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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.(John 10:11–16)
It's not uncommon to find in many churches an artistic rendition of Jesus as the Good Shepherd either in a painting or in a stained glass window. He usually has a staff in His hand, sheep at His feet, and a single lamb in His arms. In the early centuries of the Church, the picture of Jesus carrying a lost lamb back to the fold was the most common depiction of the Savior, even more common than the image of Christ on the cross. The relationship between a shepherd and his sheep is a beautiful picture of the relationship between Jesus and all believers. All of us — young and old — can take comfort in knowing Jesus as our Good Shepherd. It's very common for Psalm 23 and John 10 to be among one of our favorite Scripture passages.
Jesus once told a parable saying, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety–nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4). The answer is “Yes.” The shepherd would search for the lost lamb because the lost lamb would not be able to find its way back to the flock. Also, it's life would be in danger from predators such as a wolf. It could die if not found by the shepherd. Well, in Jesus' parable, the shepherd finds his lamb, puts it on his shoulders, and goes home. He tells everyone, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” Isaiah 40:11 says, “Like a shepherd [the Lord] will tend His flock. In His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom.”
Our sermon hymn put it this way:
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me
And on His shoulder gently laid
And home rejoicing brought me(Lutheran Service Book #709 v. 3)
When the shepherd finds his lost lamb it does not rebel. Nowhere does the lost lamb refuse to be rescued. It allows the shepherd to save its life.
Near the end of Jesus' ministry, He said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I wanted to gather you together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37). We could put it this way: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I wanted to bring you into my fold as a Shepherd saves his lost lamb, but you were not willing.” Jesus came to his own, but His own did not receive Him. He came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but they did not want to be saved. Jesus has come “to seek and to save that which was lost”, but His own people wanted to remain lost. It's like Jesus going to those who are sick with sin, and yet they think that they are healthy.
The Jews during Jesus' time needed a righteousness which only Jesus can provide, but they had no interest in the green pastures and the still waters which Jesus offered. They needed their soul to be restored, but they refused Jesus' help. The way of life and salvation which Jesus preached brought them no comfort because they neglected to see their sin. They thought that they earned God's favor; therefore, they did not need a Savior to die for them. When they will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, they will fear the judgement of God, because they have rejected Jesus. They choose to remain in unbelief. God says through the prophet Ezekiel, “I will destroy the fat and the strong, and will feed them in judgment” (Ezekiel 34:16).
You see, they thought they could be saved apart from Jesus. They thought that they didn't need what Jesus has to offer. They didn't think that a predator, namely the devil, would hurt them. And yet, the devil turned them into wolves and dressed them in sheep's clothing. They feed themselves and not the flock. They destroyed the flock and scattered them (Jeremiah 23:1).
Dearly beloved, don't think that you can save yourself. Don't think that you have the strength to resist the devil and the evil world on your own. Don't think that you have no need for repentance.
If you fail to see your sin, this will blind you toward the Gospel. If you live in unrepentance, you will have no desire for the forgiveness of sins. If you claim to be without sin, you will have no need for Jesus and the salvation He offers.
The fact of the matter is: the soul needs restoring, and you can't restore it on our own. You cannot by your own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him, but you need the Holy Spirit to create and to strengthen faith within you through the Gospel. You need the Good Shepherd to come to you and to save you.
All we like sheep have gone astray, and we cannot find our way back. Spiritually speaking, we are lost, wounded, weak, defenseless, and hungry.
As sinners, we hunger for the green pastures of the Gospel, and we thirst for living water. We need protection from the devil. He attempts to destroy us. He wants to deceive us and to mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. He tempts us with lies and deceit. He wants to turn us into wolves.
The reason God compares us to sheep is that, just as sheep cannot survive on their own, so also, we cannot survive on our own. Just as sheep need a shepherd, so also, we need a Good Shepherd. Just as sheep are totally dependent upon its shepherd, so also, we are totally dependent upon the Good Shepherd.
