Mid-Week Lenten Service. The Good Shepherd

This beautiful image reflects the reality of shepherding during the time of Jesus. The flocks were kept together in a pen and watched over by someone sleeping across the entry-way (the door of the sheepfold).

Thieves and robbers would not enter by the gate, but climb over the side, to scatter, steal, and destroy.

The primary characteristic of the false shepherd is his lack of faith. He sees a good thing, in terms of comfort and security. He realizes that believers are trusting and generous. So he preys upon them instead of praying for them.

Just as in Luther's day, there are those who buy one of these positions. In various ways these false shepherds are placed where they can gain the most advantage for themselves while doing the least amount of work.

That is quite different from the faithful shepherd. Here Christ portrays Himself not just as the faithful shepherd but as the Ultimate Shepherd, the unique Shepherd. There is no good way to translate the original meaning of The Good Shepherd, except to write - The Shepherd above all shepherds.

He is different because He leads the sheep but also lays down His life for the sheep.

Leading them is an interesting image too. The shepherd goes to the sheepfold and calls his own sheep by name. They know his voice and their names (as in baptismal name). They hear His voice and follow Him to green pastures and still waters.

Sheep know their own shepherds and follow them. They run away from strangers.

This reminds us that believing the Gospel also means to avoid the false teachers who pretend to be shepherds while fleecing and barbecuing the sheep. 

I asked my English students to prepare a research essay where the only experts are Biblical verses. "Scripture interprets Scriptures." Since the Bible is God's Word, the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself, not a man-made commentary.

There is far too much of comparing one opinion with another. Then an essay (or sermon or book) becomes a game of piling up opinions, which becomes very much like the Jewish Talmud, where opinions about opinions about opinions are lined up, almost excluding the original text.

This passage unites all the great passages about the Shepherd and explains the meaning of that term, even more important, what it means for Jesus to be the Good Shepherd.

Only one Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. Jesus did this by command from the Father, but He also did it on His own. He willingly gave up His life to give eternal life to believers.

This is important, because the crucifixion was not Rome and the Jewish leaders taking away His life by force - although they used force and twisted the law. Jesus gave up His life, sacrificed Himself, the Lamb of God for the sheep who so often go astray.

All the references to sheep teach how we are weak and willful, often getting ourselves into trouble. And yet the chief characteristic of God is to be merciful, to seek and save the lost, to forgive and to bless us with peace.