It is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years. Christians set aside one Sunday in the Easter Season as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” We can understand why this practice has stood the test of time. Christians love to think of Jesus as their Good Shepherd!
Think of the emotions that a picture like this stirs in a believer’s heart. (Slide of Good Shepherd.) We are moved to remember how Jesus described himself as the Good Shepherd. He laid down his life for his flock. He leads, feeds, and protects his sheep. It puts a smile on our face to think about Jesus in this way.
But sometimes I wonder if we realize what we are saying about ourselves when we say that we are Jesus’ sheep and lambs. Do we really know what it means to be sheep—even sheep of the Good Shepherd? Let’s consider just four points someone has made about sheep. Sheep cannot clean themselves or care for themselves in the most basic ways. Some animals such as a cat or dog can do that. I think we could say that most animals—even birds can care for themselves. But not sheep. Sheep cannot defend themselves from predators. Many animals have a defense system, such as skunks and blowfish, but sheep do not. Sheep cannot find food and water for themselves. Sheep are not intelligent. I suppose we could come up with additional facts about sheep that make them seem even more pathetic. But hopefully those truths have made the point. When we claim to be Jesus’ sheep and lambs we are confessing how helpless and hopeless we are without him. But that’s a good thing, isn’t it?
Today as we recall the beautiful image that Jesus is our Good Shepherd let’s also find reminders about what it means to:
“LIVE AS SHEEP OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD”
I. Hear Your Shepherd’s Voice
II. Follow Your Shepherd’s Lead
III. Enjoy Your Shepherd’s Care
Our Gospel Lesson is taken from what has been called the “Good Shepherd” Chapter of John’s Gospel. In the first six verses of John Chapter 10 Jesus described how he was different from other spiritual shepherds that really don’t love their sheep. Jesus calls his sheep by name. He knows them that well. They listen to him and follow where he leads. John tells us that the people didn’t understand what Jesus was saying. So Jesus changed his metaphor and called himself the “gate” for the sheep. He was describing how he is the only way for a person to be saved. Then Jesus described how he would defend his sheep from whatever threatened them. He would even give his life to save his sheep. It seems like the whole comparison of Jesus to a shepherd and people to his sheep was lost on most of those who heard him. So in our Gospel Lesson Jesus once again stated the basic truths about what it means to live as sheep of the Good Shepherd. Jesus’ sheep hear his voice, follow his lead, and enjoy his care.
I.
So why did Jesus make such a strong point about his sheep hearing his voice? In fact, hear repeated that truth four times in John 10 including in our Gospel Lesson. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Sheep had to know their shepherd’s voice and listen to it. It was a matter of life and death. Through the shepherd’s voice the sheep were led and fed. As the sheep spent time with their shepherd they had to learn the meaning of the sounds they heard coming from their shepherd’s mouth. At times his words would have provided guidance as he led his flock to food and water. On other occasions his voice would have been comforting and soothing as he led them to a safe place to rest. Obviously, as the sheep grew to trust their shepherd they would learn to quickly respond to his voice.
If you are one of Jesus’ sheep, then at some point you heard his voice calling you into his flock. Perhaps it was at the time in your life when you were just learning to recognize the voices of your parents. As an infant the Good Shepherd made you one of his sheep through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Perhaps you heard his call later in life when someone shared Jesus’ words with you from the Bible. At whatever age it might have been, the Holy Spirit opened your ears to the voice of the Good Shepherd and you were led to trust in him as your Savior. All that Jesus accomplished through his perfect life and innocent death was given to you as he called you into his flock. Your sins were washed away. You were redeemed, restored, and forgiven. And you received Jesus’ eternal promise to be your Shepherd.
But remember that the connection between sheep and their shepherd can be traced back to the shepherd’s voice. The only way to remain in the Good Shepherd’s flock is to continue to listen to his voice. In John 8:31 our Shepherd said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” Also in John 15:7 Jesus says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” The Apostle Paul pictured listening to our Shepherd’s voice in a slightly different way in Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Yes, living as sheep of the Good Shepherd means that we continually listen to our Shepherd’s voice.
