Sermon; I Am the Good Shepherd, John 10-11-21.
A couple of weeks ago I talked about the sheep gate and discussed some of my adventures with livestock, the livestock being sheep.
The truth of the matter was I am not a good Shepherd, “I am the rough enough shepherd!” Let me contrast my shepherding with a bloke I know by the name of Frank Glen, The Reverent Doctor Frank Glen. Frank now lives here in Christchurch, he’s one of those blokes who retired, but is still very busy. When I first came to know him some thirty years ago, I was a teenager. Frank was a United Church Minister who was working as a Probation Officer and was also in part time ministry. He had a block of ground, twelve acres in Waimea West in Nelson, he called it Glen’s Place and he and his wife Margaret would sell coloured sheep fleeces to wool spinners. Frank knew all of his sheep by name, Frank could stand at the paddock gate and call his sheep to him, he would call them individually or as a flock. The favorite was a big black Ram with the name Charles Brown, who was the son of Charles Jesus Brown, the Ram in the power point.
My sheep apart from ‘Stitch’, my son Louis hand raised pet; were all called various names depending on how annoying they were at the time I was calling them. Frank would call his sheep to him, and they would come, a caring and diligent Shepherd indeed!
On the other hand if I had to do maintenance on my sheep and the total flock was only as big as five, I would run my sheep down to get them shorn, de-dagg them, or check their feet. As I said a couple of weeks ago I had about an acre and a quarter of hill, so I would put the sheep in the smallest paddock and as sheep tire more quickly than a fit human after a couple of rounds of this hilly paddock I could catch them with a tackle, but if they were freshly shorn or I had lost a little fitness this was much harder. Because of this basic sheep capture method, when I entered the paddock and would treat me with great suspicion after all “I was the rough enough shepherd”.
I would keep them maintained, but on my terms, there was always water and feed for them, I brought in feed when it was necessary andthe sheep got shorn by a contract shearer. Once I had a go myself with a pair of old hand shears. After catching one of the sheep and sweating over the big ugly brute for three quarters of an hour I was left with what would be the roughest fleece ever taken from a sheep and a moth eaten looking sheep that was probably the butt of the other sheep’s bad hair cut jokes for weeks; but then again shearing a sheep is no longer on my list of things to do.
Sheep for me were a useful maintenance tool and a supply of further maintenance tools when the old ones fell over, plus some wool and meat, nothing more. I did the minimum for them and they knew it, they grew to dislike me and I lost very little love on them.
As you will know if you’ve been attending the last five weeks Rochelle and I have been doing a series on Jesus “I Am” statements.
I’ve already told you “I am the rough enough shepherd” lets have a look at what Jesus says about himself as a shepherd. Read John 10:11-18.
You might remember this passage follows the part of the gospel where Jesus is having a discussion with Pharisees again, those pompous religious, always right blokes, who on encountering a bloke who had been born blind that Jesus has healed, excommunicate him from the synagogue. So Jesus went to see the excommunicated bloke knowing that getting the flick from the equivalent of church was a big thing.
Jesus tells the man that he himself; Jesus that is, is “The Son of Man” which is like saying he is the Christ, The Chosen One and the one who “is entrusted by God with authority, glory and sovereign power” .
Jesus tells the people present about himself by saying “I Am the Gate for the Sheep” and “I Am the good Shepherd”.
When we look at this passage the first thing that strikes us is that the first part of the chapter is a contrast. Jesus contrasts himself with the religious teachers of the time. What is it he says?
1) “I Am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep.” Jesus then talks about when the hired hand sees a wolf coming he runs away, the flock is attacked and scattered all this because the hired hand does not care for the sheep, there’s no ownership.
Jesus is declaring his place as ‘The One’ the one who was to lay down his life for the sheep, for those who follow him; he is declaring his ownership of those who follow him. Jesus not only died for the sheep, he died for the nation of Israel (John 11:50-52). And for the whole world as Rochelle preached on a couple of weeks ago, Jesus said “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the World.” (John 6:51)
How often do we encounter hired hands? The person who says they will be there for you only to let you down and run when the wolves appear on the horizon. The salesman who is your best mate until the final cheques is in the post and there’s an issue with the product, the employer who can’t remember that discussion about that pay rise, or the employee who just can’t get around to making up those hours that they said they would, the friend who takes your friendship but only offers sarcastic comments in return, the family member who abuses their position, in life we encounter them don’t we, ‘the hired hands’ – they are there but not caring. They have an exit strategy up their sleeves. When the going gets tough they get going – they leave. (The Good shepherd however is completely committed!)
