St. John Lutheran Church

Easter 4, 2018

“The Shepherd’s Love”

John 10:11-18

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

“A father, and his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific coast, when a fast storm blocked any attempt to get back to the shore. The waves were so high, even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized.”

“Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: to which boy would he throw the end of the life line? He had only seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian and he also knew that his son’s friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves.

As the father yelled out ‘I Love You, Son!’ he threw out the life line to his son’s friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black night. His body was never recovered.”

“The father, knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and he could not bear the thought of his son’s friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son’s friend. How great is the love of God that he should do the same for us? Our Heavenly Father sacrificed His only begotten Son so that we could be saved.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. And the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The Good Shepherd is the very Son of God sacrificed on the cross to save sinners by our Heavenly Father.

Most of us are familiar with sheep and shepherds maybe not first hand, but at the very least beginning in Sunday School. And while many of you grew up on a farm or visited a petting zoo here or there, sheep and shepherds aren’t as much a part of our daily life as they were for people in Jesus’ day. Still, it’s a universal relationship that we can easily understand – caretaker and care receiver. Him, and us, respectively.

In fact Jesus contrasts himself with a mere hired hand. An employee who is only a temporary caretaker, but really doesn’t care. Jesus cares. He cares for his sheep A LOT. He cares so much that he lays down his life for the sheep, as he says over and over in the passage. Who is the hired hand?

Here Jesus is speaking to both his own disciples and his opponents, including the Pharisees. The “hired hand”, who doesn’t sacrifice for the sheep rather sacrifices the sheep for his own sake – let the wolf have them while I run away – is the false teacher and false messiah of any age. Anyone who’s not pointing you to the Good Shepherd, and speaking the words of the Good Shepherd, leads you only to danger and destruction.

And there is danger in this field. There’s a wolf out there. Sometimes he comes in sheep’s clothing, sometimes as a serpent, sometimes a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. He is our ancient enemy – that’s what “devil” means, “adversary”. He wants to snatch the sheep and scatter the flock. He wants to destroy your faith, and isolate you from each other.

Do you feel the danger? Sheep often can’t. Sheep need the guidance of the shepherd. They need the staff to direct them. We need that curbing law, but also to be shown our wandering ways. God’s law judges us rightly as lost sheep. People so lost and hopeless in our sins that we have no future but death.

And sheep are needy – incapable of caring for themselves. Sinners, too, are incapable of solving their own spiritual dilemma. We will always, only wander away into danger and death – were it not for our Good Shepherd.

The Good Shepherd’s way to rescue the sheep is not to simply lead the way. It’s not that he simply calls us to follow, or worse, brutally herds us into a pen.

Our Good Shepherd is a good, kind, loving shepherd. He comes to rescue us. Here’s how:

Jesus knows us. Yes, a good shepherd knows each and every one of his sheep. He knows you. Jesus doesn’t forget you or ignore you. He isn’t your part-time savior, only there when you need him. Unless you realize you need him all the time! He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows the number of hairs on your head. He knows your weakness. He knows your temptation. He knows your suffering. “I know my sheep” he says. Believe it.

Jesus cares for us. It may not always seem so. It may seem he’s making your life miserable, or at least allowing it to be. It may seem like words, words, words, and that he is as distant and absent as the Devil wants us to believe. But his promise stands, “I am with you always”. And if you ever doubt his love and caring you need only look to the cross. There he shows us his love in the biggest and best way.

Most importantly, the Good Shepherd rescues the sheep by laying down his life. This is vital! Jesus says it three times in the passage – beginning, middle and end. He dies… for you. And what a strange and wonderful thing it is that a shepherd would die for sheep. But greater love has no one than that he lay down his life for his friends. And greater still that he lays it down for us when we are his enemies. And as helpless and hopeless as the poor lost sheep are, dirty, injured, bleating out our woes in the ditch of our own making…. Jesus lays down his life for us.

The Good Shepherd is also the perfect lamb. The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Lamb seen in the foreshadowing of Passover, a perfect male lamb, whose blood marked the doors of Israelite homes and chased away the destroyer. So too, the blood of Christ routs the enemy of his sheep, that howling wolf who would have us. Death destroyed by his death. Victimhood averted by the perfect Victim.

The blood of the Lamb covers the sins that would deny us entry into the pastures of paradise. The blood of the Lamb sustains us, along with his body given for us. The blood of the Lamb forgives our sins, gives us life, and salvation.

And then there’s the flock. Comprised of many sheep from many folds. But all with one great, good shepherd. All whom he knows, and who know him. All who hear his voice, and listen to him. The church. The people who are known by Christ. The people who belong to him, claimed as his own in Holy Baptism. The people who gather around his voice, his word, and listen to it. The people for whom he has laid down his life, and who believe and trust in him. You and I are of that one flock of sheep, for whom the shepherd died. You and I are known and cared for by the Good Shepherd. He died for you. And you are saved by Him who loves you. Amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.