Theme: Christ the good Shepherd
Text: Acts 4:5-12; 1 Jn. 3:1-2; Jn. 10:11-18
We all learn by example and this is the way children easily pick up the habits of adults. A young couple returning home from work one afternoon opened their front door only to hear their nine-year-old son and seven year old daughter yelling at each other. Alarmed they rushed in to find out what was going on. “What on earth is going on here?” they asked. Their son looked at them for a moment, smiled and replied “Oh, there is nothing wrong. We were just playing father and mother.” As Christians we play a very important role in the society. These days when social structures are collapsing, family life breaking up and everyone appears to be only concerned about pleasing themselves, a lot of people are looking up to Christians to provide the answers. We can only help society find the right solutions when we set a good example by following the example of Christ. As followers of Christ our lives should be an example of true Christian teaching. Any conduct falling short of this will only invite criticism and inevitably restrict the growth of the Church. The example of Christ should be central to our life and faith. Like Paul we should be keen to know and have the mind of Christ - a mind that is characterised by the self-giving attitude of Christ, the Good Shepherd.
Every profession conveys a certain image that does not always apply to those who practice it. A sales person will want to meet the needs of customers but not all of them do. The doctor will put his patient first but not all doctors do so. A lawyer should be concerned about his or her client but not all of them are. A shepherd should be someone who did whatever had to be done to protect and nurture his flock but not all of them do. The ones who do not are called hirelings. They are not concerned about the sheep as the shepherd is. The reason is because the shepherd often owned the sheep he shepherded whereas the hireling worked for an absentee owner. Both the shepherd and the hireling looked the same, but the shepherd was honest whereas the hireling was dishonest; the shepherd was diligent whereas the hireling was lazy; the shepherd was ready to do everything necessary for the protection and nurture of the flock, whereas the hireling did not really care what happened to the sheep.
In ministry we also find the shepherds and the hirelings. The hirelings are unfaithful and are only concerned about their earnings. Isaiah in chapter 56 verses 11 describes them as greedy dogs who never have enough, as shepherds who cannot understand and who all look to their own way and for their own gain. Jeremiah describes them in 6:13 in the following way “From the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely.” This same problem led Paul to complain of shepherds in his day. In Philippians 2:20, 21 he declares, “For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.” Are we today following the example of the Good Shepherd or are we seeking our own profit and honour? Are we leading the flock, feeding them and guarding them safely? Have we a relationship with the flock?
When Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd” He was claiming to be God because only God is good for only God is able to demonstrate true goodness - caring for His sheep, praying for them, and labouring for them. Jesus Christ is our example and to follow Him we need to know Him – know what He says and behave the way He behaves. His good relationship with the sheep, knowing each by name, enables them to recognise His voice. So close was this relationship that He did not only know them by name but He also knew their different natures. The Good Shepherd knew that the sheep were not all alike and that each of them had their own special needs. He was always available when the sheep needed Him and when they moved He went ahead of them knowing that they needed His guidance. In Old Testament times and even today in the Middle East, the shepherd leads his flock. He goes before them leading them to good pasture and water. He knew the location of shelters and caves where they could shelter from storms, cold nights, heat and wild animals. The shepherd protects his sheep and puts their safety before his own. He made sure he carried a sling and a wooden club to fend off wild animals and birds of prey that swoop down on unsuspecting lambs. He also carried a staff to prod the sheep as they moved or to rescue them from crevasses. He did this by placing the curved end of the staff around the neck of the animal and lifting it up. This was a painful process for the sheep but was often the only way for the shepherd to rescue it and bring it back into the safety of the fold.
