OPEN: Several years ago in the country of Turkey, a flock of sheep made the news. It seems that the shepherds of the flock had been eating breakfast when their sheep began to wander off. Now, ordinarily this wouldn’t have been a problem, except the flock was just a stone’s throw away from a cliff. Suddenly, one of the sheep went over the cliff and 1500 more followed it. Four hundred of the flock fell 45 feet to their deaths. The other 1100 survived only because the dead sheep broke their fall. But many of which were seriously injured. Cost to the local farmers was estimated at around: $74,000
In John 10:12-13 we read “The hired hand… doesn’t own the sheep… … and CARES NOTHING for the sheep.” The flock really isn’t his so he’s not as watchful as he might be to dangers etc. And that seems to have been what happened that fateful day in Turkey. The hired shepherds allowed their sheep to get to close to a ravine, and the result was devastating.
By contrast… Jesus said: “I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11). This GOOD shepherd cares enough for HIS sheep to even die for them because they belong to Him.
Back in Old Testament, there was shepherd boy named David who took on giant named Goliath. The King (King Saul) was skeptical about how this would turn out, so he questioned whether David had it in him to do this. And David replied: “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.” I Samuel 17:34-35
A hired hand wouldn’t have bothered with that - but these sheep belonged to David’s family. They were precious to them. David was willing to even face death to protect them. And that’s what Jesus is saying here! The sheep are precious to Him and He was willing to DIE to protect them.
One of the most touching scriptures in the Bible is “When (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36
Throughout the Bible God calls His people… sheep. Psalms 100:3 “Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the SHEEP of his pasture.”
But the question is – why are we called sheep?
ILLUS: Max Lucado once asked “Couldn’t God have thought of something better to describe us than “sheep?” Of all God's animals, the sheep is the least able to take care of himself. Sheep are dumb! Have you ever met a sheep trainer? Ever seen a sheep do tricks? Have you known of a sheep who could be taught to roll over? Have you ever witnessed a circus sideshow that features something like "Mazadon and His Jumping Sheep?" No. Sheep are just too dumb. And they’re defenseless. They have no fangs or claws. They can't bite you or outrun you.”
That’s why a lot of men (in particular) tend to scoff at becoming Christians. They don’t like the idea of following Jesus as their shepherd. They believe that they can survive just as well on their own… thank you very much.
ILLUS: A year ago, I had a conversation with a young man who said he wanted to get baptized. So, I did my thing and asked him a few standard questions. I asked him if he believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Yes, he replied. Then I asked if he realized he was a sinner and needed the blood of Jesus to cleanse him. Again he said ‘yes.’ Then I pointed out that Romans says we need to confess “Jesus as Lord” and explained this meant that Jesus would now be His Master. Jesus would own him and everything he possessed. I asked if he was willing to make that commitment… and he paused. “No,” he said. “I’m not ready to do that.”
You see, he didn’t mind having a nodding acquaintance with Jesus… but he did mind the idea that Jesus would OWN Him. He thought that if He let Jesus guide him – if he let Jesus be his shepherd, that somehow he would be less of a man.
BUT one of the greatest kings and military leaders of the Old Testament wrote these words: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23:1-6
God describes us as sheep because we function best when He leads us…when He’s the shepherd. Left to ourselves, we tend to be proud and manipulative and selfish. There’s often a lot of drama in our lives. I mean, all you have to do is watch how some folks have behaved during this virus-crisis. Go to the grocery store and see the shelves emptied of bread, and milk, and meat, and (for pity’s sake) toilet paper. It doesn’t trouble these folks if others don’t have those things. These people hoard those things for themselves… because THEY DESERVE THEM more than others do. These folks are proud and manipulative and selfish.
But if you get right to the core of things… all of us struggle with that. We all struggle with feelings of pride and selfishness and indulge in manipulating others on occasion. That’s why we need Jesus to be our shepherd. Jesus leads us... so that we change so we can become true men and women of God.
Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Jesus had all the power of the universe at His disposal, and yet He was willing to die for YOU! And if we follow Jesus, and if we allow Him to be our shepherd - then He teaches us how to THINK and ACT the way He thinks and acts.
In Matthew 20:26-28 Jesus taught “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
You see, when we follow Jesus the way that we should, then we become a servant of others… just like He was for us. But we’ll never be what God designed you to be until Jesus is our shepherd.
But why should Jesus do this? Why should He want to be our shepherd? Well… He wants to do that because He cares for us. We matter to him.
