I’m off the lectionary path for a quick 2 week series on the Temple. So, I wanted to post this sermon from Easter 4A that I did three years ago when were last in Year A. If you are a pastor please feel free to copy and steal everything below.
Easter 4A – John 10:1-18
The Good Shepherd
I love first lines of books. Somewhere along the way in my education a teacher pointed out to me that first lines are really important, so I started paying attention. See if you can tell what these famous lines are from:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
How about: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief…of incredulity.”
Or, “Call me Ishmael.”
You might know: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Or, one of my favorites: “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”
[Answers: The Raven, A Tale of Two Cities, Moby Dick, Pride & Prejudice, The Catcher in the Rye.]
The Gospel of John has a great opening line: “In the beginning (same as Genesis) was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
It starts the way Genesis starts, which tells you that this story has to do with the cosmic story, the story that started clear back in the beginning. It tells you that Jesus (the word), was eternally present and active in the story of creation.
Today’s text is about the Good Shepherd. The story right before this is of Jesus healing blind man, which won Jesus great notoriety and tons of followers. But the Pharisees were losing patience. Jesus throated to erode their power. They questioned everyone they could to try to show the healing was a hoax. But they couldn’t. Then after that we find this text:
John 10:1-18
1Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’6Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.
If we stick with the literary theme, we’ve got several characters in this story: the thief and bandit (Stranger), a (Good) Shepherd (which Jesus says I AM), a Gatekeeper (God the Father), the Gate (I am the gate, another I AM statement), the Hired Hand, and the Wolf. Jesus plays two parts: the gate and the Good Shepherd. And both times he says I AM… which is an important phrase in this story. Moses was instructed by God to tell Pharaoh that he was sent by the God I AM. Jesus seems to be tapping into that tradition, only he’s using that language about himself—if you are scoring at home, that’s a dangerous thing to do.
In fact just a few scenes earlier Jesus had been reinterpreting the prophets for them. The Pharisees say, “You’re gonna reinterpret Abraham? Did you know Abraham?” Jesus replied, “Before Abraham was, I Am,” which blows the roof off the joint, and they go to try and stone him, he gets away.
So it seems that part of what John is doing in his gospel, is telling the story in such a way that we can make no mistake about it: Jesus is doing and saying things here that only YHWH can do and say – it’s scandalous.
If Jesus is the Gate & Good Shepherd; then who are the bad guys? Well, the last time Jesus used the world thief, bandit, or robber he was at the Temple, calling the temple rulers le-estai – “robbers.” It’s a good bet this is talking about the Pharisees & the religious rulers here.
In reading any good story, you have to be able to discern the good guys from the bad guys. One difference here is in how they enter the pen: “1Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.” The bad guys climb the fence. The good guy is let in by the gatekeeper (YHWH). It was a pretty stunning thing to say. The Pharisees and the rulers of the temple are not from God, but he is from God. He has permission to come assist the lost sheep of Israel. They don’t…no wonder they’re mad.
Another difference is that they know his voice: “3He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’” The shepherd knows the name of every sheep. The sheep know the voice of the shepherd.
I knew an older family in college, a husband and wife with grown children. They were very supportive of my band Satellite Soul when we were just getting started. The wife kept sheep around on her property. She said that the bible talked about sheep so much, she just kept them around just to watch what they were like. I once asked her if she named her sheep. She said that she couldn’t tell them apart most of the time. They looked so much alike.
Sheep are notoriously difficult to tell apart, one from another. So the idea that Jesus knew names of his sheep always impressed her. She only had a small bunch and couldn’t tell them all apart. Jesus, apparently, is not your normal shepherd.The Roman Emperor didn’t know the name of all his sheep. King David, Pharisees & religious rulers didn’t either. Jesus is saying, “They don’t love you like I do. They don’t even know you. But I do – I know your name & I care for you.
Then he says that his sheep, “follow his voice,” which is a peculiar thing…
Once while I was on vacation with my family, we saw a sheep drive. It was in Wyoming on what’s called the Libby Flats—this high plain right at the timber line. They apparently did summer grazing with sheep on this land that was too high for cattle. It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. Herders on horses, and especially the sheepdogs were incredible to watch. The dogs were fully engaged and doing what they were born to do. They’s steer the sheep by running and nipping at their heels.
In the middle east they do it differently, they don’t drive the sheep, they lead the sheep.They have this certain call that the sheep know – it’s the call that means this guy is going to get me to food and water. Every call is different.
