Easter
John 10:22–30
22At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." 25Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30I and the Father are one."
Parents usually give names to their children. When som
eone gives you a name, you belong to that someone. 2 Ki. 24:17 17 Then the king of Babylon made his uncle Mattaniah, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah. When a parent gives their child a name, that child belongs to that parent. Especially important is the last name, because it especially signifies that that child is part of a family, not just an individual floating alone in the world. It gives him or her a sense of identity, who they are and who they belong to. It brings with it a family history and puts that child into the context of society and history as a whole.
When a child is part of a family, that child also has the assurance that there is someone who loves him and cares for him. When children are made fun of or are rejected by their peers, they know there is a place where they are accepted and loved, and that is in their family. They know they are safe and protected in their parents' hands.
So, in a hostile world, Jesus tells his disciples that he knows them by name and that they belong to him and to his Father. They know that they are safe in his hands because he will keep them safe from the attacks of the world and especially from the prince of this world.
Our text for this Good Shepherd Sunday tells us, just as surely as Jesus told his first disciples, that the Good Shepherd calls his sheep by name and keeps them safe in his father's hand.
Jesus knows that his sheep will always be under attack by this world. Just then, as Jesus was walking around in the temple, the people were attacking him. "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus responded, "I already told you, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock." Jesus knew firsthand about the world's attacks and unbelief and how they tried to ridicule him and belittle him. And he knew that the world would do the same to his disciples; the church.
The world is hostile to Jesus; his message and his disciples. It is hostile to the church. When the church experiences resistance from the world; from people around us; from government, it is not just some quirk of the times we are living in, it is the norm of all history. In fact, we today in this society enjoy relative peace from the bitter hatred of the world toward Jesus.
Just prior to these words of Jesus, things were not so peaceful. People were accusing him of having a demon; others said he was insane. These people represented the attitudes of the world toward Jesus and toward those who follow him. Jesus used various words to describe such people; strangers, thieves, robbers and wolves. All of these enemies of the sheep are those who seek to draw the disciples away from Jesus and from his word.
Living in such a world without a shepherd is a terrifying thought! Without a shepherd, the sheep would have no sense of direction. The voice of strangers would lead them astray. Without a shepherd the thief would steal the sheep and the wolf would easily snatch them away. Without a shepherd the sheep would only wander the way of death and the thief would come to kill and destroy the sheep.
But be warned! This is our world that Jesus is describing. Every day we hear about the word of Christ being demonized. There are attacks on the validity of the Bible from every direction. Books, movies, magazine articles continuously appear that try to fill our minds with doubts about God's word. The DaVinci Code, the supposed claim that Jesus grave was found, and so forth are all mere attempts at creating doubts and confusion among believers. The world insults us as it did Jesus. Some call us mentally unstable, others call us hate mongers, homophobes, bigoted, intolerant. Some say that Christianity is a sub-culture, others claim it is dangerous to society and the cause of all our present woes, like poverty, oppression, and even global warming.
Every moment we are tempted by the world to follow false christs; gods of our bellies, prophets of prosperity, and theologies of man. Without a shepherd we would quickly fall prey to any of these worldly wolves. We would be led astray by the voices of the world, we would cave in under the pressure of insults from our friends, we would soon abandon Christ, lose our faith and die in our sins for eternity.
But Jesus promises that he will always keep us under the care of the Shepherd himself. "My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. I given them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
This is the chief blessing Jesus brings to the community of his disciples. Through his word the Good Shepherd calls his disciples by name. He knows each and every one of you, by name. You are his children. He has placed his name on you. And he calls you each by name and you follow him because you are his. You belong to him; you are of his family. You bear the name of the family of God.
Through his word the Good Shepherd saves you and gives you life. Abundant life! Eternal life! He gives life to all whom he calls and he calls you by name.