Jesus said: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
I’LL GIVE YOU REST!
This almost echoes the words of the 23rd Psalm. “The LORD is my shepherd – (He’s a GOOD shepherd) He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”
HE GIVES ME REST!!!!
Now, this is particularly important for us right now because we live in a troubled time. We’re all under a kind of quarantine. Folks are shut-off from their family and friends. For many, the threat to their jobs makes them afraid. AND we’re threatened by a virus we don’t understand. Thousands have been infected… and many have died.
These are very real issues for a lot of people.
It’s like we’re walking through the valley (PAUSE) of the shadow of death.
ILLUS: I recently had an online discussion with a young woman who wrote “All these people who die because of Covid19. It makes me scared.”
I responded with these words: “First, any death is a tragedy... but as viruses go, deaths from this one in USA have not yet been as overwhelming as those of other illnesses. That may change. But for now, that is true for us. 2nd, as children of God, we have an advantage that others do not. God said He'd never leave us or forsake us. In the midst of danger, He will always be there. Yes, you or I might die from this illness... but we're all going to die 1 day of something. As one person once said "No one gets out of this life alive." But as Christians we have a promise from Jesus: death has no power over us. When we die in this world, we move on to a more beautiful and exciting world than this one could ever be. It's not really a tragedy for us... it's a promotion to a life in eternity.
That’s why the words of the 23rd Psalm are so powerful - “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I WILL FEAR NO EVIL! For thou art with me.”
That’s what Hebrews 13:5 says "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Jesus is always with me. He’ll never leave me.
ILLUS: I don’t know who made this comment… but I like it. “The Oriental shepherd was always ahead of his sheep. He was down in front. Any attack upon the sheep had to take him into account. But now Jesus is our shepherd… and He is down in front. If you will - He is in our tomorrows. Whatever struggles we face TOMORROW… Jesus is already there.
And that’s the way we need to view Jesus… as our Good Shepherd. He’s always in front. He’s always in our tomorrows.
And – on top of that – Jesus leads us to be there for others. At times like this, you should find ways of showing Jesus to others. As Jesus said “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
In this time of struggles like this… you can make a difference. Write letters to folks in the Nursing Home; call your fellow Christians and encourage them and pray for them.
And call non-Christians you know. Ask if there’s anything they need. Anything pray you could pray for.
(PAUSE)… Jesus said “I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11
Now, back in those days,that’s not how people thought about sheep. Unless you were owned the sheep, the sheep weren’t worth dying for. They were FARM ANIMALS for pity’s sake. You kept them for their wool and for their meat and (PAUSE) for sacrifice.
Repeatedly, throughout the Old Testament law sheep and their lambs were offered as sacrifices for sin. In fact, according to Exodus 29:38-39 (Matthew Henry Commentary on this passage). Every day of sacrifice began with the offering of a lamb, and every day of sacrifice ended with the death of another lamb. The first lamb was offered at 9 in the morning. The last lamb was sacrificed at 3 in the afternoon.
Now, that’s interesting… because when Jesus was crucified, He was placed on the cross at 9 AM - when the 1st lamb was offered. And guess what time he died. Six hours later. He died at 3 PM – the time when the last lamb of the day was sacrificed.
As Isaiah prophesied “(The Messiah) was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” Isaiah 53:7
As Jesus said “I am the good shepherd. And the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
But like I said, sheep weren’t considered worth dying for… but Jesus died for us. Even though we weren’t really worth dying for.
Someone once noted: In the Old Testament sheep died for the shepherd. But when Jesus came, the Good Shepherd died for the sheep.
CLOSE: I want to close with this thought. Several times in His ministry Jesus talked about sheep and their shepherd. One day, when the Pharisees mocked Jesus spending time with “sinners” Jesus told them this parable:
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’” Luke 15:4-6
That shepherd left the 99 safe sheep to find the one that had been lost. And once again - here Jesus was referring to Himself as the shepherd. He was going to leave the 99… to find the one that was lost. That’s why He spent His time with the tax-collectors and the sinners. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10
So… here’s the deal. If you’d been the only person on earth. If you were the ONE lost sheep - Jesus would have died just for you. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, where you’ve been, or how you’ve lived life. Jesus is the good Shepherd, and He laid down His life for YOU.
The question now is… what are you going to do about it?
Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God
Repent (turn away) from your sins
Confess Jesus as your Lord and Master
And be buried in the waters of baptism to rise to newness of life.
INVITATION