I’ve seen this work with cattle before, and it’s pretty funny to watch. My little sister’s husband owns a cattle operation in western Kansas. When we stay out there my kids love to watch him work with the cattle. Went out to feed them he has this one word he says – “Ka-Boss!”
He yells this word & they come running. First time my sister saw him do it, she totally died laughing at him. He’s conditioned the cows to come to him by yelling “Ka-Boss” when he puts out food for them. Then when he need to work on them, all he has to do is yell and they think their about to get food. This is the picture Jesus is using here.
The sheep might be stupid animals, but they know the difference between the Shepherd and the stranger. They’ll run away from the stranger because they don’t know his voice, but when they hear that voice they know—the voice that means they are taken care of—they’ll follow it.
Sometimes shepherds would but several flocks in one pen for the night. In the morning they’d open the gate, shepherd would shout his word.While he shouted, the other sheep would be scared by his voice & run to the back of the pen. But the sheep who knew his voice would move toward the voice, and literally separate out from the flock and follow the shepherd out to graze.He would call their name and they’d follow him out, and he takes them out to find pasture, to find everything they need to survive.
Now, Jesus goes on like this for awhile, but the disciples don’t seem to be getting it. Verse 6 says: 6Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So he spells it out for them: “I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” And then he makes this contrast between the two characters: “10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
See, there are two very different characters here that Jesus wants us to know about. There are Robbers & Thieves who want to steal and destroy. And there is a Good Shepherd who wants to lead his sheep to abundant life. And Jesus says something that is really stunning: the sheep can tell the difference.
There’s another difference between the good guys and the band guys Jesus works with here:
“11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.”
It starts with another “I Am” statement…“I am the good shepherd,” he says. And then he introduces another couple of characters here, they are the Hired Hand and the Wolf. There’s an easily discernible difference between the hired hand and the good shepherd. The hired hand doesn’t own the sheep. He doesn’t care about them that much because they’re not his sheep. So when the wolf comes along, the hired hand takes off. Why would he risk his life against a wolf just to save a bunch of sheep he doesn’t care about?
But not the good shepherd. He loves the sheep. When the wolf comes, the good shepherd doesn’t take off, but he guards the sheep with his very life, even if it means he’s going to be torn apart by the wolf.
Jesus says, I am the gate: I am the way to safety for all of my sheep. There is only one way to have abundant life and that is through me.
And Jesus says, I am the good shepherd: I love my sheep and even if it costs me my very life, I’ll gladly die so that they might live a good life – abundant life.
That really only leaves us with one character left to deal with… And that’s the wolf.
Who is the wolf in this story? Just think about that for a second. I’ve read lots of people’s ideas about who the wolf could be: Zealots, Pharisees, Romans, the Devil, Powers & Principalities… I don’t know what I think about this really. I’m not sure if I know who the wolf is, but I’m sure I’ve seen his work.
I’ve seen the wolf’s work in the lives of many people in this church over the past few years. I’m not talking about I lost my car keys, kind of stuff – we’re talking “draw a line in the books, life is going to be different from now on in our life” kind of stuff. I mean:
People who have lost a job they loved, gone through bankruptcy, lost their homes to foreclosure, or people who have lost their businesses.
I’ve seen marriages experience deep trouble, people who have had affairs, or are dealing with difficult addictions, suicide attempts, deep depression that have made life so challenging and often very painful.
We have so many young families, people just trying to raise their family which is hard enough when everybody’s healthy, but even more difficult when somebody gets sick. We’ve had our share of that – I mean more than bumps and bruises or broken bones, I’m talking about serious health problems, serious injuries that will cause life-long difficulties for these kids we love so much. And we have to watch as they struggle against debilitating diseases & injuries & it just breaks our hearts. I used to take the health of children for granted until I became a pastor and began sitting with parents whose children are dealing with serious health problems… I don’t take healthy children for granted anymore.
And then there are those in our congregation who don’t have children and want them desperately. Can you imagine living life in this church so full of children and pregnant women, when what you want more than anything else in the world is for God to give you a little life our your own, that you can love and pour yourself into? Can you even fathom the pain of the heart that cries out for a child…and it’s just like heaven doesn’t hear you.