But we all know there is a big difference between hearing someone’s voice and actually listening to it. My voice is traveling over the sound system here in our sanctuary. At this moment it is vibrating your eardrums. You are hearing me. But listening requires that you pay attention and that you give some thought to what I am saying. And so it is with the voice of our Good Shepherd. He says that we are to listen to God’s Word and obey it. Living as sheep of the Good Shepherd means taking his words to heart and applying them to all that we do in life.
Sadly, we often fail to listen to the voice of our Good Shepherd. Perhaps we don’t always do it intentionally. We simply let other voices grab our attention. Our day to day lives are so jammed full of information that we can barely find time to listen to Jesus’ voice. And then who of us here doesn’t have to admit that at times we just plain ignore our Shepherd’s words? He tells us not to graze in the green grass of sin. But we run to it and eat ourselves sick. He tells us to honor those in authority at home, in the government, and church. But we refuse. We are warned by our Good Shepherd not to abuse the bodies he gives us. And yet we do. He calls us to contentment, and we respond with greed. Our Shepherd tells us that no person, place, or pleasure will bring us happiness and yet we ignore his wisdom and try to find fulfillment in anyone and anything but him! Again and again we are guilty of not listening to the voice of our shepherd. Thankfully our Shepherd always calls us back. When we find ourselves lost and broken, starving for his care, he welcomes us back when we again listen to his voice.
Fellow sheep and lambs of the Good Shepherd. Let’s confess our sins of ignoring our Shepherd’s voice and of listening to other voices instead of his! Today, he speaks words of forgiveness and mercy. Immediately he opens his arms in love. He reminds us that he has given his life for us. Our sins are forgiven!
II.
Realizing that there is a difference between hearing our Shepherd’s voice and actually listening to it we can understand the second thought Jesus connected to living as one of his sheep, Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Living as sheep of the Good Shepherd means that we also follow where our Shepherd leads.
In a few minutes we will talk about the final destination to which Jesus is leading us. But for now, let’s consider how Jesus leads his sheep and lambs. I imagine that many of you have used the internet to get directions for a trip. First you enter your home address and the address of the place where you want to go. But then you have a whole bunch of other questions to answer. You can choose from the shortest route, or the easiest route, or the quickest route. You can tell some of the map programs whether you want to drive mostly on interstates or on regular highways. Then the computer program produces a set of directions. Perhaps we think we can do the same when it comes to following Jesus. We want tell him what direction we should go and what kind of trip it will be. We think we can choose the shortest path, or the easiest, or the one with the least number of curves and hills. But it just doesn’t work that way when we follow our Good Shepherd. He knows the best path for each of us. He calls on us to trust him each day as he leads us to our eternal home on whatever path that might be.
A Christian author named Phillip Keller spent many years as a shepherd in Australia and so he probably has a unique perspective on references to sheep and shepherds in the Bible. In one of his books, he talks about a “cast-down” sheep and what the shepherd does to get him back on his feet. “When sheep lay on their back, gas begins to collect in their stomach. It hardens the stomach, cuts off the air passage and they suffocate. Not only that, their legs go numb in that position. They need a shepherd to restore them. When a shepherd restores a cast down sheep, it doesn’t just happen immediately. It takes time. The shepherd lovingly massages the four legs to get some circulation back. Then he begins to talk in a reassuring tone to the sheep, “You’re going to make it.” Then he gently turns the sheep over and lifts it up because it cannot stand up on its own. He’ll hold the animal there while the sheep begins to get some equilibrium. The blood begins to flow in the legs again and it begins to get some stability. When the shepherd is sure that the sheep can stand on its own, then the shepherd will lovingly have the sheep follow him home.”
What a picture! When we are on our backs because of sin and we are overwhelmed because of guilt and grief the Good Shepherd comes to our rescue. He lovingly comes with tender hands and reassuring words, picks us up and sets us up straight until we can get on our feet again and then says, “Okay, now follow me home.” Restored and strengthened by our shepherd we are again able to follow where he leads.
