I Am the Good Shepherd

I Am...  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  31:16
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There is one Jewish feast which comes from a rather mixed tradition.  Jesus chooses this feast to bring up a story about shepherds and mixed motives.

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John 10:10–18 NIV
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “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. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 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. This command I received from my Father.”
This story gets interesting when we pay attention to the surroundings in which Jesus tells it. Jesus is attending a festival. The Jewish religion has several festival gatherings. In fact, a few weeks back when we looked at the context surrounding Jesus saying “I am the light of the world” we noted that we said those words underneath the temple torches during the feast of Tabernacles. And here a few chapters later, John gives us another scene in which Jesus is gathered with others attending a Jewish festival. This time it is the feast of dedication; we pick up that detail a little further down in verse 22.

The Feast of Dedication and a messy revolution

dedication = Hanukkah
The feast of dedication is not a festival that came from the Old Testament. It is a Jewish festival that had its origins in that time between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Verse 22 tells us that the feast of dedication was celebrated during the winter; and it is still celebrated during the winter by Jewish people. The Hebrew word for dedication is Hanukkah.
rebellion of the Maccabees
Let me say a few things about the origins of Hanukkah. It is a celebration of the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. In the year 200 BC, the Assyrian king known as Antiochus decreed that the Greek religion be recognized in the territory of Palestine. This meant that the Temple in Jerusalem was now decreed by the Assyrians as a temple which also recognized the Greek god Zeus. In the year 162 BC, a family of Jewish warriors led by Judah Maccabee led a revolt against the Assyrians. The Maccabee revolt was about purifying the land of Judah from the influence of the Greek culture. It was a bloody revolt using guerilla warfare tactics. But the Maccabees were ultimately successful in overcoming the Assyrians and removing all references to Zeus and the Greek religious culture from the temple in Jerusalem. The rededication of the temple is the feast of dedication that is still celebrated in the eight-day holiday of Hanukkah.
historians: revolt of the Maccabees had mixed reaction and partial support among other Jews
And as long-lasting traditions and holidays go, the story of Hanukkah has come to carry a bit of legendary status. Think of George Washington crossing the Delaware River, or Paul Revere making his famous midnight ride. Just like those stories are iconic to the American idea of freedom and liberty, the Maccabee rebellion holds that same kind of legendary status for the Jewish people. But historians will point out that the Maccabee rebellion had a little bit more of a mixed reception during the time in which it took place. Think maybe more currently to events that perhaps some of us remember; events such as the Vietnam war or the Gulf war. These were events that did not necessarily receive the celebration and endorsement of every American citizen. In fact, they had their share of protests and opposition. Historians point towards that same kind of sentiment in Palestine about the rebellion of the Maccabees. Not everyone was onboard; not all Israelites were in support of the Maccabee warriors at the time. There was no clear consensus among all the people at the time.
story of the good shepherd illustrates mixed reaction and partial support among other Jews to the message of Jesus
Why do I bring this up? Why is this important to the story that Jesus is telling about shepherds and sheep in John 10? If you look closely at the surrounding passages here to this story you see a very mixed reaction to the actions and teachings of Jesus. Some people were onboard and all in. Some people were adamantly opposed to anything Jesus said or did. Some people simply did not know for sure one way or the other. There was no clear consensus among all the people at the time.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

