Both Shepherd and Sheep
Nicholas J. Teele (本学名誉教授)
Good morning. I am glad to have a chance to share my thoughts about the college with you today as one of its 145th anniversary activities.
Keiko Miura's cast glass windows
If you go to the Kyotanabe Campus, in the side lobby of the Niijima Memorial Hall, you can see six cast glass windows which together show one scene. In the center is a man holding one sheep surrounded by many other sheep. There is another person standing at the far left. Perhaps it is a young woman who is helping the man; perhaps she is learning to be a shepherd. The title of the picture is simply“ Bokusha”（牧者）which means“ shepherd.”
This beautiful work of art was made by one of the many outstanding graduates of our school. Her name is Keiko Miura（三浦啓子）. She graduated from the Home Economics Department of Doshisha Women's College in 1958. After that, she studied the artistic use of glass and epoxy, first in Japan and then in the United States. Today, she is one of the most famous glass artists in the world.
The image of a shepherd in the Old Testament
The image of a shepherd together with sheep is very old. In the Old Testament the shepherd is one of the most common metaphors for God. An example of this is seen in the first passage from the Bible read just a few minutes ago, Psalm 23: 1-3. The shepherd is a metaphor for God and sheep are a metaphor for the people who follow him. There are many examples of this image in the Old Testament. The teaching of the Bible is both that God protects us like a shepherd protects and guides his sheep, and that we, in turn, must try to be good shepherds, and take good care of our own sheep as best we can. The metaphor of the shepherd was easy for the Jewish people of those days to understand because raising sheep was a very common and important occupation. There were both male and female shepherds.
The image of the shepherd in the New Testament
The metaphor of God as the shepherd of his people is also found in the New Testament. In two places, the image of God as a shepherd is joined by the image of the shepherd's care for each and every one of his sheep. This is the story in the second passage from the Bible which was just read a few minutes ago, Luke 15 : 3-6.
The story of a shepherd who has love and concern for all of his sheep has a strong teaching, and that teaching can be understood on several different levels. One is that God cares for each and every one of us in the same way that a good shepherd cares for all his sheep. If even one is lost, the shepherd goes looking for it, finds it, and brings it back to the other sheep. This is a powerful message, but I believe the story has a meaning which goes further.
I believe that on another level, to the teaching of the story is that each of us must try to be like the shepherd in the story and care for each person we meet equally. It seems to me that the emphasis on this story is on equality; that is, not even one sheep must be overlooked. To me, this means treating everyone equally regardless of age or gender, regardless of power or fame, whether rich or poor, whether polite or rude, whether teacher or student, president of the company or part time employee.
And for me, the teaching of the story goes even further. I believe that throughout our lives there are times when we are like a sheep and times when we are like a shepherd. Put simply, sometimes we need to be taken care of and looked after by someone, and sometimes we need to take care of someone.
For example, as first year students when we join a club or circle, our seniors look after us, and then we must look after the students who join our circle or club the following year. Receiving help when we need it and in turn giving help to those who need it is something which continues throughout our lives. It is sometimes said that in learning to lead we must first learn to follow, and I think it is very true.
Niijima Jo and「諸君よ、人一人は大切なり」
Niijima Jo was very familiar with these lines from the Bible, and a number of Japanese scholars, such as Inoue Katsuya（井上勝也）， have seen a connection between this story and the following words of Niijima Jo, from his speech at the tenth anniversary of Doshisha, in 1885. He said「 諸君よ、人一人は大切なり」（Shokun yo, hito hitori wa taisetsu nari）．
Spoken over a hundred years ago, this phrase continues to inspire. In fact, it is inscribed over the entrance to one of the buildings on the Shinmachi campus of Doshisha University. I believe that when Niijima said “Shokun yo, hito hitori wa taisetsu nari” he was speaking not only to the graduating students but also to his colleagues, who were his sheep, just as the students were, but who were also shepherds of the students that they taught.
In the love of God for his people, in the love of the shepherd for his sheep, and in the love of people for one another, whether as shepherd or as sheep, all people are equal. God gives no special treatment to the wealthy, or to the elite, or to people with special political or social connections, or to people of a certain color or gender, religion, or political belief. I believe that what Jesus is asking his followers to do in this passage in the New Testament, and what Niijima Jo is asking people to do as well, is to do our best to follow this teaching and have caring compassion for each and every person without any prejudice. This is an important part of the Doshisha tradition, and my hope is that it will continue to inspire its faculty, staff, and students.
For me, this is also the message in Keiko Miura's cast glass window: the young woman symbolizes students following in the steps of their teachers and seniors, preparing to become a shepherd themselves some day. Throughout our lives, both as a shepherd and as sheep, we should try to have loving care for each and every person, and have no prejudice against anyone.
In this way, as we celebrate the 145th anniversary, let us remember the lessons of the Bible, the teachings of Niijima Jo, and the many outstanding graduates of our school, and give thanks for our blessings.
References:*
１）グラスアーティスト三浦啓子のサイトへようこそ
http://roclair2.web.fc2.com/
２）The top page of the 同志社女子大学現代社会学会 is a picture of 三浦啓子’s cast glass window「牧者」
http://dwc-gensha.jp
３）「グラスアーティスト三浦啓子さん」
http://dwc-gensha.jp/page5.html（同志社女子大学通信 Vine Vol. ９（1998年）より）
４）井上勝也、「諸君ヨ人一人ハ大切ナリ」2006年11月10日
http://www.christian-center.jp/dsweek/06au/t_1110_2.html
(*All references accessed in June 2021 and confirmed in September 2021.)