The Abundant Life

Good Shepherd Sunday

John 10:1-10 and Acts 2:42-47

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

April 30, 2023

One Thing

The Rev. M. Anthony Seel

How many here have seen the movie “City Slickers?”

Even if you haven’t seen it, you may be familiar with one scene from that 1991 movie. In a famous scene, three city slicker buddies from New York City are on horseback on a cattle drive from New Mexico to Colorado. The trail boss, Curly, played by Jack Palance, has a conversation with Mitch, one of the city slickers played by Billy Crystal.

Curly says to Mitch, “You know what the secret to life is? One thing. Just one thing. Once you figure it out, you stick to that.”

Mitch asks, “But what is the one thing?”

Curly answers, “That’s what you have to find out.”

The early church was crystal clear are their one thing. “

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42

Before we consider the early church’s pattern of life, let’s look at our gospel reading which sets the context for our first reading from Acts.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has just healed a man who was born blind. The Pharisees took offense because Jesus did this healing on a Sabbath Day. Jesus calls them on their arrogance, and then He gives the Good Shepherd parable to those gathered around Him.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.” John 10:1

In Israel, a sheepfold could be a square of stone walls, or a yard in front of a house. Entering the sheepfold by the door is the proper way. Thieves and robbers enter in other ways.

In this parable, Jesus points to the Pharisees who were trying to rob people of their faith in Jesus, the Messiah send by God His Father.

vv. 2-3 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  

Jesus approaches His sheep through the door. When Jesus explains this parable to His followers in verst 7, He says plainly that He is the door.

But, who is the gatekeeper?

Commentators are divided on this question. Some say that the gatekeeper is God the Father who chose His own before He set the foundations of this world. Others say that the gatekeeper is the Holy Spirit who opens the hearts of those whom God calls to the truth of the gospel message. Either way, the gatekeeper is God, opening the way that leads out of the sheep pen to good pasture and water.

As King David so famously wrote,

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” Psalm 23:1-2

Jesus said, When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”  

There are many false shepherds today. The former mainline denominations are full of them. Those denominations are dying because they do not have many faithful shepherds who feed their people from the riches of God’s Word.

Dean William Ralph Inge said many years ago that “Whoever marries the spirit of this age will find himself a widower in the next.” This is not the way of Jesus Christ.

His first hearers “did not understand what [Jesus] was saying to them.”

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.” v. 5

Jesus  is the door through which we enter the kingdom of God. John 14:6 interprets John 10:7 for us. Jesus said, ““I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

There is only one door into the kingdom of God. That door is Jesus Christ. Robbers and thieves point to other ways. They say things like, “there are many ways to God.” Or, “all religions are essentially the same.

Let me ask you this: how many religions do you know that teach that the divine Son of God became a human being like us and willingly died on a cross to pay for the sins of the world?

Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” v.9