I don’t know who the wolf is supposed to be in this passage, but I think I’ve seen his work…I think it looks like those things. And Jesus wants us all to be very clear – make no mistake about it, he says, “I’m not just some hired hand. I will not run away from you at the first sign of trouble. I care about my sheep – I care about all the sheep…I lay my life down for these sheep I love them so much. I know my sheep, and they know me. – I’m not just some hired hand – I’m the good shepherd.”
Surely this is good news for us, especially when we feel like the wolf is at the edge of our camp. This passage is good news because it says, “You have a God who sees you, and sees the shape you’re in. This God knows your name, & every single thing there is to know about you. This God has watched you from “In the beginning,” and has made you a promise: that for those who trust in him, he will watch over them and bring them life, and not just life, but life lived abundantly.
If you are suffering with shame or guilt or regret, your shepherd does not look upon you with contempt but with love—because he’s a good shepherd. And this shepherd loves his sheep. So, no matter how hard things get, no matter how difficult the circumstances of your life become, you can be sure that you have a God who loves you. And though the thieves come to steal and destroy, and the wolf comes with designs on your life…there is a good shepherd. And he can keep you safe – He’s not some hired hand.
When we gather together, we can be sure that a significant number of us feel completely broken. We can see it in each other’s eyes when we talk, read it on each other’s faces, and hear it in our voices when we talk. We struggle with the darkness and the brokenness of the world and our lives… this much is universal.
I don’t really know how to explain who the wolf is…but I’ve seen his work. I can hear it when the wolf is circling. It can be terribly frustrating and defeating… we don’t ask for a visit from the wolf, we don’t want it to happen. Often we could never imagine that this awful thing could ever happen to us… until it happened. Some of you are in the thick of it right now… the battle of your life.
And in the moment, when we feel alone in the darkness, when the wolf is on the prowl, and we know we’re in trouble… then we really only have one question, is the only question that makes any sense in that moment. God, do you have me? Can you keep me safe? Can you hold me in even this mess I’m in? Because it feels like I’m dying here.This is what it means to be a Christian, this thing…right here. How we respond to this thing—because we know that there is good news for exactly this moment, exactly this struggle.
Jesus is not just some hired hand. He’s not a thief, and he’s not a bandit. He is the good shepherd. And in the midst of the darkness in your life, he knows your name. He knows you. He calls out to you.And he says, “I will watch out for you – I will not let the wolf get the best of you. Listen for my voice, trust in me, follow after me, and when it all comes crashing down upon you – I’ll die first. I’ll lay down my life for you.” I’m not just some hired hand.
The good shepherd cares for his sheep, and rescues them from the dark places to which they have been scattered. He feeds them, he tends to the weaker ones, and helps those who are injured, and he goes after the ones who are lost, but they have to listen to his voice.
Jesus seemed to think is was extremely important for us to be honest about ourselves in times like this…And I wonder, for all of us: How many times do we run to the wrong shepherd? How many times do we ignore the voice of the Good shepherd, and go chasing after thieves and bandits: addictions, habits, relationships that are wrong, this degree, that job, this next thing… We chase after those things when ultimately they don’t have our best interest at heart, and those things always come with a terrible cost. If I can just have this drink, I’ll feel better. If I can just work like crazy and make some more money, I’ll start to give my best to God. If I can just jump on the internet for awhile, I’ll feel better. If I buy this, the pain will go away. If I hurt you, maybe I won’t hurt as much anymore.
But when we follow after those things, we follow after thieves and bandits. They are wolves. If we follow after them – in the end… the result is a lonely sheep wandering off by itself toward something that is ultimately going to destroy it.If that is you then perhaps this is just one of those moments in which you learn how to trust God’s voice, and move in a different direction than you’ve taken before. Maybe you need to listen for the sound of his voice and you need to run to him. You need to stop flirting with the thieves and robbers & you need to run to the arms of the Good Shepherd.
For those who didn’t choose this struggle you are in, but the wolf is at the gates—whether it’s disease, injury, circumstance, past hurts that still have a hold on you. You feel vulnerable, you feel lost, you feel like you are all alone…you need to hear me say: the one who comes for you is not just some hired hand. Your shepherd loves you. Your God will not run away from you at the first sign of trouble. So, when you feel like you are dying Christ is your comfort and your ever present help in need. And even if the challenges you are facing get the best of you. Even if you die, just remember, he dies first. That’s what he does, because he is the good shepherd. He dies first. And what God did for him in the resurrection, God will do for you as well.
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