Sermon for Misericordias Domini: I AM the Shepherd - the Good One!

Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός!1

In the Name of the Father, & of the Son + & of the Holy Spirit

Grace to you and peace from the One Who Is & Who Was & Who Is to Come!

Our text this morning is from the Gospel of St. John, chapter ten, focusing on verses fourteen and fifteen: “I Am the shepherd, the good one! I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep."2 So for our text.

People, even church people, are much quicker to judge when someone is not a part of their circle. We are rightly concerned about what is going in in the war in Ukraine, but only as far as it seems to affect our lives – in other words, gas prices and so on. Suppose our president suddenly invaded Canada for some unknown reason. In that case, we can imagine many Americans would be in an uproar about it. Here in Ohio, especially, because we're so close and Lake Erie would be strategic in an invasion, our lives would likely be impacted in many ways, so our feelings would be very strong indeed. When companies want to frack for oil here, people on both sides of the issue get very heated. When the same thing happens in California, we do not care as much, if at all, because it does not directly affect us. We take no ownership of issues in California. They do not impact us or concern us. We probably do not give them much thought, and when we do, it is derisive. It is as though they were complete foreigners to us.

Having ownership, or "having skin in the game," is a prime motivating factor in many aspects of life. "What will it cost me?" If it is nothing, then who cares one way or another? If my tax money is going to pay for it, and it does not benefit me or those close to me, I will probably vote against it. Jesus said, “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”3 Jesus urges us toward unity. Not of mundane things like petty political differences or what kind of gun you think you need to be allowed to own. Debate those all you want. Jesus calls us to the unity of doctrine. Unity of faith. Jesus knows who belongs to Him. St. Augustine said, “[Jesus] knew those whom he had come to redeem by shedding his blood. He was able to see them, while they could not yet see him. He knew them, though they did not yet believe in him. ‘I have,’ he said, ‘other sheep that are not of this fold,’ because they are not of the race of Israel according to the flesh. But all the same, they will not be outside this sheepfold, because ‘I must bring them along too, so that there may be one flock and one shepherd.’“4 Jesus wants to gather us together into one flock under Him, united in doctrine and practice.

How smart are sheep? When you first look at them, they appear to be pretty simple creatures, going about their normally uneventful days of sleeping, eating, and playing follow the leader. Sheep are simultaneously kind of smart and downright stupid. Sheep develop friendships and loyalty and can even remember a friendly human face, like that of their shepherd. They will follow each other blindly, however, even into danger. Sheep get lost easily. Sheep sound a lot like us, don’t they? In His infinite wisdom, God picked an appropriate and effective image to describe our relationship with Him when He chose sheep and their Shepherd.

A sheep's only protection from predators is to herd together and follow the sheep before them, who has learned to trust and follow his shepherd. It turns out sheep are pretty smart after all! But if a sheep learns a new familiar face that doesn't have the sheep's welfare in mind, that sheep can be led astray. If it is the lead sheep following the bad shepherd, all the other sheep get carried off as well.

Fortunately, we do not have a bad shepherd. Jesus says, “I Am the shepherd – the good one!” Not the bad one who leads the sheep astray or fails to provide for them. Jesus doesn't say He was the good shepherd, and now you're on your own. He doesn't say He will be the good shepherd, so get your life right, and I'll be your shepherd then. Jesus says I Am the Good Shepherd, now and forever. So if Jesus is the Good Shepherd right now – how does He lead us and tend to us? He does so in the reading of His Word and hearing it proclaimed in images of sheep in sunny pastures of green grasses and fresh, clean water.

In the world today, God’s Word has to compete with cell phones, televisions, our children’s athletic self-esteem, and to-do lists. Perhaps the reason so many more people made it to church on Sunday in days long past was because it was a simpler time, far more free from distractions than the modern world. Life in our great suburban outback is certainly fraught with peril, isn't it? Like sheep, we follow the leader that keeps us content. Entertainment and the perception that we are helping the next generation to succeed in becoming as complacent as we are takes priority because the truth is, it is all about us and what we think others perceive about us. Not going along like every other sheep in the flock is tantamount to heresy against the American dream.

Perhaps it was "easier" to make time for what God offers to us in a simpler, quieter era. Perhaps, in reality, society was more aligned to a life that acknowledged God and His gifts as important. What we have in our current culture is an overabundance of choices. That in itself is not a bad thing! Praise God that we live in a country and time where we have the freedom of so many choices and such amazing abundance! However, when the options and assortment of diversions lead you to exclude yourself from participation with the body of believers in receiving the gifts God comes here to give you, you are the sheep snatched away by the wolf.

