“The Lord is My Shepherd”
John 10:11–16
[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.”
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, out of your fatherly goodness you have sent your beloved Son to be the Shepherd of us poor sinners, that we may be nourished by His Word and defended from sin, death, and the devil. We ask that you grant us your Holy Spirit, that, even as our Shepherd knows us and helps us in every need, we also may know Him, and, trusting in Him, seek help and comfort in Him, hear His voice, and obtain eternal salvation; through your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
In Christ Jesus, who laid down his life for you, dear fellow redeemed!
One of my favorite movie scenes comes from a Revolutionary War movie which highlights the efforts of the Colonial Militia to defeat the British. A young man had interrupted a church service to encourage the men to fight for the militia. After his speech, the next scene shows men mounting their horses to go and fight, and one of them was the minister from the church. A person from the congregation asked in surprise, “Reverend?” He turned and said, “A shepherd must tend his flock… and at times, fight off the wolves.” It’s likely that this scene was inspired by the story of General Peter Muhlenberg, who was a Lutheran pastor. The legend goes that while standing in the pulpit of his church, he preached from Ecclesiastes that “To every thing there is a season” and then announced, “there is a time to pray, and a time to fight, and that time has now come.” He then threw off his clerical robe to reveal his military uniform hidden underneath.
It’s inspirational to see someone willing to lay down their life for another. There is no greater sacrifice a person can make. When we think about those who fought in the Revolutionary War and others, we admire their willingness to risk their lives for a just cause. When we see a mother sacrificing her life to save her baby or a father defending his family, we understand why they made such a sacrifice.
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). There is no greater sacrifice or service we can render than offering up our life for another. Yet, when we consider even the most selfless and valiant sacrifices made throughout history, they are only a glimmer of the great sacrifice of the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for his sheep.
What made Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross greater than all other sacrifices? First, it’s because of who it was for. When most people give up their life, it’s either for a cause they believe in or to save someone they love. Those sacrifices make sense to us. But for whom did Christ die? 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).
Jesus didn’t just die for his friends, he died for his enemies. He didn’t die for the innocent, he died for the guilty. He died for Barabbas, for Judas, for those who mocked him… he died for you and me. Every single one of us were enemies of God. Not only are we born in sin, but we continue to sin against God every day of our lives. We, like Paul, struggle to do what’s right. Sadly, we have even at times gone headlong into sin without remorse. Every sin we’ve committed drove the nails deeper, made the cuts deeper, and caused Christ to suffer. But what does the Shepherd do? “The Shepherd dies for sheep that loved to wander” (ELH 292:4).
Certainly, Isaiah is right when he says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus knew every sin that you would ever commit. He knew everything that he would have to endure to save you from your sin. But it did not stop him. Regardless of how stubborn and foolish his flock has been, the Good Shepherd laid down his life for them. Jesus’ sacrifice is greater than any other sacrifice because he gave up his life for the undeserving and unworthy. That is love.
The second reason Jesus’ sacrifice is greater than all others is because of what it accomplished. Jesus’ death was no man’s ordinary death on behalf of another. Jesus was true God and true man, born of the virgin Mary, so that he could redeem us, purchase, and win us from all sins, from death and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with his holy, precious blood, and his innocent suffering and death. Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished the salvation not of one person—but of the whole world.
Our Lord Jesus has righted every wrong, paid for every sin you have ever committed or will. All the sins that stain your past have been washed away. By laying down his life for us, Jesus has saved us from eternal death and hell. His death accomplished salvation for all people. We can be confident of this, because Jesus said, “It is finished.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He fights for his flock. He continues to call out to his flock, warn them of danger and direct them to the green pastures of his Word and Sacraments. He doesn’t lose his patience. He doesn’t take back the sacrifice. Instead, he prays for us, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He wasn’t afraid to defend his flock, even if the price was his own life. He is the Good Shepherd.
When we see who our Good Shepherd is and what he has done for us, it should motivate us to willingly live under his care. We should be glad to depend on Jesus because we know his love for us. The similarity between sheep and children is that they both depend on someone else. Jesus says, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
When we talk about sheep, it’s easy for us to see the negative qualities. They are not the smartest nor strongest of animals, easily led astray and defenseless. We can see how we might resemble them. However, there are positive qualities of sheep.
First, sheep depend on another’s protection and help. When we realize our dire need and depend on Christ alone for our help and salvation, that is a truly wonderful thing! To know that you are a sheep—to know that you are a sinner in need of God’s grace—is a gift of God. For you have someone who will help, who even laid down his life for you.
Second, sheep know their shepherd’s voice. When they hear him calling, they can recognize it even when around other shepherds and noises. They recognize the voice of the one who cares for them. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27–28). Jesus also said, “Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it.”
Finally, another great quality of sheep is that they submit to being led in and out to pasture. As sheep, we might not always see the purpose for which God is leading us or understand why certain things are the way they are. When we put our trust in God, knowing that his ways are better than our own, we are demonstrating faith in our Good Shepherd. We find comfort in the green pastures and still waters of his Word and Sacraments, where he forgives us our sins, renewing and strengthening our faith in him.
To be among the flock of God is a 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 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 the elderly who are homebound. What’s more, each of us should daily remember the mission that Christ has given to his church to proclaim the Gospel. We should be keeping those who we know do not know Christ or who do not regularly hear his word in our prayers and think to invite them to join us at church, so that they too might hear and receive the salvation of their souls.
Of course, the devil, that old wolf, will always attempt to lead us astray, to tempt us to think that we are wasting our time, efforts, and money. But Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice.” The devil can put on sheep’s clothing and send out his hirelings, but Christ’s flock will always be able to hear the Shepherd’s voice because we have his Word, which will never lead us astray. And this is why Jesus wants us to hear his Word, because that is where we find refuge and strength. If we remain in his Word, we remain close by our Shepherd’s side.
Our Lord Jesus prayed Psalm 22 from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me,” so that we could pray Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want… 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…Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.”
Jesus is our Good Shepherd. May we learn to listen to his voice through the Word of God, repent of our sins, trust in the forgiveness he earned on the cross, and know that he is with us each day of our lives. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Amen.