Encountering Jesus – Jesus as the Good Shepherd

March 21st – Denise Douglas

Big Idea: Jesus is fully invested in his sheep

Purpose: To increase understanding of and trust in Jesus.

Passage: John 10: 7-21 NLT

Verse: John 10: 10-11

Opening:

Chicken and Pig

I grew up on a farm in Colorado where we raised several types of crops and a boat load of animals. My maternal grandparents were ranchers, my paternal grandparents, farmers. I appreciate farm jokes. One we have probably all heard refers to the contribution of a chicken to a breakfast of eggs and bacon compared to the contribution of a pig to that same breakfast, right? The chicken contributes but walks away unscathed; the pig on the other hand is fully invested! Bacon has rightfully earned its spotlight status.

Series Review:

We are walking through a series in the Gospel of John, Encountering Jesus. Through the sermons in this series, we have watched Jesus use common, elemental images of life - things such as light, water, and just last week, bread and turn them into windows of understanding about himself. Nourishing, life giving, ordinary elements.

When I was a little girl on that Colorado farm, I begged my dad to get sheep. I thought lambs were so cute and cuddly. Dad wasn’t keen on the idea. Cattle farmers are at odds with sheep farmers because the animals graze differently. Cattle farmers accuse sheep of destroying the fields because they graze so close to the ground that there is nothing left for any other animal. That could be a whole sermon right there for another day.

In today’s scripture passage, Jesus chooses the world of sheep and Shepherds to give his listeners yet another window into who He is. For time’s sake I’ve asked Jerry Davisson, to read John 10: 7-21; the passage actually starts in vs 1 with Jesus telling a parable, but the people don’t get it, they ask what he mean and this is the explanation.

Public Reading – John 10: 7-21 NLT

…so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so, the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

“The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”

When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him. Some said, “He’s demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?” Others said, “This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Thank you, Jerry.

Sheep/Shepherd history

In first Century Palestine, the setting of Jesus’ earthly ministry, shepherding was a common profession. Not a particularly glamourous one, not one that incurred bragging rights, but a way of life people we’re familiar with.

The awesome thing about sheep, which the passage mentions, is that they recognize the voice of their shepherd. As a cattle farmer’s daughter I appreciate that about sheep because it means no branding. I hated branding day – it was painful to the calves and the smell of burning hair and flesh is disgusting.

Sheep don’t need a brand because they have voice recognition. The Middle Eastern Shepherd still today is well known for having a personal devotion to his or her sheep.

Here is an extra credit question for you today – who is the first woman shepherd we encounter in scripture? Rachel—in Genesis 29—when she meets Jacob her future husband. Jacob was still talking with them when Rachel arrived with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherd.” And the rest is history. There is another match making tip for you, John, to share with people. A couple of weeks ago you recommended gathering at wells, you can add Shepherding – Maybe create a dating app called “Crazy about Ewe.”

Shepherds are known to talk to their sheep, sing to them, - many carry a small flute, playing a repetitive tune their sheep learn to recognize. That came in handy because several families kept their herds together in one sheep pen. When a shepherd wanted to pull his sheep out of the herd, he would play “their song” - All the sheep in the pen would play, “Name that Tune” and those who recognized their shepherd’s song would follow their Shepherd out of the pen. So much better than branding.

Hanukkah – Ezekiel 34

Since John chapter 5, we have watched Jesus use the Jewish Festivals, again something very common to His community, to teach about His identity. He has done this with the Sabbath, Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles and now, here in Chapter 10, at Hanukkah. Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, commemorates the only event celebrated during that 400 stretch between the Old and New Testament.

During that time, there was a failure of leadership in Israel. Alexander the Great had conquered the area that included Jerusalem, and over time, Greek influence assimilated many Jews into the Greek lifestyle. Over 150 years, Israel had adopted numerous Greek cultural and religious Habits. Many priests were corrupt and contributed to the demise of Jewish Temple worship. It came to a terrible climax when Greek Soldiers desecrated the holy temple with pig’s blood, outlawed Jewish ritual, burned Scripture scrolls and erected a pagan idol in the temple. Things were bad.

Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees, a priestly family who led the reclaiming and rededication of the Jewish Temple around 160 BC. It is known as the Festival of Lights because in order to rededicate the temple, a menorah had to stay lit forever, an eternal flame, but they only could find enough oil to keep it burning for one night. Miraculously, it burned for 8 days giving them time to secure more oil and keep the everlasting light burning in the temple. Why am I telling you all this?

