I have preached this text several times through the years, or at least texts dealing with image of the shepherd. We also are studying The God We Can Know, by Rob Fuquay during Lent, and his chapter and DVD presentation on John 10: 1-8 had lots of information about shepherds. I ended up with lots of material that I did not use (which means I will probably preach on the topic again one day!).
I don't think I had ever explored the idea that Jesus uses the image of shepherd and sheep to reveal his dry sense of humor that we are the sheep, who are described as dumb and had to handle. I did not push that idea very hard in the sermon, but it had me chuckling all week.
In the class studying this text, one of the people who had actually raised sheep said, "they always say that sheep or dumb, but the shepherd who raises sheep is dumber." I laughed, but figured that would not work very well in the sermon since it would be calling Jesus dumb. Sunday night, it hit me (yes, the sermons keep running through my head) -- I could have started the section on the shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep with that quote, and then noted: the Good Shepherd makes a dumb move. He gives his life for sheep/people who are sinners and never quite get it right. Dumb, but also revealing the love and grace of God. I think I could have made that work.
“Sheep and the Good Shepherd” SAPC, March 26, 2017; John 10:1-18
John 10: 1Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes[a] it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Introduction: We continue through Lent reflecting on the “I am” statements of Jesus and how they reveal the God we can know. this week, we hear Jesus say, “I am the gate,” and “I am the good shepherd.”
But his words also speak about the Pharisees and the sheep, so let’s begin there.
Move 1: the Pharisees.
a. These “I am” statements immediately follow the healing of the blind man from Chapter 9
1. You can go back and read it this afternoon at halftime during one of the march madness games.
2. Basically, Jesus heals a blind man, and it upsets the Pharisees.
3. upset because they cannot believe, or do not want to deal with, this Jesus guy who supposedly healed the blind man.
b. The Pharisees focus on whether the blind man was really blind, who was Jesus to heal, and so on.
1. No celebration of the healing of the blind man; in fact, no concern for the blind man.
2. All they can see is how the healing might impact their power and control.
c. In the Greek, the story of the healing of the blind man is linked textually with what he have as Chapter 10.
1. what Jesus is about to say connects with the healing and the Pharisees response.
2. We also notice that Jesus begins his comments by pointing to the thieves and bandits.
3. A clear comment on the Pharisees.
d. It is easy to see this as just about the Pharisees.
1. but remember the Pharisees were the leaders of the church; the ones in control; the ones who knew the most.
2. If you are a leader, or you are one of those who has it all figured out, beware.
Move 1: what about the sheep?
a. I don't know much about sheep, but here's what I've read or heard about them from other people.
1. Baby sheep, that is lambs are pretty cute. Lambs bleat a gentle "bahhh" and are nice and cuddly. But they grow into adult sheep that have a disturbing, somewhat distressing bleat.
2. Sheep are filthy animals, generally covered in mud and their own waste. Their wool can tangle around all sorts of nastiness and hold onto it until the shepherd shows up to get it clean.
3. Sheep like to follow. They will follow the sheep in front of them, even if it leads to their demise. The old adage, “if the person next to you jumped off a cliff, would you?” would be answered with a “yes” by sheep.
4. As one modern day shepherd puts it: "Sheep are just born looking for a way to die." He can recall countless stories that involve sheep putting themselves in unnecessary peril, much of which could usually be avoided by doing something simple like turning around.
5. Sheep hang out in groups. It protects them from predators, but also gives them a group mentality. If a sheep ends up off by itself, it can become highly agitated.
6. In fact, it does not take much to agitate or startle sheep.
7. Sheep do know the voice of the shepherd, but will only sometimes follow him or her. They follow other sheep far better than they follow a shepherd. Sometimes, however, sheep will follow a stranger—especially sheep who do not yet know the shepherd well. It takes time for a shepherd to know sheep well enough to tell them apart. Sheep apparently see us the same way.
