Easter 3 – 2026

[Jesus said:] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” ^(ESV)

~Prayer~

How blessed is the little flock

Whom Jesus calls His own!

He is their Savior and their Rock,

They trust in Him alone.

They walk by faith and hope and love,

But they shall dwell with Him above

When hope and faith shall pass away

And love shall last for aye.

Amen.

In Christ Jesus, the Good Shepherd of our souls, dear fellow redeemed!

We prayed in our Collect for today, “O God, by the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world: Grant to Your faithful people perpetual gladness, and those whom You have delivered from the danger of everlasting death make partakers of eternal joys.” The Collect gathers or collects the thoughts for each Sunday into a concise prayer. So, one might say this Sunday in the church year simply reminds God’s flock of the effect of having Christ as our Good Shepherd: gladness.

The picture of Jesus as our Good Shepherd is one of the oldest and most beloved pictures in the history of the Christian church. On the one hand, the picture of the shepherd serves well to describe the love, strength, and willingness of our Savior to defend, provide, and save us. On the other hand, describing us as sheep seems rather appropriate. One of my favorite video clips (which I shared on our Facebook page this week) is of a young boy attempting to get his sheep out of a ditch it had fallen into. After great effort on behalf of the shepherd, the sheep was finally free. It ran away in excitement, but then almost immediately jumped right back into the ditch. The parallels between us and sheep are not too difficult to connect.

The prophet Isaiah makes it plain when he writes, “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). Ever since Adam and Eve’s fall, humanity wandered away from God. Because of our sin, we were banished from God’s fold, his paradise. As sheep who had abandoned their shepherd, we became prey to two bitter enemies: the devil who had tempted us to sin and death, which is the consequence of sin. The devil, that old wolf, was bringing us to the den of hell. We were helpless and hopeless, unable to free ourselves from his terrible jaws. But Christ, the Good Shepherd, pursued humanity which had gone headlong into his clutches. He laid down his life for the flock, enduring the cross for our sakes so that by his death he might destroy death. He was condemned for our sakes that he might deliver us from condemnation of our sin by nailing the sentence that was against us to the cross (Colossians 2:14). An early church father wrote, “The truly good Shepherd died for our sakes, that he might take us out of the dark pit of death and prepare to enfold us among the companies of heaven and give to us mansions above, even with the Father, instead of dens situated in the depths of the abyss or the recesses of the sea. Therefore Jesus says to us, ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’” (Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of John).

No wonder King David wrote with pride, “The Lord is My Shepherd!” We wouldn’t want any other shepherd! Only Christ could and would lay down his life so that we might dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And he did! This is what makes our Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, he laid down his life for his sheep. He is no hireling who cares nothing for the sheep. He is their defender and Savior. We are his beloved possession; we were bought at a price.

This past week I spent some time reading a book looking at Psalm 23 from a shepherd’s perspective. One of the items the author highlighted was the significant difference a shepherd can make on the life of the sheep. If a shepherd doesn’t attend to his sheep, they can fall into all sorts of dangers. If a shepherd doesn’t understand the pasture necessary for the flock to grow or fails to provide it, it can leave a flock ragged. If a shepherd doesn’t lead his flock to proper waters, they will drink whatever they can find, even polluted potholes, where they will pick up all sorts of internal parasites like nematodes, liver flukes, and other diseases. But what’s odd—is that even when sheep are content and have everything they need, they will still often search for other ground, even if it is worse ground which can lead to all sorts of problems and issues like I just mentioned.

You and I have Jesus as our Good Shepherd. In him we truly shall not want for more. But it is so true, that we often think we can find more joy, contentment, and peace in other places—in greener pastures. But the masters of these pastures are cruel. They care nothing for you. But how often we think other things will bring us peace—more money, less work, more time, less pain, more power, fewer problems, more things. But the answers the world offers are like potholes with polluted waters. We might not see it right away. We might start drinking, but we will in the end, find ourselves sick and dying.

And so, Christ reminds us who he is. He is the Good Shepherd. He cares for you. He gives you what you need. He will not throw you to the side. He has laid down his life for you so that he might bring us to the pastureland of heaven. Now, will you believe it?

A good shepherd knows the pastures for his sheep to graze and waters for them to drink. Jesus knows what you need. This is so helpful for us to remember. If God really thought you needed something for your life, he would give it. He doesn’t deprive us of anything that we need. The Lord may be trying to teach you to rely on him and content yourself with what he has provided. Scripture states, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content” (I Timothy 6:6–8).

In this world, you and I will be tempted every which way. Everyone feels these temptations in different ways and varying degrees. Luther commented, “Youth, for example, are tempted chiefly by the flesh; older people are tempted by the world. Others, who are concerned with spiritual matters are tempted by the devil.” And this is why the Good Shepherd calls out to us. He sees our failures but doesn’t abandon us to the wolves. Instead, he calls us to repentance and faith. He is the one who leaves the ninety-nine to search out the one that was lost. Jesus has proved his love for his stubborn, lost, and needy sheep. Paul writes, “Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6–8).

The things of this world will never truly bring lasting happiness. When they do, it is temporary. But our good God provides something for us that will never fail or disappoint. He gives you that which brings true gladness and satisfies us in the green pastures of his word, in the waters of holy Baptism, and in the table that he has set before us in the Lord’s Supper. This is our nourishment and strength. Through these means of grace, Jesus forgives our sins, and where there is forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation.

While sheep tend to get a bad rap, there are aspects of sheep that are good. Sheep are entirely reliant on their shepherd. We too, should be entirely reliant on God. Second, sheep listen to the voice of their shepherd. They can identify it amidst all sorts of noise. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

To be in Christ’s fold is the most wonderful thing. Jesus explains the beautiful relationship between him and all believers. Jesus said,  “I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.” As the Son knows the Father and the Father knows him, Jesus knows you. To be known by Christ is the greatest blessing in this life. He knows your needs, your wants, your strengths, your weaknesses. He forgives you, provides for you, and leads you. As Christ’s sheep, we enjoy these blessings.

Yet, when we look out at this world it can be troubling. We have conflict in our families, in our communities, and in our world. Not only do we see evil, but outright rejection of God. We live in a world that is contrary and increasingly hostile to Christianity. Many of you have likely had similar thoughts. Perhaps, we feel it’s appropriate to say, “the world is going to hell in a handbasket.” We feel like giving up on it, but there is one who did not. It was our dear Lord Jesus, who took pity on this world, and chose to redeem it and save it.

Jesus said, “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” God works in his flock this same love and desire to share the Gospel. There are still many who have not heard the Gospel and do not know what Jesus has done for them. As members of this church, we seek to support our Savior’s mission to share the Gospel with others whether that be the person who has never heard the Gospel before, a baby being baptized, or those who are sick and in prison. The church’s mission is to proclaim this sweet Gospel and to pray that it would bear fruit. We love others, because Christ loved us by giving his life for his sheep.

The shepherd’s presence among the sheep is vital. If the sheep were fighting amongst themselves or if they were afraid because of danger, when the shepherd comes near become at ease. They feel safe. King David, who knew this well, wrote, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

No matter what comes our way, we know that our Good Shepherd is with us. When we face worry or want, sickness of sadness, we need not fear because Christ is near. Through his Word Jesus directs, defends, and leads us to him. When we remain in his Word, we remain close by our Shepherd’s side. And he brings us peace. He laid down his life for you to pay for your sins so that he could bring you to the heavenly pasture. The Good Shepherd has brought us gladness. And so, we sing with King David, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” Amen.