Because John 10 occurs at the time of Hanukkah, and at Hanukkah each year, still to this day, Ezekiel 34 is read. It is a powerful criticism of false shepherds. The same week Jesus gave His good shepherd sermon, synagogues, and every good Jew would have been there, were reading this prophetic critique of leadership. Let’s look at a snippet of Ezekiel 34: 2b-4:

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat

the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak, or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.”

After this stinging rebuke, God continues and says, “I will find my sheep and rescue them… I will bring them home safely, I will give them good pasture land, I will search for my lost ones who strayed away…” Most of your Bibles—hard copy or online, give this portion of Ezekiel 34 the heading: The Good Shepherd.

Jesus’ listeners, and certainly the Pharisees, would immediately recognize the tie-in to Ezekiel 34

The Gate

Jesus identifies three types of workers in John 10, involved in the welfare of or demise of sheep. When Jesus talks about thieves and robbers, those who have ill intention, those who “fleece” the sheep, He says they have not come through the gate. Jesus says, “I am the gate”. He has neither called them nor allowed them in, they have snuck in over the wall and are not to be trusted All who came before Jesus claiming to be the Messiah fall into that category. So do false prophets and false priests.

There are the hired hands. A hired hand does not necessarily come in with evil intention. They have been hired to a job. Maybe they like their work, maybe they like the sheep, but if push comes shove, and their welfare is pitted against the welfare of the sheep, guess who is going to come in second. If we think about this passage in relation to human shepherds, which was part of Jesus’ teaching, these are things to consider. Unfortunately, even today, there are those who fall into the category of thieves or robbers – they are in ministry for the fame, for the money, for their ego; they see an opportunity to take advantage of and use the flock for their own gain. For others, pastoring is just a job to pay the bills.

The good news is, at least I believe for the majority of human shepherds, they love their flock and have a high sense of responsibility to their welfare. But even among the best, none are called to be the Good Shepherd. Capital G. Capital S.

This has been a tough year across the board and pastors are not immune to the things that plague the sheep because we, too, are sheep. Many have stuck it out this year, but now, almost weekly, it seems, I hear of another pastor leaving his or her church. In many cases it is burnout, mental and emotional fatigue of either themselves, or their families. They need time to recover and tend to the flock within their own homes.

New Hope, you are a deeply loved flock but John, Hannah, Mike, myself are mere humans also deeply in need of the Good Shepherd. We are here for you, AND we all need to look to the Good Shepherd together and discern his voice, his tune.

Years ago, I did a study through scripture on the term Shepherd and was surprised to learn it isn’t just a New Testament image, but one God uses from Genesis to Revelation. And when he uses it the most common themes are these:

-He tends his flock like a shepherd

-He gathers the lambs in his arms,

-He carries them close to his heart

-and he gently leads those that have young.

The Good Shepherd:

Jesus has set up the contrast. There are robbers, thieves and hired hands, but thanks be to God, there is also a Good Shepherd. Let’s review a few key verses:

John 10: 10-11, 14-16 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.

Of all the images the Gospel of John has walked us through to help us understand Jesus—this is the most intimate.

Do you remember in the Wizard of Oz , when Toto pulls back the curtain revealing the small, frantic man behind the booming voice? Jesus has pulled back the curtain on Israel’s leaders. He has revealed their spiritual smallness and, in some cases, their evil intent. But before the people lose hope, discouraged over leaders they cannot trust, Jesus says, I am the Good Shepherd, a Shepherd who loves the sheep and will sacrifice his life that the sheep may live. I am that Shepherd, Jesus declares. And while the thief steals and destroys, my purpose is to give (the thief takes, Jesus gives) richness and satisfaction of life.

What is the source of that kind of life? It rests in relationship. Jesus slips out of the parable for a moment and speaks directly of Himself and His Father. The startling revelation here is that the intimacy He shares with the Father, the sheep are invited into. “I know my sheep and they know me just as my Father knows me and I know the Father.” Wait – what?! I can know Jesus like the Father knows Jesus?? We hear Christ’s incredible desire to welcome His followers into the Father-Son relationship here, and again in John 17:21 & 23:

“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. …I am in them and you are in me”

We established that the sheep recognize/know the shepherd’s voice – the tune that He plays, and now we learn that this knowledge is mutual and extensive. The Greek word for “know”, ginosko, takes on various meanings depending on other words it is paired with. It can mean “come to know,” or “head knowledge,” but in this passage it means to understand. Jesus and His sheep don’t just have head knowledge about each other, they understand one another, they “get each other.” They know each other’s habits, their hearts, their intentions. We haven’t even scratched the surface of the intimacy we are invited into with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit. We are on an incredible adventure with the Good Shepherd who loves us, protects us, searches for us if we get lost; The Good Shepherd who provides a rich and satisfying life. Rich and satisfying as in a deep, meaningful, joy filled life, purposeful.

