Humanity has a stubborn streak. This stubborn streak can be very dangerous. Take the story of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis as an example.
Dr. Semmelweis was a Hungarian physician who was a professor of the maternity clinic at the Vienna General Hospital in Austria in 1847. While he was there, he noticed a rather odd and deadly trend among the mothers in the hospital. Mothers in one ward at the hospital had an incidence of infection that was about six times greater than mothers in another ward at the hospital. Since this infection often proved to be fatal to both mother and child, these statistics really bothered him. As a result, he set out to learn what he could do to lower that higher rate of infection in that ward.
One of the differences between the two wards was that the ward with the lower rate of infection was a training ward for midwives. The ward with the higher rate was a training ward for students who were studying to become medical doctors. Upon further study, he noticed a difference in the habits between the midwives and the medical students.
You see, the midwives had a desire to be neat and tidy. They didn't like being dirty. When they finished with a patient, they just naturally tidied up the room and then they tidied up themselves before they went on to the next patient. The medical students, on the other hand, gradually became desensitized to the gore of medical practice in those days. To them, it was a waste of valuable time to clean up after each patient.
Eventually, Dr. Semmelweis discovered something that all modern hospitals now take for granted; it is important to wash your hands between patients. Dr. Semmelweis instituted a procedure that required everyone who came in contact with a patient to wash their hands in an antiseptic solution. The rate of infection for patients treated by his students dropped immediately.
You would think that the medical community would hale the good doctor as a hero, but that is not what happened. The medical community largely ignored, rejected or ridiculed his findings. He was dismissed from the hospital and harassed by the medical community in Vienna. Eventually, his circumstances forced him to move back to Budapest. Even his own wife disagreed with his idea that washing hands between patients would save lives. Toward the end of his life, she cooperated with others to get Semmelweis committed to an asylum where he died. Dr. Semmelweis did not live long enough to see the benefits of his discovery.
The experience of Dr. Semmelweis is so extreme that some people have created the expression "Semmelweis reflex" using his name. The Semmelweis reflex or "Semmelweis effect" is a metaphor for the rejection of knowledge because it contradicts entrenched norms, beliefs or paradigms. History is full of examples of lives lost because people in positions of authority stubbornly rejected the concrete facts laid out before them.
Today's Gospel gives an account of a group of people who were suffering from Semmelweis reflex. A group of religious authorities surrounded Jesus in the temple and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
Now, the Old Testament is full of prophecies that point forward to the Christ or the Messiah. During His ministry, Jesus had consistently fulfilled each and every one of those prophecies. Jesus did not have to say He was the Messiah because He was busy doing everything that the Messiah was supposed to do. Anybody who knew the prophecies could faithfully examine the life and teachings of Jesus and come to the conclusion that Jesus is the Christ. Never the less, these religious authorities refused to believe the evidence that was before them in the life of Jesus. They were suffering from the Semmelweis reflex.
Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock." Jesus was doing everything that the Christ was supposed to do. Jesus would very much agree with the saying, "Actions speak louder than words." For example: shortly after Jesus began His ministry, John the Baptizer had sent a question to Him, [Luke 7:19-20] "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" Jesus had replied, [Luke 7:22-23] "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them." Throughout His ministry, Jesus let His works do His talking for Him.
In spite of all the proof that Jesus offered as the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, some did not believe. Why? Jesus Himself gives us the answer. He said, "You do not believe because you are not part of my flock." What does it mean to be part of Jesus' flock?
Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sends His call out to all people in all places and in all times. The Holy Spirit works through Christ's Word, through Holy Absolution, through Holy Baptism, and through His Holy Meal to work faith in people and keep that faith strong. Just as Jesus gives the title of Good Shepherd to Himself, He claims all who believe in Him as His sheep. Those who believe in Him are His sheep and know Him as the true Christ.
The problem is that some people do not want Jesus to be their shepherd. They reject His call. They reject Him as the Anointed One. In spite of His resurrection - in spite of the love that He poured out on us as He shed His blood and died for our sins - in spite of all the miraculous signs He performed, some people exhibit the Semmelweis reflex and reject the gifts Jesus wants to give to them. They reject the knowledge of their savior. They become sheep without a shepherd.
For all those who do have the Holy Spirit's gift of faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, He gives us the right to be called children of God. Jesus promises to care for us better than any shepherd cares for any sheep. He calls to us and knows us. He leads us and protects us. Even when we must travel through death, He comforts us. He has promised that death will only be temporary and that He will lead us to eternal life. He has promised to keep us in His eternal care and no harm can come to us while we are in His care.
The ultimate expression of God's loving care for us comes at the cross. Jesus, as our loving good shepherd laid down His life for us on the cross. With His suffering and death on the cross, He rescued us from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Jesus takes away our sin and clothes us with His righteousness. He gives us the right of adoption. We can pray to God as our Father in Heaven and we can claim Jesus as our brother. With this gift of forgiveness, He gives us salvation and eternal life at His side.
There will always be those who suffer from the Semmelweis reflex when it comes to their relationship with God. The Holy Spirit will offer the gifts of Jesus Christ to them and they will reject them. They will refuse to see the love of God in Jesus on the cross. They will refuse to see the love of God when Jesus comes to us in His body and blood. The danger for them is greater than a mere loss of life on this earth. The danger is the anguish of the eternal outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The future for those who have the Holy Spirit's gift of faith is one of joy. They receive God's service. They are part of the flock of the Good Shepherd. They are under the protection of both the Father and the Son. Death for them will be only a temporary earthly thing. For, just as their Good Shepherd rose from the dead, they too will rise from the grave and enter into eternal joy where they will continue to experience God's love into eternity. Amen.
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