April 21, 2024 Sermon

Sermon title:  "The Good Shepherd"

Scripture:  John 10:11-18

(Other lectionary suggestions include Acts 4:5-12, Psalm 23 -- of course! --, and I John 3:16-24.)

John 10:11-18

11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father."

          The sermon title is "The Good Shepherd", and I don't think there is a more beloved title for Jesus than that. Jesus was not the first person to call himself a shepherd; remember that his great, great ancestor David was not only a shepherd first, but then the shepherd of his people as Israel's king.

          And did you notice in today's Scripture reading? Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd at least twice. And he points out that the REAL shepherd will give up his life for the sheep, whereas the "hireling" or person paid to watch the sheep will not stick around if real danger threatens!

          Did you know that the word PASTOR means shepherd in Latin? And often friends of mine will ask me, "How is the flock?" And I don't even joke and say, "I'm trying to pull the wool over their eyes"! Seriously, there really is something very sweet about being a pastor and having a flock. It's an honor and a responsibility, and I am honored to be YOUR pastor or shepherd.

          There is something else about what a shepherd does for his people:  he PROTECTS them. The Old Testament concept of kingship/being a shepherd carries with it the idea that the leader doesn't just boss people around:  he/she PROTECTS them. We perhaps see a little of that from our own Presidents whenever they have to send soldiers into battle. They of course want to protect our nation, but sometimes protecting the country involves sending younger people into harm's way - and I have seen Presidents of both parties bemoan the fact that sometimes they must do that:  risk the lives of some to save others.

          Did you hear in the reading that Jesus says he has other sheep that do not belong to this fold? What does that mean? Keep in mind that John's Gospel was written near the end of the first century, so there was more than only the church in Jerusalem at this time. We know that the Apostle Paul planted churches in places such as Corinth and Thessalonica and Ephesus and eventually even in Rome, the main city of the Roman Empire. Is that what Jesus meant? Or does he mean something else, too?

          According to the scholar N. T. Wright, "The original 'sheep' are the people of Israel. Jesus is calling them, and those from among his Jewish contemporaries who are ready for the call are hearing his voice, trusting him, and coming to him. But, as Israel's prophets and wise writers had already hinted, the God of Israel was never interested ONLY in Israel. His call to Israel was for the sake of the whole world. The 'other sheep' are that great company, from every nation under heaven, that God intends to save, and to save through Jesus. The Jewish Messiah is to become the Lord, the shepherd, of the whole world."

          Do you believe that? I have to say that I might have a question or two. And perhaps I'll get to those a little bit later. But who are some OTHER 'sheep' that the writer of John's Gospel may be referring to? How about the Gentiles, the NON-Jews? During the time of Jesus, some Gentiles didn't like the Jews and some Jews didn't like the Gentiles. Look at the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan was sort of a half-breed Jew, if I may use that term. But he's the good guy in the story because he renders aid to a hurting person, and the so-called pure Jews passed by on the other side. So, there is one barrier Jesus tried to break down:  it's okay to help another, even if he is not a member of your tribe!

          And here in the Gospel of John please remember how Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman at the well, and his disciples tried to tell him, "We don't talk to those people." Anyway, the point may be that we need to invite the Gentiles into the church! Says Wright, "The Gentiles are no longer the enemy. They are sheep who have not yet been brought into the sheepfold."

          One thing more........you may recall that I have said that things are complicated in the Bible, if not downright confusing. One example is from the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel. In chapter 34 of that work, Ezekiel sometimes "speaks of God becoming the true shepherd of Israel. But then, later, he speaks of David - in other words, of the Messiah - as the true shepherd with God being God over shepherd and sheep alike." Well, which is it, we want to ask.....but Ezekiel doesn't answer. He simply points towards the future.

          Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd. What that means is that people are strangely drawn to him, emphasizing "the strange, compelling power of his love." Or, as one of our Christmas carols has it, "and wonders of his love, and wonders of his love." Amen.

Pastor Skip