Sermon text and video for the Fourth Sunday of Easter - Good Shepherd Sunday

     Click here for the link to the service and sermon at St. Luke, Rensselaer, IN

2024 Easter 4       John 10:11-18

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

O Lord our God, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, our rock and redeemer. Amen. 

Jesus uses different titles to describe himself. Others use titles to describe him too. In the Gospels, we hear the name of Jesus connected to titles such as Savior, as when the angels announced to the shepherds that Jesus is born, “unto you a Savior is born.” In the beginning of the gospel of John the gospel writer refers to Jesus as the “Word” and declares that the “Word was God” and that He is co-eternal with the Father. In the Johannine prologue, we also hear Jesus referred to as the only Son from the Father. John the Baptist declared that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. When Jesus asked the Apostles, “who do you say that I am?” Peter spoke for the group in confessing that Jesus is the Christ.  Numerous times, Jesus is called the Son of David. In the second Sunday of Easter, we heard how the Apostle Thomas declared that the resurrected Christ who stands before him is “My Lord and my God.” 

In the Gospel for today. Jesus says that he is the Good Shepherd.  There are seven instances recorded in the Gospel of John when Jesus uses the first-person singular “to be” verb, “I am” to underscore the uniqueness of Jesus and His purpose among among us. In addition to saying, I am the Good Shepherd(10:11,14), He also says “I am the Bread of Life 6:35), Light of the world (8:12), Door (10:9), Resurrection and the Life (11:25), Way and the truth and the life (14:6). And, in John 15, Jesus says, “I am the Vine” (15:1,5)

We will explore all these titles and images that Jesus uses when they become available to us in the lectionary, but at this point I want to focus on today’s theme of Jesus the Good Shepherd.

When Jesus says “I am” he intends for us to call up into our biblically informed imagination the incident recorded in Exodus 3.  Moses was himself acting as his father-in-law shepherd.  He was shepherding Jethro’s flock in the wilderness. Upon Mount Horeb, Moses encountered the LORD. This is where Moses receives the divine mandate to return to Egypt to lead Israel out of the bondage of slavery and into the Promised Land. Moses asks a reasonable question. “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘the God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘what is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said to him, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 

Jesus is the eternal Word that speaks the Father’s will to the people. This is no mere angel that Moses is speaking to. Moses is speaking shepherd to shepherd. Moses the shepherd is speaking to the eternal Good Shepherd who watches over us always. Moses is speaking with the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. 

When we hear Jesus say “I am the good shepherd” our vision of the flock is expanded significantly. The flock is the church which the Holy Spirit has called, gathered, and enlightened in every time and place. Regardless of our language, we hear Jesus’ voice.  He is our Savior who walks amidst us. He guides us, leads us, provides for us.

Jesus says that he is good.  He is the good shepherd. We are a people of faith who are here because God has called us. We know his voice and he certainly knows ours. We trust Him. But, have you ever wondered why Jesus feels the need to etch into the eternal record of Holy Scripture, the adjective Good? One might think that it goes without saying that Jesus is good. And, if he identifies himself as our shepherd, then he is automatically good. No adjective is necessary. Yet, Jesus says, “I am the goodshepherd.” 

There are a couple of reasons to use this adjective. The first has to do with the historical use of the word shepherd. Shepherd has always meant someone who watches over, protects, and leads flocks of animals. The word is also used regularly for the work of Political Leaders, Prophets, and Priests. As the Bible makes plain, not all political and religious servants of the people were good.  In fact, some are outrageously, egregiously, bad. They abuse their position and power. They oppress and terrorize their people.  They eat well while everyone else starves.  They have clothes when others barely have a single garment and blanket. Love of God becomes love of self. Love and service of neighbor morphs into neighbor exists to serve me! 

Priests and those working in the temple in order to make the glorification of God possible are supposed to be shepherds of the people. You recall that Jesus dramatically made a whip, turned over the moneychanger’s tables and cleared the temple grounds of these selfish, self-serving, thieving men who are abusing God’s sacrifices for their own monetary gain. And, it is priests, in particular the high priest and his sons who are behind the criminal mischief in those years. 

Jesus regularly quarreled with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes.  These learned men are supposed to be shepherds of God’s people but were instead putting them into spiritual strangleholds with their abusive spiritual interpretations.  They were not leading people to God and God’s green pastures and still waters and the cup that overflows.  They were burdening people with impossible demands so there was no rest, peace, or refreshment for the flock. 

Ezekiel 34 comes to mind regarding political leaders. “The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; … Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? ³ You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. ⁴ The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.” 

God’s Word assures us that just as He sees our sin, He sees theirs too.  Just as we are held accountable for our own sins. They too are held accountable. Their accounting will be higher, because they abuse the position in which they are placed and the power they are granted. 

Jesus was probably a carpenter by trade. That is what Joseph was. He was not a shepherd of animals.  He is a shepherd of people. He distinguishes himself from a long history of “bad and evil” shepherds who abuse the entitlements granted them. Jesus is a son of David. David was himself a shepherd. Yet, Jesus far exceeds David. David sinned. His memory is marred by his occasional prideful and self-centered behavior. David did not always act with the best interests of his people in mind. 

The second reason Jesus uses the adjective “good” is because of the word’s precise meaning. The Greek word is “kalos.” The word means “excellent and very best.” Kalos is not “good enough” or “you’ll do” or “since there is no one else.” Nor does it mean something that is a little above average or that stands out a little bit. No, the Greek word means excellent and the very best. 

Jesus is the excellent Good Shepherd.  He is the very best. He is unobjectionable and blameless. He exemplifies the highest standards. Jesus goes on to illuminate what excellence and the very best looks like. 

Jesus the Good Shepherd considers the well-being of the flock first.  He lays his life down for the salvation and life of the sheep. Jesus the Good Shepherd lays down His life for us upon the cross. He suffers the agony, the pain, and the death we deserve.  His sacrifice upon the cross, protects us from the righteous wrath of the Father.  He protects us from the just punishment of our sins.  Not only that, his sacrifice upon the cross brings defeat to the enemies of our salvation.  Sin, death, and the devil are defeated by the spilling of his blood.  His death brings us life.  His death on the cross enables us to receive through faith His forgiveness. As Isaiah says, “By his stripes we are healed.” 

Jesus, our good shepherd, knows His flock well. His resurrection announces to us that He is ever present with us. He calls the flock to Himself. We hear His word. We receive the refreshment that comes through Word, repentance, and forgiveness. We are led to the Altar where we receive our Lord in the sacrament. His body is given for us. His blood shed for us. Here, in this church, this pasture, we are safe, and we are content. 

The New Testament letter to the Hebrews ends with a benediction that invokes the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd.  I conclude with those words. 

²⁰ Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, ²¹ equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!