"Our Good Shepherd"

We get a little change of scenes this morning – we back up some – we go back before Easter – back to the December before Jesus’ death. Our text puts us at the Feast of Dedication, and Jesus is, as usual, in the temple. This Jewish feast was the celebration of the re-dedication of the temple in 165 BC by Judas Maccabeus after it had been profaned by Antiochus Epiphanies.

John tells us that Jesus is walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. This was a porch along the inner side of the wall that enclosed the outer court, with rows of 27 foot high stone columns and it had a roof made out of cedar.

And as usual, when Jesus was in the temple, there was a group of Jews hanging around. When the apostle John refers to a group of people as "the Jews," he is collectively referring to the Pharisees and Sadducees and teachers of the law. He is referring to the group of people who, for the most part, didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah. He was referring to the group of people who would eventually be responsible for Jesus’ crucifixion.

And again, we see them questioning Jesus. They don’t really want to know if He is the promised Christ or not. They want to catch him in his words and use those words as an excuse to kill him. Just after the words of our text, in John 10: 31, the Jews pick up stones to stone him. They say he is a mere man who claims to be God. They say that he has blasphemed.

So as they walk along, as they follow like a group of dedicated disciples, they ask Jesus; "How long will you keep us in suspense?" "If you are the Christ, tell us plainly!" And Jesus tells them, "I have told you, and you do not believe." And Jesus points out that, not only has he told them, the works he has done, the miracles he has performed in his Father’s name bear witness to who he is. And Jesus again tells them, "But you do not believe," and adds the reason for their unbelief. They are not his sheep. They are not part of his flock.

When he uses the peaceful image of a shepherd to explain himself, he is telling the leaders of the Jews that he is the Anointed One, sent by God to replace the old kings and rulers. He is telling them that He is here because he has been sent by God.

The religious leaders have heard Jesus’ teachings and claims. They have seen his miracles. But Jesus threatens their power and positions. He threatens their autonomy. They really don’t answer to anyone. So they pretty well do what they want. Isn’t that why people reject Jesus today? They don’t want to be accountable for their actions. They don’t want to answer to anyone. If they deny God exists, then they are in the driver’s seat – and anything goes.

The whole general theme of this tenth chapter of John is that of Jesus as "The Good Shepherd." In the ancient world it was common to view and explain the attributes of a king or a ruler by using shepherd language and imagery. A king or a ruler could be compared to a shepherd and evaluated in those terms. Just in this 10^th chapter of John, Jesus refers to himself as a "Gate," and as a "Good Shepherd."

Another example would be from Ezekiel 34, where in a prophecy against the shepherds of Israel, the bad rulers are denounced as shepherds who have failed to govern Israel well and wisely. In that prophecy, God himself promises to shepherd his people, and promises a new David – a hand-picked king, shepherd, and anointed one to rule over them. That prophecy is of course, pointing towards Jesus.

Finally, though, Jesus drops the Shepherd imagery and does speak plainly about himself and the work he does as God’s Son. With figurative and illustrative language, Jesus compares the Jews to thieves and bandits and hirelings. Jesus wants them to understand that through their actions and attitudes that they were demonstrating that they were not his sheep.

Jesus explains that his true sheep can distinguish between his voice, the voice of the Good Shepherd, and that of false shepherds – like that of the Pharisees and other false religious leaders. Jesus said; "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me."

This "knowing" means a personal and intimate, kind of knowing. It’s a knowing through and through. Jesus knows his sheep. He knows us. And when we get to know him, we follow him. "Following" is merely the other side of "knowing." It the result of intimately knowing the Shepherd.

And in verse 28, Jesus gets right to the heart of the matter. Jesus tells the Pharisees exactly what he gives his sheep. He gives them eternal life. He gives them eternal protection. They are as safe as they can be, because no one can forcibly take the sheep from the Shepherd. And since the all-powerful Father has given them to him, no one can snatch them from his hand, or the Father’s hand, since Jesus and the Father are one.

Of course, the sheep are free to stray, but if they really know their Shepherd’s voice, if they really trust the Shepherd, they won’t stray. Our Shepherd’s voice has a certain, unmistakable ring to it that we can learn from listening to it. By staying in the Word, we become familiar with our Shepherd’s tone and timbre. No matter what other distracting, muddling, drowning out sounds their might be, we can always discern the authentic voice of our Shepherd.

After a short while, sheep learn who their master is. They know he will feed them, give them life and protection, and love them. It is these simple qualities that Jesus expounds as he fleshes out what he means by being the "good" or "model" shepherd. He is the model shepherd because he loves his sheep so much that he was willing to die for them on a cross. He knows them so well, that he would miss one if it were lost.

Because he knows us so well and loves us so much, he will come and search for us should we ever let ourselves become lost. No matter how loud the other voices that call us get, the philosophies, the false promises, the fancy ear-tickling explanations, our Shepherd is always there, calling. Following his voice, we can find our way back out of chaotic, confusing, and conflicting situations.

Socrates taught for 40 years. Plato taught for 50. Aristotle taught for 40. And Jesus taught for about 3½. Those few years outweigh the combined influence of 130 years worth of teaching of three of the greatest men in antiquity. Jesus painted no pictures, yet Raphael, da Vinci, and Michelangelo received their inspiration from Jesus. Jesus wrote no poetry, but he inspired scores of the world’s best poets.

Jesus composed no music, but Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest levels of perfection in their hymns and symphonies written in His praise. The humble carpenter’s son from Nazareth has enriched every sphere of human greatness. But his unique contribution to the human race was the salvation of our souls. Philosophy, music, art, literature, could not accomplish that.

I don’t know about each of you, but to me, Jesus’ words that He and His Father are one are some very comforting words. Jesus lived as an ordinary man. He was born as an ordinary man. He suffered temptation and hunger and thirst. He endured the pain and agony of the crucifixion. He knows what its like to be one of us.

And while Jesus and the Father have always been one, there was that brief period of time when he was separated from the Father. When Jesus bore our sins on the cross, he was separated, severed, and divorced from God his Father. That separation is more commonly called hell.

But the Good News is that because Jesus and His Father were not one while Jesus hung on the cross, you and I are now one with God, here and hereafter. Now we are united with Christ’s death and resurrection in the waters of Baptism. That Baptism has washed away our sins. The Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts through that Baptism But because our sins separated Jesus from God’s presence while He was on the cross, here in this life, and best of all into eternal life, no one is able to pluck us out of the Father’s hand.

Our Good Shepherd tells us that twice in just two verses. That relationship is, of course, the very essence of the Gospel – the Good News of what God has done for us through the gift of His Son. It is that Good news that we are empowered to share with the lost and hurting souls around us. Amen.