Text: John 10:11-18 Easter 4b
SN: 0049 04/21/24
The Shepherd Who Died for His Sheep
What would you be willing to die for? There are many different ways to answer that question. Perhaps you would be willing to die for a cause like freedom, or maybe you would be willing to die in defense of your country. Some would be willing to die to save a loved one: a parent dying for their child or a husband dying to save his wife. Some might even be willing to sacrifice their life for a complete stranger in an act of selfless sacrifice. But would you die to save the life of your dog or cat?
That’s a little more difficult because we can have love and affection for our animals, we also know that they are not the same as people. But maybe you would be willing to make a great sacrifice for your pet. But what about a cow…or a sheep? Would you be willing to die for them? A shepherd loves and cares for his sheep because they are important to him. They are his livelihood and source of wealth. They provide him with wool to sell and to make into clothing. They give him meat and milk. He is willing to go to great lengths to keep them safe and healthy. But to die for them? That doesn’t seem to make much sense.
But this is the picture that Jesus wants us to have in mind when we think about our relationship with him. We are sheep and he is our Good Shepherd. He loves us dearly. We see the love of our Savior in the painting above the altar. We see the love, devotion, and selflessness our Savior has in the picture on the screen. Many good shepherds would risk their lives to save their sheep. King David described how he fought off a lion and a bear to save his flock. Our Good Shepherd did something far greater than just risk his life for us; our Good Shepherd died to save his sheep.
The Bible often uses the imagery of sheep and shepherds to describe God’s relationship with his people. On the one hand, it shows us the love and devotion of our God and our willingness to follow wherever he leads us. But the imagery of us as sheep is not always a flattering description. Sheep have the reputation of being docile, harmless, and rather stupid animals. In storms they have been known to pile up in the corner of their pasture, actually smothering one another to death. If a sheep stumbles and falls into a ravine and rolls over on its back, the poor animal is helpless to right itself and stand up again. Sheep often make very foolish and self-destructive decisions.
Isn’t that a perfect picture of what we do so often in our lives? We know that sin is wrong and not good for us. And yet what do we foolishly do over and over again? We jump right back into the same sins of habit. We know the good we should do, but we don’t do it, and the evil we know we shouldn’t do is what we keep on doing. We ignore the warnings of God’s Word and do things that are destructive to our faith and harm our relationships with others. We have the truth of God’s Word before us, the very voice of our Good Shepherd, and instead of listening to that voice we listen to the voice of the false shepherds of this world. We foolishly wander into temptation and forget that there is a ravening wolf who is waiting for an opportunity to destroy our souls.
This is why we need a Good Shepherd who knows us, loves us, and wants to save us. Jesus assures us “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me (just as the Father knows me and I know the Father). And I lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus knows us intimately. David describes this knowledge of our Lord in Psalm 139, “LORD, you have investigated me, and you know. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You understand my thoughts from far off. You keep track of when I travel and when I stay, and you are familiar with all my ways. Before there is a word on my tongue, you, LORD, already know it completely.” That is both a comforting and terrifying thought. Jesus knows all of our sins. He knows the sins we do when we are alone and no one else is watching. He knows the secret sins of our dark and terrible thoughts. Jesus knows how very sinful we are in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Jesus knows every sin that we have ever committed; he knows exactly what kind of wretched unworthy sheep we are. And yet our Good Shepherd loved us so much that he was willing to die for us.
Now if a normal human shepherd lays dies for his sheep this may not necessarily save them because he is no longer there to save them from the hungry wolves. But the death of our Good Shepherd saved us because his death fulfilled the promises of God and destroyed the power of our enemies.
Our Shepherd is more than just a good shepherd. He is the perfect Shepherd who was loved by the Father. Jesus tells us that the Father loved him because he was willing to lay down his life for the sheep. Jesus is describing the perfect unity between the Father and the Son. The death of Jesus was able to pay for our sins because he was able to do something that we could not. He lived a life free from sin and in perfect obedience to
the will of the Father. Jesus never jumped right back into sins of habit. He never wandered foolishly into temptation, but instead lived a perfect life in our place. He was completely obedient to God’s will. He kept all of God’s commandments. Christ offered this holy life as a perfect sacrifice to make full and complete payment for your sins. Christ willingly died to save his sheep, sheep who did not deserve this sacrifice. No one forced Jesus to suffer and endure the torments of death and hell. No one took his life from him, but he died willingly to save his beloved sheep. “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.”
Our Good Shepherd laid down his life by his own authority and he took it up again by his own authority. A human shepherd can die for his sheep, but only the Shepherd who is true God and take his life back up and rise from the dead. By his resurrection, Jesus proved beyond any doubt that he had crushed the head of Satan. He removed our guilt and shame and paid for our sins in full. Christ destroyed the power of death. With this authority, Christ gives us victory over the grave as well. Our Good Shepherd has removed the sting of death and given his sheep the victory of eternal life; we will live in the house of the Lord forever. The death of our Good Shepherd saved his flock and defeated the power of all our enemies.
As sheep, we are powerless to do anything to save ourselves. We can do nothing to earn our salvation or fight off the attack of the wolves. We needed a Shepherd who would die to save us. By faith in Jesus Christ, we have been made part of his flock. As faithful sheep, we want to remain part of that flock. We want to listen to the voice of our Good Shepherd and follow where he leads us. We know that his commands are for our good. That he will lead us to green pastures and beside quiet waters.
We do this by remaining faithful to his word. We pray and study God’s Word so that we can test the spirits. We regularly gather with the other sheep of the Lord’s flock to grow in our faith and encourage one another. We regularly refresh ourselves with the body and blood that was shed for our salvation. We support the work of our church and our Synod so that faithful pastors and teachers can be trained in God’s Word to continue proclaiming God’s Word in its truth and purity. We want to follow the command of our Savior to go out into the world and bring other sheep into his sheep pen. Our Good Shepherd gives us a glorious vision of the Last Day when all the scattered flock will be gathered together before our loving Shepherd and there will be one flock and one Shepherd.
What an amazing gift we have in our Good Shepherd. We see the love and compassion of our Savior depicted in the relationship of the shepherd with his sheep. We have a Savior who loved us so much that he was willing to lay down his life for us. We have a God who knows intimately. Who knows every flaw and sin and yet loved us so much that he died for us. We have a Good Shepherd who by his authority has defeated the power of death and hell and given us victory over the grave. And even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we fear no evil for he is always with us. Amen.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.