[verse 1]
If Jesus were a vagrant,
would we receive him,
or jail him and send him off?
If he spoke another tongue
and knew not our own,
would we let him die exposed?
[Chorus]
Would we send the Good Shepherd
back where he came from,
for braving hostile borders?
If his cohorts offended,
our cultured senses,
would we listen to him speak?
[Verse 2]
How long would his message last
in our flooded minds,
overloaded with drivel?
If Jesus were a vagrant,
how would we treat him?
dare we say with certainty?
[Chorus]
Would we send the Good Shepherd
back where he came from,
for braving hostile borders?
If his cohorts offended,
our cultured senses,
would we listen to him speak?
[Verse 3]
If he came to us today,
as an indigent,
would we value his teachings?
If the Messiah were poor,
if he slept outside,
would we think of him as God?
[Chorus]
Would we send the Good Shepherd
back where he came from,
for braving hostile borders?
If his cohorts offended,
our cultured senses,
would we listen to him speak?
[Verse 4]
If the forests were his home,
and he lived with beasts,
would we trust him with our young?
If his hair were bedraggled,
and his clothes defiled,
would he be our honored guest?
[Chorus]
Would we send the Good Shepherd
back where he came from,
for braving hostile borders?
If his cohorts offended,
our cultured senses,
would we listen to him speak?
[Verse 5]
If his front teeth were missing,
or he were unkempt,
would we call him King of Kings?
If his appearance were odd,
to our assumptions,
would we love him as we claim?
[Chorus]
Would we send the Good Shepherd
back where he came from,
for braving hostile borders?
If his cohorts offended,
our cultured senses,
would we listen to him speak?
[Outro]
If his real teachings let down
our expectations,
would we accept them or scoff?
Could he compete with our stars?
illumined with glitz,
and airbrushed to perfection?
Lyrics, Bill Graham
