Jesus the Shepherd
Sermon
THE POWER OF DARKNESS
SERMONS FOR LENT AND EASTER (SUNDAYS IN ORDINARY TIME)
"How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." (10:24) This is the central and eternal question about this One called Jesus the Christ. In the opening verses of Matthew's gospel we are told, "... and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ." (Matthew 1:16) Christ is a title for the one named Jesus. It is the Greek version of the Hebrew title "Messiah." Christ means Messiah. To call Jesus Messiah means to say that Jesus was the fulfillment of Jewish hope and expectations. The Messiah was the one they waited for, longed for. But was Jesus the Messiah? Jesus faced this question many times. Even John the Baptizer had his doubts. "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for others."
In our text the question comes during the Feast of Dedication. This feast commemorated and celebrated the purification of the Temple. This came about because several hundred years before the Syrians desecrated the Holy Temple by erecting an idol. In strong, vivid words the prophet Daniel called this terrible act the "abominable desolation." This terrible episode came to an end when Judas Maccabeus drove out the Syrians and a new altar was built and rededicated.
It is at this anniversary celebration where the heated debate between Jesus and the religious leaders continues. John, in his gospel, does not provide us with a description of a "formal trial" as do the other gospel writers. This portion of the gospel before us this morning is as close as John comes. It is sufficient. The setting is not a courtroom but it is a trial. For we have here no friendly theological discussion. It is one of those situations in which we sometimes find ourselves - when our questioners are more interested in gathering evidence against us than in clarification of understanding of the issues. They expect to convict Jesus on his answer to the question, "If you really are the Messiah, tell us so in plain words." (10:24)
It isn't as though they haven't received some strong hints as to some possible answers. At Jacob's Well, the woman from Samaria had questions about the coming Messiah. To her Jesus responded, "I who speak to you am he." (4:26) The man cured of his blindness was asked by Jesus if he believed in the Son of man. The man answered, "And who is he sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you." (9:37-38) But these answers were not sufficently clear nor unambiguous for his questioners. They wanted a clear "yes" or "no."
I, too, wish that Jesus would have given a clear, explicit and understandable answer to this "Messiah" question. I don't suppose it would make much difference in reference to my faith, but I wonder at Jesus' reluctance. It seems he had some concern about wrong interpretations that his answers would bring. Messianic expectations usually moved in the direction of nationalistic, materialistic and political desires. He dealt with those false expectations right after his baptism. In the wilderness he was tested by the devil as to his leadership style and direction. "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." Again, "if you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple." In the last test the devil promised Jesus virtually everything "if you will fall down and worship me." (Matthew 4:1-11) One fears that, in too many situations today, the job of pastor is defined by the expectations of the people. "Whoever pays the piper calls the tune" becomes the basic principle of control in too many congregations. These congregations don't want a pastor who is also their prophet. They want a pastor who is their executive director, someone to keep the "customers" happy. Jesus did not compromise. He did not permit his messiahship to be defined by what the people wanted. He was more concerned with what they needed. It could be that part of our problem with this question, "Who is Jesus?" is that we don't like Jesus' answer.
Another problem might be the sincerity of our question. Do we really want to know who he really is? Or do we ask the question because it is the kind of question all half-hearted and half-committed people ask? In our text Jesus gives this insightful response to the burning question: "The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me ..." (10:25-27) Is not Jesus saying that the reason we are not hearing any answers to our questions is that our questions are not coming from honest hearts? Jesus is not the problem. The problem rests with the listener. So the Apostle Paul warned the Christians in Corinth. The unspiritual do not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for such gifts seem foolish to them and they are not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14) So some said he was crazy. Others said he had a demon. Some said he couldn't be the Messiah because he drank too much and ate too much. Could it be that this whole question of Jesus being the Messiah is not so much a matter of definition as discovery, not so much a matter of information as of obedience, more an issue of faith than answers?
Whatever our reasons, it is important to note that Jesus doesn't reject or despise the question. Rather, he encourages our faith by returning to the "shepherd/sheep" imagery - a picture that we all can understand. For references to flocks, shepherds and sheep are many in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. Are there any more familiar or comforting words in all Scripture than these? "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." (Psalm 23:1) The prophet Isaiah paints a similar picture of our Shepherd-God in these beautiful words: "We will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young." (40:11) Jesus grew up with these pictures of God. His thinking about God was formed and shaped in this image of the Shepherd. So, as God's anointed One, he claims the title of Shepherd! He is that shepherd of the Psalms and the Prophets. He is that Shepherd through whom God cares for his people.