Christ does not want any of us to perish but that we all belong to His fold. When Moses encountered God in the burning bush, he asked to know His name. God revealed His name to be Yahweh – I Am who I Am. This name was only fully revealed when Jesus referred to Himself as I Am to identify Himself as God. I Am the way, the truth and the life; I Am the Light; I Am the gate; I Am the Bread of Life; I Am the Resurrection and the life; I Am the good shepherd. The incredible thing we learn about Jesus Christ is that He knows us personally and that we can know Him personally. Sometimes when we think of God we think of an impersonal force in the universe who knows nothing about us and does not care about us, and therefore does not do anything for us. This is clearly not the case. God knows us personally and cares intimately about us. He knows us so well and loves us so much that He gave His Son to live and die for us. Jesus Christ will lead us and comfort us as confidently and as lovingly as a shepherd leads his flock. The story is told of an Arab guide showing a group of tourists around the Holy Land. On one occasion he alluded to the tradition of the Palestinian shepherd to walk in front of his flock. While he was speaking the tourists noticed a man in the distance driving a small flock of sheep. The tourists pointed this out saying that the guide was definitely wrong. The guide immediately told the bus driver to stop and run across the field to the man, spoke to him for a short time and returned. With a broad smile on his face he then informed them that the man was not a shepherd but a butcher. Just like the good shepherd the good leader takes a lot of interest in his followers. He loves them, knows them by name, listens to them, and talks with them. He cares so much about them that he learns about their different personalities. He is sensitive to their needs and problems and becomes part of the solution.
As Christians we can only follow the example of Christ when we are obedient as He was. It involves emulating His commitment to His Father’s will. Jesus always knew His Father’s will because of His close relationship with Him. He gave us an example to pray just as He was always prayingIt is only through prayer that we can learn what God wants done and what His plan is. It is only through prayer that we learn how best to serve and glorify Him. We need to submit totally to His will and this means relying on the Holy Spirit who alone knows the mind of God.
Jesus never relied on Himself and gave us the example of constant prayer. He prayed at His baptism when He chose to identify Himself with sinful men and women. He spent a night in prayer before appointing His twelve disciples. He prayed before He questioned His disciples as to His true identity. He was praying when He was transfigured and He assured Simon Peter of His prayer for him even thought He knew Peter would disown Him. Prayer was Jesus’ life and as Christians we are to follow His example. Most often our prayers are centred on our needs, our desires and ourselves but to pray like Christ means to get past this stage and to also pray for others. God cares for the lost and it certainly breaks His heart to see the people He loves living their lives without Him. Jesus Christ became human in order to bring in all the lost sheep. Like a good shepherd it breaks His heart to see hurting people who are not in His flock. For the good shepherd the reward comes in seeing his sheep content, well fed and safe. His energies are not only spent to make a reputation for himself but rather to find his sheep the finest pasture, to store feed for the winter season and to find water. Good shepherds provide shelter from the storm and are constantly watching for enemies such as diseases and parasites to which sheep are susceptible. From early morning to late at night they selflessly dedicate their lives to the welfare of the sheep. They do not even rest during the night but sleep with one eye and both ears open ready to leap and protect the sheep at the slightest sound of trouble.
To follow the example of the Good Shepherd is to rely on Christ and to do His will and not our own will. We need to be totally obedient to Him. It is not enough to just call Him Lord, we need to obey everything He says and not withhold any part of our lives from Him. We need to be men and women after God’s own heart. David was such a person. He was a great king of Israel, the king by which all others who followed him were measured. But David was not born a king. He was born a shepherd. David knew what it meant to have a flock, to protect them and nurture them. To you and I a bunch of sheep is just a bunch of sheep. But to David, like any other traditional shepherd, ancient or modern, each sheep was an individual with its own distinguishing characteristics. David could point out over the flock and identify each sheep. In Psalm 23 he writes that “the Lord provides for me, He gives me rest, he restores my health, he comforts me, he guards me from danger and fear, He ensures that I arrive at my destination surrounded by all goodness and kindness.” This psalm reminds us that God is intensely, personally committed to each and every one of us. In a world in which our hopes and dreams can vanish in a moment, we need that eternal promise that we are never beyond God’s care and protection. There is a story about a village Church organist in Germany. One day while he was practicing a piece by the composer Mendlesohn, a stranger walked in, sat down and listened to him. When he had finished playing the stranger asked whether he could play on the organ. The organist refused saying that he could not entrust his organ into the hands of a stranger. After some persuasion the stranger was finally given permission to play. He played the same music on the same instrument but this time it was as if the Church was filled with a heavenly choir. Amazed the organist asked at the end of the performance what his name was. He replied Mendlesohn. We can never do anything better than the One who made us. And He will not do it unless we allow Him. Only the Holy Spirit can make us live the life of Christ. Christ is calling us to serve as His under shepherds. He has commissioned us to feed His sheep. They need to be fed with the milk and meat of God’s word. They need a regular balanced diet of the Word of God to nourish them and make them grow spiritually. Let us follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen!
