"I am the good shepherd..."
The very fact that Jesus chooses to describe himself as such suggests that there were other less-than-good shepherds operating in the neighborhood.
There were people who cared more for themselves than the sheep and were less than considerate-perhaps even brutal at times. In John 10:8 Jesus describes them as thieves and robbers-plundering the sheep pen to steal and kill.
In vs. 12 Jesus describes such people as "hired hands" with little invested in the flock and consequently little incentive to risk their lives to protect the sheep when wolves break in with their guns and bombs.
In the context of John 10 Jesus is in-a-less-than-subtle-way taking a poke at the Pharisees and religious leaders who in chapter 9 were more concerned about nit-picking over application of rules than in seeing a blind man healed. He is attacking a leadership mentality-or style.
There were people who preyed on the masses-amassing power for themselves through either corruption or manipulation of rules and guidelines so that they rose to the top of the pecking order.
This wasn’t a new problem in Jesus’ time. The prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel-600 years before Jesus-accuse the national leaders of being shepherds who have abandoned the flock.
It’s in this context and with this background in mind that Jesus says: "I am the good shepherd..." Not just once but twice in John 10 he makes the statement. He wants to make sure that we get the point-just hoping that we’ll connect with the idea that we have a true and faithful shepherd.
Perhaps you’ve been feeling a little lost and stunned this week--a little more vulnerable than normal-a little sad. Me, too. And that’s why I switched my sermon topic midweek. I was going to continue on in Acts 20 but after the horror of this week I felt drawn to focus on the gospel passage.
I needed to hear again, for myself, about Jesus the Good Shepherd; that in spite of the insanity of the world-whether it is playing out in Kosovo or Congo or Colorado-that he’s still there and still on guard.
Jesus is the good (or perhaps even better translated)-the excellent or competent shepherd. Jesus is saying: "I am the shepherd who doesn’t lose his sheep!"
Others may take advantage-plunder and kill-have lamb chops for snack--but I am the true and faithful shepherd--always on guard!
Well, wait a minute, if Jesus is such a good shepherd how is it that he allows wolves like those in Colorado and Kosovo to scatter his flock? Why wasn’t Jesus protecting his flock when those two boys went on their rampage?
And several of their victims are definitely a part of Jesus’ flock. In verse 3 Jesus’ sheep are "those who hear his voice." In verse 4 they are the one’s who "follow" him. In verse 5 they are they one’s who "refuse to follow the false shepherds."
Many who died were a part of Jesus’ flock.
In reading the news articles about the victims one in particular caught my attention-17-year-old Cassie Bernal. The story says that she became a Christian two years ago, and was active in church youth programs and Bible study groups.
A friend of hers, Michelle Fox said when the shooting began Cassie was in the library studying the Bible, as she did every day at lunch. She knelt and prayed, which angered one of the shooters. But she continued to pray, so he shot her.
"I know she died because of her faith in God," Fox said. "She stood up for what she believed in. She had a lot of courage."
How is it that some wolves got in past the good shepherd? Was he asleep? Was he on sabbatical? Was he off on a business trip?
Come to think of it-how is it that thousands of people have been slaughtered in Yugoslavia? What about the innocent victims in Ethiopia and Congo and Sudan and India where thousands have died in the past few months. What about the millions who have been murdered in American abortion clinics? Where is the good shepherd?
That’s the question that’s been eating at many of us this week. Where is the good shepherd when you need him?
Frankly I don’t have a simple answer. There are a lot of things about God and how he operates that transcends our understanding. There are times when in his providence he intervenes and then there are times when he doesn’t. And I don’t have enough of God’s perspective to tell you why or when. I wish I could-but that is a MYSTERY!
I wonder, though, if perhaps we aren’t misunderstanding what Jesus means when he says he’s the good shepherd. Jesus on numerous occasions times predicts the trials and even the death of those who follow him-that is those under his shepherding care. "Join my flock and expect to die."
So what exactly is he talking about when he calls himself the good shepherd?
Perhaps we can glean some insights just by looking a little more closely at the gospel text itself. Toward that end I want to make 2 observations from John 10:1-18. There’s a whole lot more in there but I’d like to focus on just two things.
First of all I want us to see that the Good Shepherd has a good trusting relationship with his sheep.
Starting at verse 2-"For a shepherd enters through the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t recognize his voice."
I’m told that the difference between sheep and cattle is that cattle are driven and sheep are led. And in order to lead sheep effectively you have to build up a certain level of trust with them. Which I know to be true because I saw it in the movie Babe!
We trust Jesus to lead us because we know that he cares about us. Scripture is the record of God’s care for his people-his faithfulness, his compassion, his grace. And so we trust God to lead us-sometimes it is through and over difficult terrain.
In Psalm 23, which can’t be far from Jesus’ mind when he calls himself the Good Shepherd-the psalmist says:
"The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me."
Yes, we will walk through some dark valley’s-valleys of death but the shepherd will get us through.
John 10:10-"My purpose is to give life in all its fullness." That is, he will not allow anything to come between us and himself-including death! He will lead us through death to the fullness of life!
This leads us to the second observation from our passage. The Good Shepherd is good because he is a good protector.
If any enemy appears the shepherd will confront for the purpose of saving the flock. Verse 9, "Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures."
The imagery is that of a stone or perhaps hedged pen into which sheep are placed at night. Then instead of a gate the shepherd lies down to sleep across the only entrance, the gateway. So the shepherd is the gate protecting the sheep.
Verse 11--"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
Verse 15-"And I lay down my life for the sheep."
Verse 17--"The Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may have it back again. No one can take my life from me. I lay down my life voluntarily. For I have the right to lay it down when I want to and also the power to take it again. For my Father has given me this command."
Isn’t it ironic that the Bible not only talks about Jesus as the Good Shepherd but also as the Lamb of God? He is the sacrifice-the one who gives his life so that ultimately death is not the final word.
Those who committed murder this week were on a power trip. They were making a statement about how powerful they were. They had been snubbed by some students so they were going to show that they were more powerful. They could wreak havoc, take lives, and cause incredible grief.
But no matter what they do-how evil they are-how shocking their actions-they still don’t have the final word. That belongs to the Good Shepherd, who himself took on the form of a lamb and suffered all of the abuse and the pain that evil can dish out-and in the end conquered it-rising from the dead!
"For I have the right to lay my life down when I want to and also the power to take it again."
The good shepherd is the good protector who will get his flock through the dangers of life-even death. Death is not the final word.
We will, therefore, not allow it to reign over our lives. Sure, we are shocked and we are stunned and we are sad. But we are not defeated!
We, and the students in Littleton-especially those of faith-will get up and go on. And in doing so we look death in the face and say phooey on you. You’ve done this to us. But still you don’t win. We have a good shepherd who protects us from defeat-even the defeat of death.
Even in our grief and bewilderment we join with the apostle Paul in taunting death-"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
As the shock of last week’s disaster turns to anger this week people will be looking for place to put the blame.
"The parents, school counselors, and teachers should have seen this coming."
"The probation department which wrote a glowing report on the reformed attitudes of these previously arrested teens should have been more with it!"
"The SWAT team took too long before entering the building."
"The gun and entertainment industries have fostered a culture that glorifies weapons and violence." There will be others.
The fact is that many of the shepherds in our society have failed. There is more than enough blame to go around for everyone. And I’m sure we’ll see some reforms coming out of this-perhaps they’ll help in some areas.
But none of the reforms will provide an ultimate fix for the problem of evil. That will have to be left to the Good Shepherd-the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his flock.
©1999 Brad Boydston. All rights reserved. Permission granted for non-commercial use. Permission granted for SermonCentral.com use.