Sheep – What are the sheep called to do?

So, my sheep friends, dearly loved flock, what do we do with all of this? The people who heard Jesus that day were in different places in their spiritual journey. One of our values as a church is change – to continually change more and more into the image of Jesus. Jesus says, my sheep know my voice and follow. Are you equipped with voice recognition?

The Mt. Scott Flock know that I love their voices. My heart jumps with joy when I’m working in my office and hear one of their voices in the outer office. I know Deedee is in the building, or Jerry Causey or Bob Allenbrand –not because I see them, but I recognize those voices because I have spent so much time with them over the years. I look forward to learning many more voices of our merged church in the coming days. The more time we spend in the presence of the Good Shepherd, the more we can discern when it is His voice and when it is that of an imposter.

We don’t need to learn the voice of the enemy by listening to the enemy. That voice will bring confusion and destruction. It is through listening to the voice of Jesus, being in the Word, sitting quietly in His presence, listening to shepherds that have come through the gate, that enables us to discern between the voice that gives life and the voice that steals, kills and destroys.

Discernment of voices is critical today. OUR world is NOISY. Lots of people shouting. Social media, radio talkshows, podcasts, books flying off the shelves. How do we know who to listen to – how do we know who we can trust?

I remember back in my late teens being fascinated with Hal Lindsey. Anybody remember him and all his theories of end times and world leaders; he was pretty sure the world was ending in the 80’s - I was buying it hook, line and sinker. My parents were concerned and no offense, but his voice was probably not the one I needed to be listening to. Considering that he has filed for divorce from his fourth wife, he might be listening to the wrong voices too. How do we discern?

This week in staff meeting, Hannah led devotions out of Philippians 4: 4-8 – It is a great passage, highlighting many things that will help us, train us to the voice of the Good Shepherd. Phil 4:8 tells us to “fix our thoughts, and we can say, tune our ears to what is

true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable.” Is the voice in your ear true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious? Does it sound like the God who comes shepherding his flock – caring for your wounds, binding up what is broken? If not, don’t follow it, turn it off.

When I have struggled with shame over broken places in my life, sin I can’t conquer, times I’ve blown it again in ways I said I wouldn’t, it is tempting to listen to the voice that calls me a failure, no good, incompetent as a Christian, as a pastor, as a wife, as a mother. I’m almost 60. What I want you to know is that the Shepherd has never beaten me with His staff. He has sat with me, been my somber and even sorrowful Companion and loved me. He has placed His hand on my shoulder, cupped my chin and reminded me ‘I will heal you. I will make all things right.’ The voice of the Good Shepherd will never beat you up.

Communion

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down His life that we might live—abundant and full lives. This morning as we observe communion, you have the bread and the cup. I appreciated John’s instruction the first time so I share it with you – if you don’t want juice all over you, peel the bread side first and then the juice compartment.

After 3 years of teaching, Jesus lived out what he said he would do. The night before his death, he took the bread, tore it, passed it to the disciples and said, this is my body, broken for you - take and eat. Then he took the cup and said, this is my blood poured out for the sins of many. Take and drink. This is one of the ways we listen to and recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd. Take the elements as you are ready as the worship team leads us.

Easter Reminder

Before we dismiss, we want to make sure you understand what is happening at NH for Easter Sunday. We have 4 in-person services, 8:00 am – if at all possible, could we encourage you to come to that service? Just think, from 9:00am on you have the whole day to celebrate the resurrection and enjoy.

We have a 9:30 service dedicated to families with children led by LeRoy and our Family ministries team – if that describes you, come. There will be drama and music, hands-on activities and, of course, Easter Eggs! Our regular Kids community will not meet that day. And for the rest of us: consider inviting a young family to come. And then at 11:00, we have both an Online service and an In-Person gathering. We want to leave as many spots open as we can at that service for new people and guests. At 2:00 we have our Spanish Speaking Service.

Thanks so much for joining us today.

Benediction

One of my favorite verses from Jesus is Luke 12:32 “So don’t be afraid little flock, for it gives the Father great happiness to give you the kingdom.” Go with that knowledge – it gives God pleasure to share the Kingdom with you.