So, you cry out, “Who will rescue us? Who will save us?” God answers, “A lamb will rescue you.” You respond, “A lamb? How can a helpless lamb fight against the wolf? We need someone strong and powerful. How can a lamb save us?” God answers, “Just watch.”
So, a lamb comes on the scene — God Himself clothed in flesh and blood. He is human like us, yet He is also Divine. John the Baptist points to Jesus and says, “There He is. Behold, the Lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world.” You look at him and are a little skeptical.
You are impressed, though. He heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, cleanses the lepers, and even raises the dead. He even speaks with authority. But still, you are a little skeptical.
On Palm Sunday, you join the crowd in singing, “Hosanna, Hosanna to the Son of David.” But later in the week you hear the cries, “Crucify him, crucify him”, and you don't know whether you should join in or not. A few hours later, you see him crucified on a cross thinking that he lost.
But dearly beloved, the cross was the very means of your salvation. Yes, Jesus was a lamb — like you in every way, except He was sinless. Jesus was the spotless lamb of God who bought you, not with silver and gold but with His holy precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. Jesus, your Passover lamb, willingly laid down His life for you on the cross. God the Father laid on His own Son the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6–8). Jesus was like a lamb led to the slaughter, yet He opened not His mouth.
The hired hand sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, but Jesus sees the devil coming and He fights against the devil Himself. During this fight, Jesus is bruised. He is crucified, and He died. It looked like Jesus lost, but nothing is farther from the truth.
On Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death forever. Jesus — the lamb of God — crushed the head of Satan and won and rose for our justification. There is now the forgiveness of sins. There is now peace with God our Father. Hebrews 13:20 says, “The God of peace…brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20). During this Easter season, we continue to rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here in God's house, the wounded are healed, the lost are restored, and the broken are strengthened.
Here in God's house, your soul was restored when your head was anointed in Holy Baptism. This was a time when God regenerated you. He renewed you, and He gave you new life in Christ. In those baptismal waters, your robes were washed, and you were made white in the blood of the lamb. This morning, we rejoice that Damian, Delanie, and Jacob were brought to the waters of Holy Baptism. They are now lambs within God's kingdom. This is a joyful day for them and us.
Jesus, your Good Shepherd, cares about you. He knows you by name, and you know Him as your Savior. You know the voice of your Shepherd when it is preached or taught. You know the Word of God. You know His forgiving voice in Holy Absolution. There is no other word, no other voice, and no other truth which will give you certainty in the forgiveness of sins and salvation in Christ.
During Holy Communion, your hunger and thirst are satisfied. His cup runneth over into you, giving you His life giving blood. You will taste and see that the Lord is good.
In this place, you hear the voice of your Shepherd. He has words of eternal life. He feeds you with His Word and with His own body and blood. As a response, you follow Him on His path of righteousness. He leads, and you faithfully follow Him, living a life of repentance and faith in the forgiveness of sins. God's goodness and mercy upon you is the source of your goodness and mercy toward one another.
Jesus said that there are other sheep which are not of this fold. Therefore, invite your friends and family to join us here around God's life giving Word. It's our prayer that they may hear the Gospel and come to faith in Christ.
The day will come when you will walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It will be a dark and dreary day, but fear no evil for your Good Shepherd will be with you. His Word and Sacrament will comfort you. In heaven, then, you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Revelation 7:17 says that in heaven “the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.” Notice that Jesus is identified as both a lamb and a shepherd.
But until that day comes and while you are still here on this earth, continue to hear the voice of your Shepherd and continue to follow Him on His path of righteousness. He deeply cares about you. You are His baptized lamb. He supplies you with food and drink and all that you need. He restored your soul. He protects you from your enemies. In the midst death, He will be with you. His gift of life and salvation comfort you. He blesses you with goodness and mercy. And by His grace, you will dwell in His house forever. Amen.
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