If we remember that the key connection between sheep and their shepherd is his voice we can understand the progression of thought that Jesus gives us in these verses. Living as sheep of the Good Shepherd means we not only listen to his voice but we also follow where our Shepherd leads. It means living by the words expressed in the hymn, “Jesus, Shepherd of the Sheep.” “In your promise firm we stand; None can take us from your hand. Speak—we hear—at your command, We will follow you. // By your blood our souls were bought; By your life salvation wrought; By your light our feet are taught, Lord, to follow you.” Through faith worked in us by the Holy Spirit may those thoughts always be in our hearts and minds as we follow Jesus every day—that too is part of living as sheep of the Good Shepherd.
III.
So far, we have seen that Jesus’ sheep listen to his voice and follow him. Now let’s consider the blessings that come with being under the Good Shepherd’s care. Jesus promised this concerning his sheep, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” Living as sheep of the Good Shepherd means we enjoy his care—throughout our lives and forever. We are under his protection every moment.
Before we look at the promise of eternal life that our Good Shepherd gives us let’s consider his care for us right now. To illustrate this let’s go back to Psalm 23. Recall King David’s words. We sang them a fewe minutes ago, “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” Phillip Keller the author of the book “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23” says that says that in order for sheep to lie down, four things are required: 1. Sheep must be free from all fear. Sheep are very easily frightened. A stray jackrabbit jumping out from behind a bush can stampede a whole flock. When one startled sheep runs in fright, all of the others will follow behind it in blind fear, not waiting to see what frightened them. But nothing quiets a flock like seeing their shepherd in the field with them. 2. Sheep will not lie down unless there is harmony in the flock. When there is this tension between rivals, the sheep can’t lie down and rest. They must always stand up and be ready to fight. But when the shepherd is around, they forget their rivalries and stop fighting. 3. Sheep will not lie down unless they are content. If flies or fleas are bothering them they will not lie down. The shepherd must provide them with relief. 4. Sheep will not lie down unless they are full. A hungry sheep is always on its feet, searching for another mouth of food, trying to satisfy its gnawing hunger. Shepherds had to search hard for green areas to feed their sheep. In Jesus, we have a Good Shepherd who will do all these things and more! He calms our fears, comforts us and gives us peace that passes understanding. He feeds us with life-giving spiritual food -- the Word of God.
But are we enjoying the care our Good Shepherd offers us? Once again, we see how we love to wander from him and stubbornly resist his leadership. But once again we also hear his voice calling us today. He doesn’t treat us as we deserve! No, he continues to care for us.
In addition to enjoying the care of our Good Shepherd throughout our lives we look forward to his eternal care for us in heaven. When we consider what the Bible says about heaven, we are often left with more questions than answers. In fact, I think it is fair to say that the Bible says more about what won’t be in heaven than it says about what heaven will be like. In our Second Lesson for today from Revelation 7 we were told that sin, death, crying and pain won’t be there. Physical, spiritual, and emotional suffering will be taken away forever. A Christian author, John Macarthur, described heaven for the sheep and lambs of the Good Shepherd in this way. “Here, in the sheepfold, no more dangers or perils. There are no rocky paths. There are no predators. There is no blazing sun, no dry grass, no dust, no wind, no thorns, no crying, no pain. Rather there is sweet straw, pure water, high walls around the sanctuary, protection against all dangers, sweet peace, sweet rest, and sweet fellowship—until the shepherd comes to awaken them again to a bright, new morning. The shepherd knows his flock. The shepherd knows the correct number, and all are present and accounted for. All are in and he shuts the door. No one can enter and no one can leave. He alone has the power to open it again.” It is that promise made by the Good Shepherd that sustains us through the difficult days we face in life. Our Savior will give us eternal life at the end of our journey with him through life.
One more time the point must be made that if his sheep and lambs stop listening to his voice and stop following him they won’t receive the eternal rest the Good Shepherd offers. May we take our Shepherd’s promises to heart and also heed the warnings found throughout the Scriptures. Then may each of us live all our days as sheep of the Good Shepherd. That means listening to his voice, following where he leads, and enjoying his care. Amen.
