John 10:22-30 (Ps. 23)
My Shepherd!
There’s nothing sweeter than being able to call something “mine”. We have greater feelings for things that belong to us individually than we do for those we must share collectively. Perhaps this is the ingrained selfishness that we’re born with, but I think there’s a positive side to this as well. Yes, no one needs to teach a child possession. They’re very quick to lay claim to their own toys, bed, bedroom, and so on. But we know theologically also, that God has no issue with us having our own personal items. This is the purpose of the 7th commandment. Do not steal. We’re not to take something which belongs to another for ourselves. What’s mine can be mine and what’s yours should stay yours until we personally decide that we wish to share. Now, not to equate items with people, but I think this is much the same love for our own mothers. The women that raised us, cared for us, nurtured us. They’re not everyone’s mother... she’s yours. The fact that we have someone to call my mother is precious and endearing. We have someone given to us by God who is meant to watch over me. That makes mothers special. We celebrate Mother’s Day today, recognizing the gift God has given us in our mothers, those women who have been there for us throughout our lives. It’s also the special gift of women in our lives that simply cannot be replaced.
In our Gospel lesson today, we come to learn this same tender loving care that God has for us too. It’s not about us, necessarily today. It’s about you and me, individually. On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we come to learn that we have our own special relationship with God as we do our mothers. In the words of King David, let us learn:
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD; I SHALL NOT WANT!
I.
There’s no lack of care that sheep need. You’ve probably heard it before, but I’ll say it again… sheep are dumb creatures. They’ll jump off a cliff if someone else does it first. They’re prone to wander if they’re not being led. That’s not even to mention their personal hygiene routine that’s required lest they catch life-threatening diseases. But Jesus knows us well. We can act a lot like sheep sometimes, and that’s not exactly meant as a compliment. Prone to wander, play follow the leader even if it means us harm, have a hard time taking care of ourselves. For so, Jesus says, “The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me,” John 10:25-27. We’re not to think of Jesus as just one shepherd among many. He’s not one caretaker, one God, among many. No, he’s the only shepherd. So, if we’re not part of his flock, then we’ll find ourselves in one dilemma after another.
Why, though, do sheep wander? Is it solely because of their nature? Perhaps. Indeed, our nature makes us prone towards stepping out on our own. We prefer not to be just another face in the crowd. Or maybe as we say, it’s because we often believe the grass is greener on the other side. It’s easy to become bored with the status quo. We start longing for better things. My house isn’t big enough, so I need a bigger one. My job doesn’t pay me enough so I need a better one. My friends don’t care for me as I want, so I want different ones. And of course, it’s the peer pressure too. If we don’t follow the leader, fit in with the crowd, then we run the risk of being called the outsider. Yes, we wander away from the flock for everything we think we want. Friendship, love, acceptance, prosperity. But no sooner have we wandered away, we’ve become lost to all our wants, only to find that they don’t satisfy. But a sheep that has wandered can’t find its way back, at least not on its own. A lost sheep can do nothing except to listen… listen for the shepherd who calls by name!
II.
There’s no sound, no voice a sheep should know better than the shepherd’s. His is the voice that seeks us when lost, comforts us when hurt, loves us when we feel unloved. For consider the words of David from our favorite Psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” Psalm 23:1. The Lord isn’t just some shepherd. He’s not one of many. He’s mine. He’s yours! Christianity, as much as we emphasize the collective nature of our faith, is also about the personal. Jesus is your savior as much as he’s mine. The Lord is my shepherd. He knows my name. He calls me his own. He tends to my needs as only a personal shepherd could. As Jesus even says, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand,” John 10:28. Jesus cares infinitely more for each and every one of his flock. He’ll never lose you in a crowd. You’re not one of many to him, but rather an individual priceless, beloved sheep of his flock. Even as David continues, “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me,” Psalm 23:2-4. Yes, Jesus is that shepherd. He calls you by name that he may lead you to the paths of eternal life!
Yes, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. These two statements must always go together. If the Lord is my shepherd, what more could I desire? Has he not cared for me, provided for me, protected and defended me from all my enemies? Jesus has gone out against the wolves. He has laid down his life for me, even going to the cross. As Satan sought to pounce on you, it was Jesus, your shepherd who took your place for all of your wanderings. Jesus died for you and for me so that he could be my savior and your savior. By his death, Jesus prepares a table before us. He gives us his body and blood here, even in the midst of our enemies in this world. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” Psalm 23:6. May this be our every desire, that Jesus should be my shepherd and we his flock, and that we dwell in his pastures unto eternity!
May we say evermore, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Jesus has called me by name, leads me in the way of righteousness, even dying for my sins, and rising from the dead. All this, Jesus does for me and you that following our Good Shepherd, we may even call heaven mine! In Jesus’ name! Amen!