That old wolf, the devil, comes in and lures you out into the world far from your pasture into the places with all the shiny things and all the promises of bigger, better, and more; and just like a steady diet of junk food you are satisfied for a time. Ultimately you wind up malnourished, feeling hungry and sick to your stomach. Even though you appear fat and happy, you will eventually starve to death if you keep it up. When you wander off chasing what you think is important rather than what God knows is best for you are separated from the good grazing land, and your little flock misses you. The Good Shepherd misses you. Do you miss them? Do you not hunger and thirst for heavenly things? They are truly wonderful things like forgiveness, assurance of your eternal salvation, and even shelter from constant temptations and the strength to resist them.

We may only realize that earthly passions have become a priority when they all add up and leave little to no time for God, except perhaps one short hour on a Sunday morning, or when you have a guilty conscience, or when something truly bad happens, and you have nowhere else to turn.

Worse yet, is when you lead someone else astray. When your job is to be the lead sheep guiding the others. The role of Father, Mother, big brother or sister, mentor. You get the idea. When your vocation is to lead someone toward the shepherd’s voice, but you allow their distractions to guide your reactions - you become an enabler of apathy toward God's mercies – you become the wolf luring His sheep out of the flock. God threatens judgment on those who prey on the weak, who, by commission or omission, lead His children into temptation. It begins so gradually that you may not even realize it has become habitual. It is truly frightening.

It is no accident that Jesus' birth was first heralded to shepherds by angels crying out, "Fear not! I bring you great tidings of great joy!" Fear not because God makes time for you! Fear not because He sends you the Good Shepherd! God also promises that the sheep who hear his voice and follow Him are safe. The prophet Isaiah said, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."5

It bears repeating because we, like sheep, need to be reminded: no matter what you have done, or have thought of doing, or neglected to do, absolutely nothing is so bad that God cannot forgive you. God grants you the relief of repentance, which is simply the trust to believe that Jesus forgives you. The shepherd doesn't scold the sheep when he is lost! He doesn't beat him with a stick! He hoists her upon His shoulders, holding her tight, and carries her back to the others! He doesn't cover your sins up. He wipes them out along with your tears and your fear. He paid for them all on the cross. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep. Jesus gets between His sheep and everything that threatens you with eternal harm. Jesus says to you every time you gather to hear His Word: "I know my sheep. I am the Good Shepherd, and you little ones - whether you are an unborn baby, one-hundred years old or somewhere in-between – you belong to Me. I know my sheep and my sheep know my voice." Jesus makes a commitment to you. He preserves and protects you. He knows you. He knows exactly what you are like and what is in your heart. He knows you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Ezekiel wrote of the coming Christ “Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out… where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will seek the lost. I will bring back the ones who stray. I will bind up the injured. I will strengthen the weak.”6 I am the Good Shepherd. We like sheep hear the Shepherd's voice. Jesus seeks us out, and we hear Him speak in His Holy Word and follow Him in trust.

Despite all the competition for our attention, Jesus promises you that you will know His voice. Sheep don’t know any differently - they follow their shepherd in complete, unconditional trust. The Good Shepherd knows you are His sheep from before your birth. You know your Good Shepherd from your rebirth. Let your soul be unburdened because you are completely forgiven. You are that little lamb that Jesus carries back into the fold.

Christ died and rose so that you too may daily die to sin and rise forgiven and restored, trusting your Good Shepherd to lead you into His pasture. And what do you see when you enter that pasture? You see that you and your fellow sheep are living stone as well. That includes every young person visiting with us today, every Pastor, every teacher, every man, woman, and child. We are living stones fit together as one body with Christ as our head. Comforted by His forgiveness and assured of our salvation in Him, we are capable of sacrificial charity toward our neighbor through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are the church. We are the communion of saints. We should unite in common confession, doctrine, and practice. Let your light so shine so that the world may see your good works and give the glory to your Father who is in heaven. Let the world know your Redeemer lives, and the Good Shepherd seeks them too. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

May the peace which passes understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Kήρυξον τὸν λόγον (Preach the word).

1“I am the shepherd – the good one!”

2John 10:14-15, my translation.

3John 10:16 (ESV).

4St. Augustine. Sermon 138.5. Joel C. Elowsky, ed., John 1–10, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 351.

5Isaiah 53:6 (ESV).

6Ezekiel 34:11-16 (ESV).