He is a shepherd, not a hired hand whose major concern is the pay package and not his flock. He is the shepherd who doesn't stay where it is safe, but rather seeks the lost ones. He is the shepherd who will give his life to save his sheep. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand." (10:27-28)
Even in a technological age such as ours, the picture of Christ as the Good Shepherd remains vivid and understandable. We may not like being compared to sheep. But when you consider their stupidity and stubbornness, it is a comparison that makes sense! My farmer father never cared much for sheep because they seemed prone to sudden mysterious illnesses. They also possessed a contrary spirit that could find a weak spot in the fencing to get out, but never find it again to return home. In his judgment they were prize examples of creatures nibbling themselves lost, far from the safety of shepherd and barn.
But in our text, the center of attention is not the sheep, but the Shepherd. The Shepherd cares for us. The Shepherd risks for us. The Shepherd dies for us. The Shepherd will not let us be taken from him. We will suffer pain and loss and even death as we make our way through the darkness of the valley. But it is the Shepherd's promise that nothing can remove us from his ultimate protection. "Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35, 38, 39)
Why can the Shepherd make this great promise to his sheep? Because, "I and the Father are one." (10:30) This would appear to be Jesus' greatest claim as well as his clearest answer to the question, "If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." It is also an answer full of good and wonderful news. For if the Good Shepherd and God are as one, it means that our God has all the tender, caring, compassionate characteristics of a good shepherd.
It means that to hear Jesus is to hear God. Jesus' story is God's story. It means the promises of Jesus are the promises of God. If the Good Shepherd and God are as one, it means that our God is tender, caring, kind and compassionate - just like a good shepherd.
Here is good news for the journey we are on. Our Second Lesson reminds us that for many the journey is not an easy one. There is darkness and pain and tears as we continue to make our way. Whether we are young or old we search for some light in the darkness; we cry for some meaning in the suffering we feel and see. Ours has been called a "tear-drenched" world and who can measure the tears that have fallen and are falling? And our anxieties and fears grow with growing doubt about this one called Jesus the Christ.
But he comforts us with the news that he is the Good Shepherd. He reminds us of the great news that the Good Shepherd and God are one. All of this reaches its climax in the Book of Revelation where the promises are fulfilled and the Good News become reality, "For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelations 7:17)
Who is this Jesus? He is the Shepherd who will guide us and keep us safe. But he is also the Lamb in whose sacrifice we can stand before the throne of God. Who is Jesus? In a variety of images we receive our answers. He is victor and victim, ruler and sacrifice, shepherd and lamb.
In our text the question comes during the Feast of Dedication. This feast commemorated and celebrated the purification of the Temple. This came about because several hundred years before the Syrians desecrated the Holy Temple by erecting an idol. In strong, vivid words the prophet Daniel called this terrible act the "abominable desolation." This terrible episode came to an end when Judas Maccabeus drove out the Syrians and a new altar was built and rededicated.
It is at this anniversary celebration where the heated debate between Jesus and the religious leaders continues. John, in his gospel, does not provide us with a description of a "formal trial" as do the other gospel writers. This portion of the gospel before us this morning is as close as John comes. It is sufficient. The setting is not a courtroom but it is a trial. For we have here no friendly theological discussion. It is one of those situations in which we sometimes find ourselves - when our questioners are more interested in gathering evidence against us than in clarification of understanding of the issues. They expect to convict Jesus on his answer to the question, "If you really are the Messiah, tell us so in plain words." (10:24)
It isn't as though they haven't received some strong hints as to some possible answers. At Jacob's Well, the woman from Samaria had questions about the coming Messiah. To her Jesus responded, "I who speak to you am he." (4:26) The man cured of his blindness was asked by Jesus if he believed in the Son of man. The man answered, "And who is he sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you." (9:37-38) But these answers were not sufficently clear nor unambiguous for his questioners. They wanted a clear "yes" or "no."
I, too, wish that Jesus would have given a clear, explicit and understandable answer to this "Messiah" question. I don't suppose it would make much difference in reference to my faith, but I wonder at Jesus' reluctance. It seems he had some concern about wrong interpretations that his answers would bring. Messianic expectations usually moved in the direction of nationalistic, materialistic and political desires. He dealt with those false expectations right after his baptism. In the wilderness he was tested by the devil as to his leadership style and direction. "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." Again, "if you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple." In the last test the devil promised Jesus virtually everything "if you will fall down and worship me." (Matthew 4:1-11) One fears that, in too many situations today, the job of pastor is defined by the expectations of the people. "Whoever pays the piper calls the tune" becomes the basic principle of control in too many congregations. These congregations don't want a pastor who is also their prophet. They want a pastor who is their executive director, someone to keep the "customers" happy. Jesus did not compromise. He did not permit his messiahship to be defined by what the people wanted. He was more concerned with what they needed. It could be that part of our problem with this question, "Who is Jesus?" is that we don't like Jesus' answer.