Read more: http://www.patheos.com/Progressive-Christian/Dirty-Sheep-Mike-Baughman-05-06-2014.html#ixzz3Jpo3kj1h
Read more: http://www.patheos.com/Progressive-Christian/Dirty-Sheep-Mike-Baughman-05-06-2014.html#ixzz3Jpo3kj1h
7. In summary – sheep are cute as babies, but grow up into adults who get caught up in the messy details of life (as you welcome Vivian today you will see the cute, and then look around you, or looking the mirror and see the adults the babies become). Sheep have a tendency to listen to others and follow, regardless of the consequences. They listen for the right voice to guide them, but sometimes follow the wrong voice.
b. Here’s the thing - when we hear Jesus say, “i am the gate,” or “I am the good shepherd” it implies that we are sheep.
1. Maybe Jesus was having some fun with the listeners.
2. A few hours after hearing Jesus, or maybe a few days, people go, “Wait a minute. He says I am a sheep?”
3.Jesus having some fun, but some fun with an underlying truth - we fit the image of a sheep to well.
c. Sheep who need a shepherd to guide us.
2. Notice the intimate relationship being described
3. a relationship we need to work on, to learn the voice.
4. We need to know our shepherd.
Move 2: What about the gate?
a. In the Gospel of John before getting to the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, Jesus calls himself the gate.
1. remember that sheep have poor depth-perception and have a hard time distinguishing a partially open gate along a fence line.
2. They need a a gate that will open for them, a gate that welcomes them to pasture land or the safety of the pen.
3. A gate the invites them into a place where they can be nourished.
4. A gate that acts to protect them against the perils they might face.
5. as we saw on the DVD this week, then the shepherd can lay down blocking the gate to keep thieves or wolves out, and also
b. Jesus is the gate.
- Jesus is the one who invites us into a place where we can be fed on earth.
2. Jesus also ties this image of the gate to a salvation theme that is a found throughout the gospel of John.
3. Jesus as the gate has daily and eternal implications - who you want to be, where you want to go, passes by and through Christ.
Move 3: Finally, the good shepherd.
a. when Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd,” he is building on a mixed metaphor.
1. On the one hand, by 1st Century times, shepherds were not really considered good guys.
2. Shepherds have a bad reputation for being shiftless, thieving, trespassing people for hire. Like the hired hands Jesus describes who run away when trouble arises. Not the kind of shepherd a sheep wants for needs (The New Interpreter's Bible: Luke and John, Volume IX, 296 quoting Joachim Jeremias, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus).
3. Maybe the Pharisees listening to Jesus are thinking, “you got that right. You're nothing but one of those low-life shepherds.”
4. Ezekiel also prophesies judgment for the bad shepherds who do not care for God’s people.
5. But we also have the image of the shepherd form Psalm 23, a shepherd who cares greatly for the sheep.
6. or the shepherd Jesus talks about who will leave the 99 to go find the 1 sheep which is missing.
b. Jesus lays claim to being the good shepherd.
1. the good shepherd has come to save sheep who choose to listen to his voice.
2. Do not miss that when Jesus describes those sheep, he mentions that some of them welcome from other flocks.
3. In other words, the criteria for who will be in the Good Shepherd’s flock is not the Pharisees or some religions rules, but the sheep who chose to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd.
c. we also notice Jesus talking about being a Good shepherd, who will even give his life to save the sheep.
1. once again, Jesus is transforming people’s understandings.
2. sheep are to be killed as sacrifice.
3. ultimately, they are expendable.
4. But the Good Shepherd describes it differently.
5. the sheep are so valued, the Good shepherd will be the sacrifice.
Conclusion: Jack was an old farmer in the church I served in KY.
He was also a modern day shepherd, I suppose, because he raised sheep. I'm not sure he made money doing it, but he told me he loved raising sheep.
“Why?” I asked.
“Come with me, and I'll show you.”
Off we went to his farm. We were driving his old, beat-up Sentra. When we got to the field where the sheep were, he instructed me to go and open the gate to the field, then close it, and then hop back in the car.
I did. Then we drove to the middle of the field. I suppose I was a shepherd!
The sheep came running from all directions and surrounded us. Some were even trying to get on top of the car.
I'm not much of a shepherd because to tell you the truth it seemed a little scary to be surrounded by a flock of sheep.
But not Jack. He had a great big smile on his face. WE got out and stood there with the sheep, and he told me, “see these sheep come running to me no matter what. You gotta like that, don't you?”
The sheep were hoping to find a good shepherd.
We have found one. Jesus Christ himself. Amen.
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