Fourth Sunday of Easter
Acts 4:5-12
Psalm 23
1 John 3:16-24
John 10:11-18
Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
grace and peace to you from the one who is our good shepherd. Amen
Jesus proclaims today
that he is the good shepherd.
This is an image that we are familiar with,
take comfort in,
most people
even if they have only minimal familiarity with the Bible
are aware of the importance of Psalm 23
but I think when they picture Jesus as the good shepherd
they have something quite literal in mind.
I’m imagining one of those old Sunday school illustrations
of Jesus with flowing hair and robe
slightly glowing
in a rolling green pasture
with fluffy white sheep,
it’s all so idyllic
but as beautiful as the image is,
it says almost nothing
about what it means for Jesus to say
that he is the good shepherd.
As a good teacher
Jesus makes the statement
then goes on to explain what he means.
For Jesus,
being a good shepherd
means that he knows his flock and his flock knows him,
it means that when one of the sheep is lost or scattered
he will go look for it
and that when danger threatens the sheep
he as shepherd will not abandon the sheep
but face the threat head on,
even to the point of laying down his life for the sheep.
This is a shepherd
that that puts the sheep before himself,
gets his hair tangled and his robe dirty
and in this way establishes trust with the sheep
for whom he is caring.
Trust is important in any relationship
but it is especially important
between caregivers and those they care for
because there is an imbalance of power
Part of building trust is knowing each other.
Jesus as good shepherd knows his sheep,
he knows which one likes the fresh green grass,
he knows who is likely to get distracted
and wander away from the flock,
which ones like to butt heads,
knowing these things
shows the sheep
that the shepherd is invested in them
and their well being.
And the sheep respond to this consistent loving care,
learning the sound of the shepherd’s voice
trusting that when the shepherd says it is time to move on
that it is in their best interests.
What holds true for the sheep
holds true for us.
We respond better to people
who take an interest in who we are,
who show that they are invested enough in our well being
to learn about the areas where we have a tendency to wander off
as well as our gifts and talents,
and in return
we follow their advice and guidance.
Take a moment and think about someone
who has been a good shepherd in your life,
a teacher, mentor, guide.
Think of all the times they cared for you and guided you
and what an impact they had on your life,
Jesus knows you like your mentor,
he cares for you like a parent
he is invested in your well being.
This care extends
to when the we wander off and get lost.
Jesus as shepherd promises to go and seek out the lost sheep,
in fact he has already demonstrated this.
Jesus’ teaching about the Good shepherd
that we heard today from the gospel of John
follows the story of the man born blind.
There is a man born blind from birth who Jesus heals,
this man, understandably excited
about being able to see
goes and tells people what has happened,
what Jesus has done for him
but in response
the Pharisees question him
calling into question his truthfulness,
even going so far as to ask his parents
if he was really born blind,
and when the man insists
that Jesus healed him and is from God
they throw him out of the temple.
Jesus hearing that they have driven him out
goes and finds the man
and reveals himself to him as the son of man
and the man believes
and finds a place among Jesus’ followers.
Jesus saying that he will go and seek out the lost
is not a theoretical statement,
it is already something he has done.
And Jesus’ care for the sheep
goes beyond getting to know them
and searching out those that wander off,
he will go as far as
laying down his life for the sheep.
In the face of danger
the hired hand will run away,
his life means more to him than the sheep
but for Jesus the good shepherd
the safety of his flock
is worth more than his life
and so Jesus gives it up willingly.
we witnessed this on Good Friday
and Jesus in John
wants to make sure that we know
that no one took his life from him,
that he intentionally laid down his life for the sake of the sheep,
for our sake,
he has the power
and the father’s love on his side
and his love extends through death and resurrection.
We have done nothing to deserve this extraordinary care
it’s just how much God loves us.
Jesus as our good shepherd
knows us intimately,
seeks us out when we get lost,
lays down his life for the sake of our own lives,
this is love beyond any other love we will experience,
this love is ours
and so known, sought, loved
the question becomes, now what?
How are we to respond
to this amazing love that God has first shown us?
The author of 1 John writes:
“We know love by this,
that he laid down his life for us—
and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.”
Secure in the love of God for us
we are freed to love others
with the same abandon that Jesus as shepherd loves us.
This looks like sharing material goods with one another,
setting aside our wants for others needs,
protecting the weak from danger,
searching out the lost.
You’ll notice that these are all actions,
love is a verb,
that is the reoccurring theme of the Easter season,
love is acts of service done on behalf of another
it’s getting our hair tangled and clothes dirty
presenting a less than idyllic picture
all for the sake of goodness and mercy
without regard for reward or self,
love is making hard decisions that positively impact our neighbor,
so that all may have life and have it abundantly.
Abundant love and life pervades our lives and our community
All because the Lord is our shepherd
we shall not want… Amen