uncertainty of people how to respond to Jesus
This mixed reaction and general uncertainty among so many people is the overarching feature running behind the scene in the story Jesus tells about shepherds and sheep. There was a lot of mixed activity going on around this story. You see, the point that Jesus would compare himself to a shepherd was not new or unique. The Old Testament is filled with references to God caring for his people as a shepherd. The description of the shepherd is what gives this story its powerful force for the time and place Jesus tells it. It is not just that Jesus portrays himself as a shepherd. It is that he portrays himself as a good shepherd. It is the quality of being good that sets Jesus apart from others.
comparison of good shepherd to bad hired workers
Notice how prominently this plays out in the story. The whole narrative is set up as a comparison between the good shepherd and the bad shepherds, the hired caretakers as Jesus refers to them in the story. Jesus, who is the good shepherd, lays down his life for the sheep. The hired workers do not actually care for the sheep at all because they turn and run away at the first sign of trouble. What’s a sheep to do here? You’ve got one good shepherd, who knows how many bad hired workers who don’t have the best interests of the sheep in mind, and ugly wolves who come and attack in order to destroy the sheep. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Jesus is giving a story that plays on the same kind of mixed conditions that surround the Maccabee rebellion and the celebration of Hanukkah.
The wolves seem obvious enough. They are predators who are out to destroy the sheep. And true enough, we live in a world in which there are predators who are out to attack and destroy God’s people. The Bible reminds us that this is a struggle that extends into the spiritual realm. Paul writes that our struggle is not only against flesh and blood, but also against the spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12) There are places in the world today that mean to do significant harm to the church and to the people of God. You and I who live in this country perhaps take that for granted. Missionaries that we support through this church know better. Paul Mpindi travels in the French Congo to places that are not safe for him to be. Jesse Rodriguez serves in a very unstable community in Nicaragua. And, yes, there are those in this country who oppose any expression of religion by people who strive to be followers of God.
threat of bad hired workers is hard to see
It is the hired workers who seem to receive the most attention in comparison to the good shepherd. This one is a bit trickier to nail down. You see, the hired workers are supposed to be there to help. They are supposed to be ones who can be trusted. They are ones who you wouldn’t think at first glance to be any cause of harm or danger to the sheep. In fact, just the opposite. The workers are there because they are supposed to be watching out for the wellbeing of the sheep. I suppose the sheep themselves have no reason to suspect any threat from the hired workers.
When I was a student at Calvin College I worked part-time for a painter. We did quite a bit of work in the Heritage Hill neighborhoods here in Grand Rapids. The boss took extra measure to protect his equipment that would stay onsite till the job was completed. At the end of every day we would stack and lock up all the ladders with chains and pad locks. We would even disassemble and do the same thing with any scaffolding we had. All the other equipment would go back into the utility trailer which he would hook up and take back to shed at the end of every day. He was that concerned about thieves coming to steal his equipment in the middle of the night. And for the years that I worked for him, there was never any piece of equipment that got stolen or went missing. But there was an incident in which his business accountant who worked for him emptied out all of the money from the business bank accounts, skipped town, and went missing. It turned out that middle-of-the-night strangers were not the threat. The real threat came from one of his own employees who was supposed to be watching over the business.
it hurts when the place where we are supposed to be able to come and be loved, accepted, and forgiven instead becomes a place of anger, division, and judgement
That hurts. It hurts when people that we are supposed to be able to trust turn out to be the ones who cause the most harm. It hurts when we hear news stories about clergy abuse scandals. It hurts when a friend in the church does something which leaves a wound. It hurts when the place where we are supposed to be able to come and be loved and accepted and forgiven instead becomes a place of anger, division, and judgement.
Jesus was pointing this story towards the Pharisees and the religious leaders of his own day. The context around the story makes that rather obvious. It was those people who cared more about their own status and their own position than about reaching down to the most helpless and most vulnerable. It was the Pharisees who saw the utmost importance in defending the purity of their pious lifestyle. And in the process, they were pushing away the very ones in most need of enfolding to their undying protection.
who are Pharisees today?
parables of Jesus are not a sledgehammer for us to wield against other people, but a mirror by which we are meant to look intently upon our own reflection
There is a tough question we have to face in this story. Who are the Pharisees today? Here’s the easy answer; I think we would all love to point fingers somewhere else and identify other groups a Christians as Pharisees. Every one of us who is a part of the church reads about Pharisees in the Bible and thinks, that’s someone else; that’s not me. But the parables of Jesus are not a sledgehammer for us to wield against other people. The parables of Jesus are a mirror by which we are meant to look intently upon our own reflection.
Jesus is the ONLY good shepherd
For those of us who have been inside the church for a period of time, there is something of a Pharisee-tendency in each one of us. Jesus is the good shepherd. And Jesus is the only answer we have for all our broken ways. This is not a story which allows us point fingers at others. This is a story which points to Jesus. There is only one good shepherd. You and I may have opportunities to serve one another and to help others and to lend support; but there is only one who was able to lay down his life because his love for his flock is so perfect and righteous. There is only one shepherd who is so good that his sacrifice for his flock brings eternal security. Only Jesus does that. And he does that for all who come to him; no exceptions.
Anyone who ever tries to tell you that life and security is found somewhere other than Jesus is opening the gate to let the wolves in. Life and security is not found in military strength; it is not found in being the most popular student in the class, or having the team with a perfect win record; it is not found in a hefty bank account or large amounts of material possessions; it is not in a political party or cultural identity. Anyone who tells us our life depends on any one of those things is sending you out to the wolves. It is only Jesus. He is the only good shepherd.
All that we do here in this place, then, ought to point only to Jesus.