They would hardly own our Corps vision statement of “Living for God, serving all people.” That word all leaves those serving vulnerable to encounter some interesting people and situations. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, he is completely commited.
In response what do the sheep do?
2a) They know their shepherd, they know Jesus, they know his voice, they respond to his teaching, to his leading.
I might suggest that they respond to the odd time when a crook. That’s the long stick used by shepherds and more lately bishop’s; hooks around a back leg and trips them up before they get in strife or because they need a little maintenance, or a stone from a sling whistles past their nose to remind them of their need to rejoin the flock, or a word of instruction from the rings in their ear.
The sheep get to know the words of the shepherd very well; I’m not just talking about the still small voice of God, but the scriptures. How is that going in your life? The Good shepherd is completely committed to his sheep and his sheep respond to him.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd.(SBI) Why would we follow other shepherds?
2b) This happens through; instead of holding fast to the word of The Shepherd we hear a different voice, the voice of the world calling, the voice of a politician, a spin doctor, a philosopher, a musician, a statement that we hang our hat on maybe some thing that is counter to scripture but powerful.
Try these:
When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others. Mildred Norman, aka Peace Pilgrim. [So I can’t love my neighbour if I’m having a bad day, sounds like drivel to me]
Whatever you are be a good one. Abraham Lincoln [I’ve meet a few people who have been very good at being very bad]
Life is like a mirror, we get the best results when we smile at it, Author Unknown. [Jesus wept, then he raised Lazarus from the dead, weeping is okay and brings results, it can bring healing]
Don't wait. The time will never be just right, Napoleon Hill. [Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!]
Why would you respond to any other voice? Something that I get really passionate about is people who have made a commitment to Jesus, to the follow the Good Shepherd and then leave the way of the sheep and go back to their goat way of living, crash and burn and then return to the flock. Why would you, every time this happens it greaves the shepherd? Remember Jesus is totally committed to his flock, right now today.
So who are the sheep that respond to the shepherd’s voice?
3) Jesus made it quite clear that the sheep were not just those he was talking with at the time, there were other sheep not of this pen, that he was to bring them into the flock, his words almost sound like a riddle; they’re not!
He was speaking with Jewish people, he is saying that this flock is not some exclusive club it’s for all people that gentiles and that’s anyone who is not Jewish will join this flock. The prerequisite is that they respond to the voice of the shepherd. As we say in The Salvation Army’s sixth doctrine. “We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has by his suffering and death made an atonement for the whole world that whosoever will may be saved. “
Whosoever! That’s the least exclusive word I know, whosoever: electricians, drunks, politicians, lawyers, car salesmen, divorcées, doctors, teachers, students, criminals, ministers, bakers, pretty people, those of us who are a little more visually challenging, bad drivers and little old ladies, wish washy Christians, animists, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, atheists, witches and watersiders: whosoever! The shepherd calls them all to be one flock and has laid down his life for them all. He calls them all to come under his authority. The Good Shepherd is totally committed.
4) From verse seventeen Jesus, tells whose listening that he is to be laying down his life. Why? For the sheep! How else were they to enter the flock and to understand his complete devotion to them? The proof of this is that we know that with Jesus suffering and death, that his body was broken for us, (”This is my body given for you…” (Luke22:19)) That his blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins (This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:28)). And that he rose from the dead as the first of those who would rise from the dead. (For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)). The Good shepherds’ commitment to the sheep is complete. He is totally committed to the sheep and to the whole flock!
Why would you follow any other shepherd? Jesus is still totally committed to his flock!
While there are other things, other shepherds that may try to take you from the flock; they are all temporary, all fleeting and fading. They are all just rough enough but not committed to you, all running from the wolves.
Jesus said it I Am the Good Shepherd, ask yourself, am I completely committed to him or am I following some rough enough shepherd?
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