can feel like we’re in control, like masters of the universe, and yet they are also susceptible to the life. Things fall apart, entropy happens and we find ourselves hustling to keep it all going and growing. Or maybe we find ourselves in a fairly solid mini empire, our building days behind us, but other pieces tumble. Maybe there’s a death, illness, or painful family dynamics. Or there’s a loss of meaning or stifling isolation, like the old movie Citizen Kane. There is always something amiss in our mini empires, no matter how Pottery Barn perfect or Instagram ready they may be.

Our text today from John is also about empire. Jesus is at the temple, walking in a part of the complex where religious leaders would gather to discuss and this was the feast of Dedication. So, why there and then does this interaction happen? The feast of Dedication is a remembrance of cleansing the temple from multiple previous conquests. So, these religious leaders are at the temple in this place to discuss serious things, full of the images of restoration after occupying forces were gone. And yet they are in a time of occupation again. They are waiting for the Messiah to come, who is expected to lead his people in a military revolution so that the people can be free again. So, they are thinking, Jesus could be the guy! They’re thinking Exodus style liberation and what better time or place to start this conversation.

So, when they say, “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly,” they are thinking about battle plans. That’s their idea of Messiah. And then Jesus says, I’ve shown you who I am with my works. Well, what he’s done thus far in the book of John is turn water into wine, heal an old man on the Sabbath, heal the son of one of the occupiers, and feed 5,000 people. To us, these are wonderful stories of grace and healing, but in the context of their expectations, can you see the disconnect? They are thinking, “We’re ready to rally armies, we’re ready to follow God into battle, but we have to be sure this guy is the Messiah or we’re doomed.” So, the proof Jesus offers is turning water into wine? Awesome, right? But, battle awesome? Exodus awesome? Imagine how underwhelming Jesus’ works might have been to ones who were waiting for the sign to overthrow Rome.

These guys are in empire building mode. They want to set up their world so that it is good, right, fair, and the right people are in charge. Their goal is just. No one thinks Rome was doing great things for this people, so that overthrow seems like a good idea. And ending empire is a good idea.

However, Jesus is not that kind of Messiah. He doesn’t build empires to replace empires. He’s pointing to something else.

This Sunday is called Good Shepherd Sunday and is focused on Jesus as the shepherd. The way he describes this relationship with us, as our shepherd, is that it is unbreakable forever. “No one will snatch them out of my hand,” he says. Likewise, psalm 23 is a human prayer of faithfulness and commitment to God. The psalmist is saying, “No one will snatch God from me even though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death.” We are in relationship that is mutual, loving and includes you and me, and all of creation.

This is what Jesus is offering, but the leaders could not see this. They have certain expectations and Jesus is over here lifting the poor, hungry, or foreign as his priority. So, the people in power don’t feel this saving grace, because it is not yet for them. Jesus is lifting the lowly. The powerful don’t experience this as meaningful or real, because they have battles to plan and here’s Jesus feeding some poor people.

Now, before we judge these leaders too much, let me share some research about people in power. Basically, studies show people who have power act like people with a form of brain damage called “acquired sociopathy” – they care less about others, have less empathy, are more rude, reckless, and arrogant. Basically, when we rise into positions of authority, our neurological default is to become functionally blind to the pain, needs, and even strengths of those beneath us. If you’ve been low in any hierarchy, you probably know this. Yet when we’re high, we tend to know this less and forget it.

So, here’s Jesus lifting the lowly, while the ones with authority in this culture are blind to the miracles, because they are not experiencing the needs of these people. They are blind, like we all can be by default. Instead of miracles of healing, what they saw was disruption of their mini empires. Jesus breaking rules, spouting heresy with no grounds. And the saw him totally ignoring their need for him to lead them militarily from occupation. He was ignoring their empire building needs.

These are two totally different conversations happening here, right? So, when Jesus says, “You do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep,” he may be saying, “You do not belong to my sheep because you are not feeling the pain of my sheep – the poor, the sick, the hungry. You do not believe because you cannot feel the miracle of healing when you do not know the pain.”

These leaders were blind and did not know it. In the same way, we too are blinded to varying degrees by the power inherent in our own mini empire projects.

However, the good news of Jesus is actually good news for all of us. No matter what we may think, empire building is no guarantee of safety, love, meaning, or belonging. In fact, our mini empires can turn into our own prisons that keep us from these very things.

The way out of these prisons is the Exodus of Jesus, not more empire building.

It is relationship, mutuality, and awareness of our interdependence with all of creation. The rabbi Martin Buber describes this sort of relationship as an I-Thou relationship. It is a relationship where both parties feel seen and acknowledged as fully human with dignity. It’s funny language, using thou, but I believe the intention is to help us understand the special-ness of this relationship that’s beyond transaction, but based on mutuality. In contrast, he talks about the I-It relationship, where the humanity of the other disappears. This may happen when we avoid eye contact with a homeless man, instead of seeing someone named John, who ran from an abusive home as a teen and now struggles with the demons of trauma and addiction, but also loves to sing. Or how we might be angry with the customer service agent on the phone who’s not being very helpful. And her name is Jessica, she’s just trying not cry and keep her job, after a long night of cramming for exams. We are all guilty of reducing people to Its, sometimes even ourselves.

The way out of this is in the mutuality of our relationship with Jesus.

This relationship is described in the interplay between psalm 23 and today’s John text, with both Jesus and us humans professing love and faithfulness to each other. This relationship opens the way for us to be in mutual relationship with all creation. When we are in this space, we are not blind to the pain and need of the other. We too will be seen by others, as well. And in that mutuality of relationship, there Jesus is for us. For you, and me, and all people and all creation. In that space of the Kingdom of God, we will also experience the presence and promise of resurrection.

As an employer for ten years, I had a lot of time to discern the difference between I-Thou and I-It relationships. There’s nothing like being someone with power, like being a boss, to become aware of the difference. Did I see my employees as a complex humans with valid needs and dreams, or just bodies to fill in a shift? These are very different relationships and I showed up both ways with my employees. I’m familiar with how it feels to make someone an It and how freeing and glorious it is when we live in the space of mutual care where people thrive. We can practice this every day, like Pastor Dave often says at the grocery store. Practice seeing all the service folks as a children of God, who have full lives of pain and joy, dreams and disappointments, genius and blindspots. Jesus is inviting us into this space of mutuality with him, for ourselves and for each other. This is the Exodus of Jesus that will change our lives every day, liberate us, and ultimately free the world. This is the promise of the Good Shepherd. May we follow in mutual love for creation to green pastures and still waters for all.

AMEN