You have probably heard a lot of sermons in your life. Maybe there are some that you have never forgotten. About 25 years ago, I was living out in South Dakota, and the pastor of the church there was preaching about sheep. I don’t recall the whole sermon, but I do very much remember a part of it. He said something like, “When we think of sheep, we might describe them as white and wooly, and that might be about we can say about them. But there are cultures in the world who in their language have over a hundred different words to describe sheep!” I was amazed. Who knew that anyone could know sheep that well?!
And here we are today with our gospel reading about the Good Shepherd, who knows us so well and lays down his life for the sheep. Jesus is our Good Shepherd.
To really appreciate today’s message, it helps to understand the metaphor that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we, God’s people, are the sheep. To some of us, this works. To some of us, this isn’t sounding so good. We don’t want to be sheep; we’d rather not be called sheep. I understand. A few thoughts on that: 1) it’s a metaphor or a symbol. No one is saying that anyone is actually a farm animal. 2) In the spirit of Earth day, we can think Nature and 3) How about being called a little lamb?
So now that we are comfortable with the idea of being lambs…what are the characteristics of sheep? They are mild, submissive, innocent, they can be stubborn, and not always smart. A shepherd knows his sheep and his sheep know him. A shepherd knows each one individually…if it is a am or a ewe, if she is fertile, his age, her markings, his illnesses… a shepherd can call each sheep by name and it will respond when called. And the sheep very much know their shepherd. If there are several flocks of sheep together, sheep will respond to only their own shepherd’s voice.
Jesus loves us so much. He cares for us greatly and knows every minute detail about us, who we are, where we’ve been, our hopes and dreams. Jesus invites us to spend time with him and be in prayer and talk with him about the highs and lows in our day. We can talk with Jesus just like a friend. He wants to hear from us just like a parent wants to talk with a child. We want that right relationship with him.
Our good shepherd is always watching over the flock. The sheep are dependent upon the shepherd for not just their provisions but for their survival. They must have a shepherd; they need protection and are worth protecting…. every single one of them. Someone has to look out for thieves, wolves, or other wild animals. And while sheep are designed to live in community, they are also prone to stray; it is in their nature. They get to grazing, aren’t paying attention, wander off and get lost, and become separated from their flock. They don’t intentionally drift, it just happens. And then, when they realize they are separated from the others, they don’t have the brainpower to tell themselves, “Oh, I’ve distanced myself, let me go look for all my other sheep friends.” So the shepherd goes after the lost sheep. During lamb season (when there is an abundance of lambs, shepherds might have lambs draped around their necks, over their shoulders, and in their arms. Can you just picture the determined shepherd holding several wayward lambs, bringing them “home” to the flock? Sometimes wayward sheep have trouble being rescued. They are so disoriented when they realize they are lost that they panic and become afraid. When the shepherd goes to retrieve the lost sheep, frequently, it resists, and when this happens, the shepherd will need to wrestle the sheep, restrain it, and then wrap the sheep around his neck holding it by its legs. Can you picture that? The strong, loving shepherd, doing what is best for the lost sheep? The sheep resisting the entire time, and then the joy and relief that the sheep experiences when it is back with its flock where it belongs?
We can be like little lost lambs. We can drift and stray and can sometimes go pretty far off course, eventually finding ourselves alone, needing to be brought back into the fold. Isaiah 53:6 says: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way. Our Good Shepherd finds us and carries us. Worth noting, is that like the lambs, we may sometimes wrestle, resist, and fight when our Good Shepherd tries to rescue us and bring us back to the fold. But he perseveres and continues to love us through it all. Our Good Shepherd is persistent and brings us home.
It is so nice to know that Jesus is always watching over us. We sometimes go through tough times; sometimes we get knocked down. I know for me, there isn’t always a plan in hand, and I don’t always know what tomorrow may bring. I have learned that the Lord provides, and I always look to him. A few years ago my husband surprised me with a phone call one afternoon to let me know that he would not be coming home instead; he would be spending the night at the hospital because he had a tumor in his heart and would be needing open heart surgery. At the time he was 48 years old, healthy, fit, and had just run a marathon 2 years prior. I was not expecting this in my life. Our children and I didn’t know if they were going to have a dad anymore. Our family was walking in a dark, unfamiliar place, not knowing where we were heading, but our good shepherd carried us, gently. I felt God’s presence and his comfort through it all. By the Grace of God, all went well with the surgery, and Andy had a full recovery.
We do not have to live in a continual state of concern. We do not have to be afraid. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. Picture yourself resting safely and peacefully in the arms of our loving Savior. Where else would you want to be?
Amen.