The Good Shepherd

Reverend Debbie Cato

Ezekiel 34:11-16 and John 10:11-18

Peace Presbyterian Church

Fourth Sunday of Easter

April 26, 2015

The Good Shepherd

This winter, I got the crud that was going around. I got sick. For 2 ½ days, I ran a 102 fever and pretty much slept 24/7. I was miserable. I felt awful. I was really sick. I wanted my Mom. I wanted her to know that I was sick. I wanted her to fuss over me, to feel my forehead, and to puff my pillows. I wanted Mom. It didn't matter that I was 57 years old. It didn't matter that my Mom has been dead almost 4 years. I wanted Mom. I wanted her to wrap her arms around me and hold me. I wanted her to take care of me.

In John's Gospel, Jesus makes a number of “I am” statements. Statements that give us the character of who Jesus' is. He says,

   I am the bread of life John 6: 35, 48

      I am the light of the world John 8: 12, 9:5

         I am the resurrection and the life John 8: 58

            I am the way, the truth, and the life John 14:6

               I am the true vine John 15:1

And Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.” John 11:25

I am the good shepherd. Very few of us have experience with the actual job of a shepherd. I have never met a shepherd; have you? When we think of God as our “shepherd” we use our imaginations to understand or we try to visual who God as our shepherd is. What does that mean? What does it mean to say “the Lord is my shepherd.”

Most people – even those not that familiar with the Bible, recognize the 3^rd Psalm  – a comforting psalm; a peaceful psalm. “The Lord is My Shepherd I Shall Not Want,” it says. This Psalm promises that when the Lord is our shepherd, we will lack nothing. We will have what we need. We will have enough to eat; enough to drink; enough safety and shelter to live; enough money to pay for what is necessary. Even though we may be in deep distress; even if we are in extreme danger; even if darkness surrounds us; God is guiding us and protecting us and providing for us. No matter what is happening in our lives, Jesus the good shepherd is with us.

The psalmist reminds us that we are utterly dependent upon our shepherd. God is the one who meets our needs. God is the one who slows us down and restores our very being. We are reminded that God suffers with us in our pain and in our sorrow and in our loss. God guides us. God fights off enemies that would harm us. The psalmist offers us God’s promise that: “goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.”

Imagine that. The All-Mighty, All-Knowing, All-Powerful God is our shepherd. He meets our needs, causes us to rest & be restored, leads us in the right way of living, protects us from evil, and honors and blesses us. He never stops pursuing us with goodness & kindness.

We find another Old Testament reference to God as a shepherd in Ezekiel. The prophet Ezekiel, living in exile in Babylon with the Israelites, invokes the notion of God as the shepherd of Israel. He portrays the people as “sheep” to be led and protected and cared for. God tells Ezekiel, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I let them lie down and rest” says the

Lord God. “I will search for my sheep; I will rescue them. I will bandage the injured; I will strengthen the weak.” How comforting to a people living in exile in a foreign land. How comforting to us to know that God will search for us; he will rescue us. He will strengthen us.

Deep in the Hebrew tradition is this iconic understanding that God will intimately shepherd His people. The prophet Isaiah said that the promised Messiah would “gather the lambs with his arm,” and “gently lead those that are with young.” Isn’t that beautiful? “He will gather the lambs with his arm.” God provides protection and identity for God’s own. He gathers us in his arms. He holds us close. This paints a beautiful, very intimate picture of God.

God is not off somewhere that He cannot be accessed. He is with us. He rescues us; he protects us; He holds us close. When I was sweating out my fever or shivering with chills as my fever went up; my Mom was not with me. But God was. God was there. God held me close.

In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd.”  I am He. Jesus says. I am the one who gathers the lambs in my arms. I search for my sheep; I rescue them;  It is I who bandages the injured; who strengthens the weak.  “It is I.  I am He,” Jesus says.

I love that image: “I am He who gathers the lambs in my arms.” Jesus fulfills the hopes of Israel for a good shepherd. The One sent from above; God made flesh. The Messiah himself is the promised good shepherd.

Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd because “I know my sheep and they know me.” This paints a picture of a relationship; of time spent together; of conversations. It paints a picture of trust and care. This tells us that our Lord has personal knowledge of each one of us and He is interested in us. This is no long-distance relationship.

The shepherd knows which of his sheep like to run ahead; which lambs are the most playful; which ewes are the most attentive; which rams are the most defensive. This is a shepherd who knows his sheep. He calls their names; he counts their heads when they enter and leave the sheepfold. This is a shepherd who loves his sheep.

Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd because I lay down my life for my sheep.” I lay down my life for my sheep. In this same passage, Jesus refers to himself as the sheep gate.  When sheep were out in the pastures, the custom was for the shepherd to usher them into the sheepfold each night. The sheepfold was typically a stacked stone compound, high enough to keep out predators, but without a door. When all the sheep had been safely gathered for the night, the shepherd would lay down in the opening to the sheepfold and literally become the sheep gate. That is how the shepherd would sleep. Nothing could go in or come out of the sheepfold, unless it came by the shepherd first.

But then, of course, Jesus really did lay down his life for His sheep. He died on that cross for us. Here in John, Jesus makes it clear that he will lay down his life of his own accord — he’s choosing to give his life for His sheep. He freely lays down his life because he loves his sheep – he loves us.

I think that deep down inside – even the most independent of us, realize that we need God's guidance and leadership. I think we recognize that we need shepherding to make our way down the road of life. We all need someone to help us get across the potholes, over the rocks, even down the nice smooth newly paved paths. I mean, think about it. How many times in the past week have you asked someone for their opinion on a decision that you faced...everything from...what to wear or where to eat or how to handle a work problem to how to handle some medical problem or some other major life issue? Jesus tells us, “Come to me. Let me be your shepherd. Let me guide you through this time.” Deep down inside, each and every one of us yearn for guidance in life. Jesus invites us to accept His divine guidance. Guidance from the good shepherd. We know to whom we belong. He calls our name. We can be comforted by the sound of his voice. We can trust that our Shepherd is always with us.

I think I’ve told this before but I’m going to tell it again. There’s a story about two men who were called on, in a large classroom, to recite the Twenty-third Psalm. One was a great speaker trained in speech technique and drama. He recited the 23rd Psalm in a powerful way. When he finished, the audience cheered and even asked for an encore so that they might hear his wonderful voice again. Then the other man, who was much older, repeated the same words--'The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want...' But when he finished, no sound came from the large class.

Instead, people sat in a deep mood of devotion and prayer. Finally, the first man, the trained speaker, stood to his feet. 'I have a confession to make,' he said. 'The difference between what you just heard from my old friend, and what you heard from me is this: I know the Psalm, my friend knows the Shepherd."

I know the Psalm. My friend knows the Shepherd.

There is no question that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. The only question that remains at this point is this: Do you know the Shepherd?

Just as God promised Ezekiel, He promises us “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep,” says the Lord God. “I will search for my sheep; I will rescue them. I will bandage the injured; I will strengthen the weak.”

If you know the Shepherd, then you can rejoice in the fact that He will always be with you. He will always watch over you. If you do not know Him, then I invite you to come to Him right now. You do not have to, nor should you want to wait. Delay is dangerous! Come to Jesus today and He will save your soul. He will place you in the flock of God. He will save you from the wrath of God. He will give you a new life and a new birth. Will you come to Him?   Amen