Another problem might be the sincerity of our question. Do we really want to know who he really is? Or do we ask the question because it is the kind of question all half-hearted and half-committed people ask? In our text Jesus gives this insightful response to the burning question: "The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me ..." (10:25-27) Is not Jesus saying that the reason we are not hearing any answers to our questions is that our questions are not coming from honest hearts? Jesus is not the problem. The problem rests with the listener. So the Apostle Paul warned the Christians in Corinth. The unspiritual do not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for such gifts seem foolish to them and they are not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14) So some said he was crazy. Others said he had a demon. Some said he couldn't be the Messiah because he drank too much and ate too much. Could it be that this whole question of Jesus being the Messiah is not so much a matter of definition as discovery, not so much a matter of information as of obedience, more an issue of faith than answers?
Whatever our reasons, it is important to note that Jesus doesn't reject or despise the question. Rather, he encourages our faith by returning to the "shepherd/sheep" imagery - a picture that we all can understand. For references to flocks, shepherds and sheep are many in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. Are there any more familiar or comforting words in all Scripture than these? "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." (Psalm 23:1) The prophet Isaiah paints a similar picture of our Shepherd-God in these beautiful words: "We will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young." (40:11) Jesus grew up with these pictures of God. His thinking about God was formed and shaped in this image of the Shepherd. So, as God's anointed One, he claims the title of Shepherd! He is that shepherd of the Psalms and the Prophets. He is that Shepherd through whom God cares for his people.
He is a shepherd, not a hired hand whose major concern is the pay package and not his flock. He is the shepherd who doesn't stay where it is safe, but rather seeks the lost ones. He is the shepherd who will give his life to save his sheep. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand." (10:27-28)
Even in a technological age such as ours, the picture of Christ as the Good Shepherd remains vivid and understandable. We may not like being compared to sheep. But when you consider their stupidity and stubbornness, it is a comparison that makes sense! My farmer father never cared much for sheep because they seemed prone to sudden mysterious illnesses. They also possessed a contrary spirit that could find a weak spot in the fencing to get out, but never find it again to return home. In his judgment they were prize examples of creatures nibbling themselves lost, far from the safety of shepherd and barn.
But in our text, the center of attention is not the sheep, but the Shepherd. The Shepherd cares for us. The Shepherd risks for us. The Shepherd dies for us. The Shepherd will not let us be taken from him. We will suffer pain and loss and even death as we make our way through the darkness of the valley. But it is the Shepherd's promise that nothing can remove us from his ultimate protection. "Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35, 38, 39)
Why can the Shepherd make this great promise to his sheep? Because, "I and the Father are one." (10:30) This would appear to be Jesus' greatest claim as well as his clearest answer to the question, "If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." It is also an answer full of good and wonderful news. For if the Good Shepherd and God are as one, it means that our God has all the tender, caring, compassionate characteristics of a good shepherd.
It means that to hear Jesus is to hear God. Jesus' story is God's story. It means the promises of Jesus are the promises of God. If the Good Shepherd and God are as one, it means that our God is tender, caring, kind and compassionate - just like a good shepherd.
Here is good news for the journey we are on. Our Second Lesson reminds us that for many the journey is not an easy one. There is darkness and pain and tears as we continue to make our way. Whether we are young or old we search for some light in the darkness; we cry for some meaning in the suffering we feel and see. Ours has been called a "tear-drenched" world and who can measure the tears that have fallen and are falling? And our anxieties and fears grow with growing doubt about this one called Jesus the Christ.
But he comforts us with the news that he is the Good Shepherd. He reminds us of the great news that the Good Shepherd and God are one. All of this reaches its climax in the Book of Revelation where the promises are fulfilled and the Good News become reality, "For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelations 7:17)
Who is this Jesus? He is the Shepherd who will guide us and keep us safe. But he is also the Lamb in whose sacrifice we can stand before the throne of God. Who is Jesus? In a variety of images we receive our answers. He is victor and victim, ruler and sacrifice, shepherd and lamb.