Moreover, the Good Shepherd keeps the disciple safe in the world. His voice leads his sheep to follow him to green pastures. His voice that he speaks to you in his word; that is what leads you to salvation and eternal life. Heed the call of his word. Because it is by his word spoken and joined to bread and wine in the sacrament that he calls you, his sheep by name, and leads you to the green pastures and still waters. Apart from his word proclaimed and read in the Bible, you are lost sheep. You do wander aimlessly and do not find the green pastures.
Jesus cares for the sheep so much that he lays down his life for them. By laying down his own life, he saves them from the false prophets, the wolves, and from eternal death. He saves you from sin and your own corrupt thoughts and hearts. He saves you and he promises to keep you in his hand. "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
This means you will always be safe in the strong hand of your heavenly Father. To know the Son is to know the Father. Jesus and the Father are one. What a profound concept! Jesus is the voice of the Father. It is the voice of Jesus that the Father has given us to hear. We hear Jesus' voice every time the pastor speaks God's word to us. It is the voice of Jesus we hear when the absolution is pronounced in the Divine Service. It is the voice of Jesus we hear when the Scriptures are read and the sermon preached. It is the voice of Jesus we hear when we chant the liturgy and sing the hymns. It is the voice of Jesus we hear in Bible Class and Sunday School. "My sheep hear my voice," says Jesus. Do you hear? Listen!
When we see Jesus loving, healing, caring, speaking kindly, touching gently, we understand what the Father is like. In heaven, Jesus is the face we'll see, but we'll see exactly what the Father is like. When we see the face of Jesus we see the image of the Father. Thus the Son's guidance, love, care and protection for his disciples is the very guidance, love, care and protection of the Father for his people. The Scriptures are the revelation of God's love, care and protection. Listen for these things when you hear Scripture read; when you read Scripture; when you study the Bible. Hear how he loves you; hear how he cares for you; hear how he protects you; hear how he is doing a wonderful work inside you to restore you and renew your hearts to the image of God; to renew your love for one another; to produce the fruit of the Spirit in you and restore your world to the Garden of Eden.
By speaking to us through his word, the Good Shepherd knows us and we know him, just as the Father knows him and he knows the Father. He knows us completely; our needs, our dreams, our desires and our hopes. But he also reveals himself to us to know him; his plans for our salvation and eternal life; his love for us.
By dying on the cross for us of his own accord, the Good Shepherd fulfills the charge he received from his Father, who loves him and loves the world through him. And as his children he charges us with the mission to love the world around us. We are his children. We bear his name. Just as a child bears the last name of the parents, the family name, so we bear the name of God's family. We are citizens of the kingdom of heaven. Though we live in the hostile world, we are citizens of a far different kingdom. And as citizens of God's kingdom we live by a different set of rules. We have a different sort of life. We live by different principles; have a different worldview; follow a different leader; have a different master.
Our Shepherd is the Good Shepherd; not the human shepherds of this evil world. We bear the name of the Good Shepherd for we are his sheep. The law of this kingdom is the law of love. It is love not only for your friends, but love for your enemy; a love the world cannot understand. The law of this kingdom is the law of service, humbly serving others, lowering ourselves to the level of a servant to serve the poor, the outcast and the downtrodden. As sheep of the Good Shepherd we seek the sheep who are lost, bind up the broken, and carry home the strays.
And by his promise of eternal election, the Good Shepherd keeps us in his hand, and this amounts to being kept safe in the Father's hand. In Christ, we can be certain that we are the Father's chosen sheep forever. "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." We are his chosen sheep. We didn't just wander into his flock, but he chose each and every one of you. Therefore you can be certain of the promise given to you.
So, in the end, parents give children a name. when you are given a name, you are chosen as a member of the family and are taken care of and protected. Each of us has that kind of name; it's special for us.
When we are baptized into Christ, we are given another name: Christian. Christ Jesus, our Good Shepherd, nows both our names. He knows our given name, knows each of us that personally. But he also knows our baptismal name, and that's even more personal because it means we are in him. Christ knows each person who is in him.
In Christ, we are chosen as members of the family of God. In Christ, we are protected and cared for by our heavenly Father. In Christ, we have eternal security. In Christ, we are safe. Safe in his name. Amen.