There’s a new movie coming out next month called “The Sheep Detectives.” I don’t know too much about it, other than what I saw in the trailer that was advertising it. The shepherd liked to read mystery novels to his sheep, assuming they didn’t understand what he was reading. But they did, and so when a crime takes place they set out to investigate. I hope it’s good. It sounds like a cute idea for a family movie.
Part of the reason a story like that is compelling is because in real life sheep would be terrible detectives. They are not very intelligent animals. They are not independent thinkers. They’ll get themselves stuck and then when someone comes to free them they’ll go right back into wherever it was that they were stuck. A story about detective sheep has to be funny, right?
To be called a sheep is not usually a compliment. It means that you don’t think for yourself; you just blindly go along with the herd. In biblical times there were similar negative thoughts about sheep and about the shepherds who tended them. Abraham and his descendants were shepherds, but when his great-grandson Joseph was in Egypt and Joseph’s brothers came to join him there during a famine Joseph told them in Genesis 46 “Every shepherd is repulsive to the Egyptians.”
It appears that things were a little more complicated in Israel. How much could you look down on shepherds when you had great shepherds like Abraham and David in your history? On the other hand, the more the nation became urbane and civilized, the more sheep and shepherds became society’s outcasts. Joachim Jeremias, in his 1969 book “Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus” says that rabbinic writings had some pretty negative things to say about shepherds. They’re incompetent people. They can’t be trusted in court. No one should feel obligated to rescue such a man if he falls into a pit. In fact, according to Jeremias, when the Pharisees complained that Jesus “ate with tax collectors and sinners” the “sinners” would have included shepherds.
Whether or not you have any particular fondness for the work of shepherds and the sheep they tend, the picture Jesus uses is certainly a beautiful one. Of course Jesus does not despise those who are considered lowly by this world. Nor does he despise the animals, which are a part of his creation. Instead, he uses them to teach us a wonderful picture of his relationship to us and our relationship to him. Oh to be a sheep in the fold of Jesus!
Our Gospel for today comes from John chapter 10 where we find one of Jesus’ great “I am” statements. There are seven of these statements that John records. “I am the bread of life.” “I am the light of the world.” “I am the door.” “I am the resurrection and the life.” “I am the way and the truth and the life.” “I am the true vine.” and “I am the Good Shepherd.” Here’s what Jesus said:
I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired man, who is not a shepherd, does not own the sheep. He sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. Because he works for money, he does not care about the sheep.
In this first part of our text we see what kind of a person Jesus is. He’s the shepherd. Scholars debate some over how much emphasis to put on the in the Good Shepherd. Is it the as in “the one and only”? Or is it more of a general article, like if I’d say, “preaching the gospel is the pastor’s job”? Which pastor? That’s not the point. Any pastor. As a general comparison, there are earthly shepherds who could be called good shepherds. Who is in charge here? Who is going to save the sheep from the wolf? Not the self-serving hireling. The Good Shepherd will! But when it comes to the application in the church, of course there is only one who fits the bill. There’s only one Christ, only one Son of God.
And he’s the Good Shepherd. That little word “Good” is a simple description but a very important one. There might be other would-be shepherds who are bad shepherds, but Jesus is not one of them. It also summarizes who this Shepherd is and how he treats his sheep. He himself is good. And we might say that’s an understatement. Jesus isn’t just good, he’s perfect. No one is good. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus alone is truly good and holy. He’s good in the sense that God meant it when he declared his creation to be good at the beginning of the world, before Adam and Eve’s sin plunged everything into ruin.
But the goodness of this Good Shepherd is not just a quality in himself. It’s a description of how he treats his sheep. This is what truly sets him apart from every other kind of shepherd, as he explains. His goodness is seen most of all in that he lays down his life for the sheep.
David certainly put himself in harm’s way to protect his sheep. When he volunteered to fight Goliath he told King Saul that he had killed lions and bears to rescue lambs. But Jesus doesn’t say, “I am the Good Shepherd because I risk danger for the sake of my sheep.” I think we would all consider a shepherd like that to be a good one. He’s not like the hired man who runs away. But Jesus goes farther than that. He lays down his life for the sheep. If David would have died fighting one of those lions trying to rescue a lamb, then people would have talked about what a good shepherd he was, how he cared for the sheep, and what a tragedy it was—what a terrible accident—that he died trying to defend them.
But with Jesus this isn’t an accident. Jesus does this of his own will. He lays down his life for the sheep. What shepherd would do that? Give up his life? Do your best to care for them, yes, but sheep are worth so much less than a man.
But then, what are our lives worth next to the holy, onlybegotten Son of God? Sheep aren’t known for being very intelligent animals, but they certainly have value for their owners. They provide wool and milk and they can be raised for meat. What value do we provide for God? What can we give him that he needs from us? We’re not slightly foolish but innocent creatures. We’re creatures who have wickedly turned against our creator. Sheep don’t shout, “Crucify him!”
And so the goodness of this Good Shepherd is truly beyond our understanding. I wouldn’t willingly give my life for an animal. I would probably hesitate to give my life for most people. But Jesus, my Good Shepherd, did willingly lay down his life for me.
Jesus contrasts himself with the hired man. The hired man is not a shepherd. He doesn’t own the sheep. He doesn’t really care about them. He cares about his paycheck, and so when he sees the wolf coming he’s the first one to run, before sheep even see it. Who is this hired man? This would be anyone who presumes to lead God’s people but for his own benefit. In Jesus’ day this would be the chief priests and Pharisees. And in our day, spiritual leaders abound. Many have led people into ruin. They preach “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace, as in the days of Jeremiah. Or they lay the heavy yoke of the law on people who are already weary and burdened. Churches spring up and close. Pastors fall into scandal. Christian people are trapped in temptation and sin. Many lose their faith.
What is a sheep to do? Might we too be attacked and scattered? Might we be devoured by the devil, who hungers and slavers over our souls? Might we be lost from our dear Shepherd forever?
Oh, but what does Jesus say?
“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 also have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.
If it was up to the sheep to choose their shepherd then surely we would have much to fear. But our Good Shepherd has called us by his voice. He is not a distant shepherd, but he speaks by his Gospel to us and to our hearts. We know him by this Word. We know what he thinks. We know what he does. We know his love for us. We know how he laid down his life and then took it up again. And we know what this means for us, that from him we have forgiveness and life and salvation.
In the words of our pastors and teachers we are to listen for the voice of Jesus. This is not a difficult thing. Even a foolish animal can recognize its shepherd’s voice. And the voice of Jesus is ever so clear.
You know that voice because he called you to be his own. His voice went out into all the world to gather together the one sheep pen of his church. That’s what the church is, it’s the people who have been called by the Holy Spirit to listen to the voice of their Good Shepherd Jesus. That one flock is not something you can measure or count, because it’s a flock of faith. But you will see it one day when your Shepherd appears to bring you into the fold of heaven.
It is not an insult to be called a sheep with Jesus as your Good Shepherd. Instead, it is the greatest comfort. This is a Shepherd who truly loves his sheep, who cares for them in every need, who never abandons them to danger or disaster. This is the Shepherd who makes us lie down in green pastures and beside quiet waters. So do not fear the wolf or the treachery of the hired man. Listen to the voice of your Savior. Oh to be a sheep in the fold of Jesus, the Good Shepherd! That is what he lives to call you to be.
Amen.