John 10.11-18

Easter 4

Hymns: 143, 166, 375, 144

One of the most popular and comforting passages in all of Scripture is Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want..." David expresses for us the confidence we can have that Jesus provides for us, protects us and has prepared a place for us in heaven where we will "...dwell in the house of the Lord forever." I’ve used this Psalm many times to comfort people who are worried or afraid or facing death. These words assure us that when our life or future seems to be out of control we can take comfort in the fact that God is in control and will see to it that nothing but good comes to us even out of death or other bad things we have to deal with in life.

Tragically you or I can quote this Psalm to some Christians who are weak in their faith and resent the very idea that you or I think they are in need of hearing the words of this Psalm. When Christians give the outward impression that listening to the Good Shepherd’s voice in church is not high on their priority list of things that must be done, or fail to come to the Lord’s Table to receive his body and blood for the forgiveness of sins for an extended period of time, other Christians become con-cerned and will express that concern. "I haven’t seen you in church for a while; is everything alright?" Or, "You haven’t been to the Lord’s Supper for a while; is there a problem that you’re having to deal with?" Christians who are weak in faith resent having to respond to such questions and want you to feel as though you’re meddling when in fact all you want is to direct them to Jesus, their Good Shepherd. Jesus warned Peter that he would be in danger from Satan’s attacks on his faith. But Peter would not listen even to Jesus. He said (Mt 26.33), Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.

Let’s take a closer look at what it means that JESUS IS OUR GOOD SHEPHERD. This relationship we have with Jesus... shepherd and sheep, will give great comfort to some but it will also increase resistence with others.

It is, of course, an allegorical statement when Jesus compares himself to being a shepherd and compares us to being sheep. We are not to think of him as a literal shepherd, nor of ourselves as literal sheep. However, the principle or rule that Jesus wants us to understand is of vital importance to our faith and life.

(V 11 - 13). We are like sheep in the sense that we are inclined to wander into dangerous situations as far as our spiritual life is concerned and allow ourselves to be disconnected from Jesus our Good Shepherd. Sometimes we are aware of what we are doing, as when we choose to ignore what God tells us in the Bi-ble or when we simply choose not to worship regularly in church when, in fact, that may be the only time you hear or read anything that’s in the Bible. That is going to have a negative influence on your faith and the longer you fail to have anything to do with God’s Word, the less you will care and the greater there is of losing your faith altogether.

For example, the Bible tells us of several people who had been Christians, both loving Jesus and believing in him, and wanting to be close to him, but they allowed the "wolf," who represents the dangers to our faith that Satan uses against us, to attack them and died spiritually, they became completely disconnected from Jesus. The Apostle Paul speaks of a man named Demas who, he writes (2 Tim 4.10), "...because he loved this world has deserted me." Paul also writes about two men, Hymenaeus and Alexander, who "have shipwreck their faith" and whom "...I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme" (1 Tim 1.19-20). Paul was even concerned about losing his own faith and that he would not just preach to others against sin and the dangers of wandering away from faith but he had that con-cern about himself. He wrote, "1 Cor 9.27), No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. When the Apostle Paul expresses concern about getting disconnected from Jesus, his Good Shepherd, and losing his faith, let none of us think so highly of our personal spiritual integrity that we can neglect our faith and not end up paying an eternal price. Paul also wrote (1 Co 10.12, So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

What is it that Jesus wants us to know about him by referring to himself as our "Good Shepherd?" Jesus is our excellent shep-herd, the absolutely best there ever was. He is attentive to ev-erything that goes on in our life, watching over us and is alert to any attempt by the wolf to attack us, that is, alert to any spiritual danger that could destroy our faith and our soul.

He says "I lay down my life for the sheep," and again, "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again." A better translation would be "I risk" my life for the sheep. Here’s the picture. If Jesus, our Good Shepherd, had come to protect us from the wolf but died in the process, that is, was killed by the wolf who survived, then he would be dead but the wolf would still be alive to attack and destroy us. But Jesus says that he risked his life, that is, he died protecting us from the wolf. However, the wolf died but he survived.

When? When Jesus our Good Shepherd died on the cross, that is when he defeated Satan, that is when we were delivered from the snares of the wolf to destroy us, that is, our faith, and cause us to lose eternal life in heaven.

So what are you and I going to do? Are you going to choose to wander away from Jesus your Good Shepherd? Do you want to get away from him, so far away that he can’t protect you be-cause you don’t want or need his protection? Do you think you have little or no need to hear and listen to God’s Word, no need to worship, no hunger and no need to receive the Lord’s body and blood in the Sacrament of Holy Communion for the for-giveness of your sins? Does that even make sense? If it does, it should tell you that there’s a serious flaw in your faith and that you are a prime candidate for losing it.

On the other hand (v 14, 15). You are sheep...helpless against the attacks of a wolf because you don’t have the strength or the claws or fangs or the will to fight against Satan. But you have Jesus your Good Shepherd who watches over you and protects you and who has destroyed Satan for you so that you always remain a member of his flock of believers. Listen to the voice of your Good Shepherd, be drawn to it and be saved for eternity.