A story about discernment and mixed motives

Jesus told this story at a time when there were people all around him with conflicting and mixed motives. Jesus tends to bring that out, doesn’t he? Jesus tends to turn our world upside-down. And people reacted to the upside-down world of the gospel in mixed ways. Some people welcomed it and embraced it. Some people were confused and unsure of it. Some people opposed and attacked it.
some accepted Jesus, some were uncertain about Jesus, some opposed Jesus
For those who were already living in a world in which they were pushed to the margins and left with nowhere else to go, the upside-down world of Jesus was a breath of grace and renewal into a world that had only ever pushed them away. For those who were just trying to live according to their own plans and their own agendas, the upside-down world of Jesus gave a moment of pause and consideration; it challenged everything else the world around them was saying about how to live. For those who wanted to remain on top and keep hold of their power and privileged positions, the upside-down world of Jesus was a threat to their status and control. Yes, people reacted to Jesus with very mixed motives.
And people still react to Jesus with mixed motives yet today. That makes this a story about discernment. We have been saying all along in this ‘I Am’ series that these “I am” statements of Jesus tell us something about who he really is. This is a story in which Jesus calls out the mixed responses he receives; he calls out the backwards and twisted motives that come through.
what are your motives for following Jesus?
So where does that leave us today? The story of the good shepherd comes to a close with one question: What are your motives for following Jesus? This is the most important question that comes out of this story. We have already seen a few answers to that question in some of the previous ‘I am’ stories. When Jesus said “I am the bread of life” he was calling out those who were only following him because they were looking for a free lunch. They just wanted a free handout from God that would make life easier. And there are television preachers yet today who push the message that Jesus is just about wealth and prosperity and the easy life. What about you? Do we ever find ourselves getting caught in the feeling that somehow we are entitled to an easier life because we believe in Jesus? Are there ever moments when that is your motive?
There have always been others who see God as a means to gain control. Some of those who first followed Jesus were only looking for a political revolution against Rome. Sometimes his own disciples fought about who was going to have the highest seats of importance next to God. Are there still moments when we find ourselves trying to make deals with God in order to push our own agendas? Instead of praying “thy will be done” we pray “my will be done.”
response of grateful love
But Jesus makes his motive pretty clear in this story about the good shepherd. His motive was to lay down his life for the world he loves in order that it may be taken up again. Jesus came to give everything at the cross; he gave his own life at the cross. His motive—his only motive—is love. Jesus gave himself for you because he loves you.
So, what is your motive for following Jesus? Could it be that our best possible motive to follow Jesus is to look toward and point toward that same love God has for us? I follow Jesus because my life is a response of grateful love which flows from the love God has given upon me. The love with God poured out at the cross of Jesus is the reason I live today.
May everything we do as a church and as followers of Jesus always point to that love; always point to the cross of Jesus; always point to the grace of God.
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