The Good Shepherd
John 10: 11-18
James Christopher McCurdy

1. Last week Matt spoke about the image of Jesus as the Gate.

   1. This image provides the clear understanding that Jesus is way, the path to salvation.

   2. It also provides us with our own image of being the sheep who are the flock that Jesus protects with his very body.

   3. Jesus then continues with a more direct description of himself as the good Shepard… listen now for the Word of the Lord.

      John 10:11 – 18

      11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away — and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father."

2. In my reading of this passage I was struck by three points that the Good Shepard symbol seems to say about Jesus.

   1. The Good Shepard versus the Hired Hand

   2. The sheep of the Good Shepard are not all in this fold

   3. The Good Shepard lays down his life for his sheep… then picks it up again

3. First, the Good Shepard over against the Hired Hand

   1. It is not completely clear who Jesus is referring to as the Hired Hand

   2. What is clear, is that Jesus is alone in his role as Shepard

   3. Matt mentioned last week that he is not a little Shepard because Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

      1. Although I would not throw out the image completely because scripture is also clear that the Holy Spirit moves through people.

   4. So, we face a question in all our choices, am I following the Good Shepard or am I following a hired hand?

   5. The only trait that can be clearly placed on the hired hand is selfishness.

      1. Read John 10:12

      2. What is our gain in our own decisions?

      3. Is what we are doing to further our own glory, power or wealth? Or is it for the Kingdom of God?

      4. How often is the hired hand our own feeble attempts to be Sheppard’s?

      5. I am struck by an image of a sheep standing on its hind legs trying to hold a Sheppard’s crook, and that image is no more ridiculous than our own attempts at control…

4. Secondly, the entire flock of Jesus is not yet all in his fold.

   1. Although in the context of the gospel of John, this image is most likely speaking to the gentile believers, there is a lot of hope in this.

   2. Jesus knows his flock and they know him… the flock cannot distinguish one sheep from another, only Jesus knows this. For us to look in judgment on anyone is our renewed attempts to be the shepherd.

   3. I spent this last week in Montreat and the youth who were there often remarked at how different it was to be surrounded by 1100 young Christians who were dedicated to worshiping the Lord.

   4. Which begs the question, why is Montreat so different from Norcross?

   5. Why is that field so much more lush than this one?

      1. Although Montreat is beautiful, I don’t think it has anything to do with the mountains or the lake.

      2. I think that it has something to do with the safety that Montreat has built its entire image on.

      3. Think of the chaos that the image of the wolf introduces… read John 10:12

      4. How can we be anything but nervous in a land where we have learned that there are so many wolves about… think of the wolves that we see

         1. In the world… war, violence, hunger, poverty, disease

         2. In the country… crime, racism, politics, depression

         3. In this town… segregation, envy

         4. In our own church… bad experiences in the church

      5. We know the wolves so well that we continually forget the Good Shepherd and his crook.

      6. With all the wolves in the world… why do the sheep seem to need to fight each other?

5. The torment is real, the pain is real, anguish and untold grief is real… but so is the Good Shepherd.

   1. As the Hired hand is depicted by selfishness… the Good Shepherd is depicted by the love and care that he has for his sheep.

   2. The Good Shepherd loves his flock, he knows them all.

      1. Read Psalm 23

   3. As terrible as the wolves are… the Shepherd is Good

   4. The Shepherd is not overcome by the wolves but he lays down his life willingly for his sheep.

   5. The death is to show the depth of his love but the victory in his taking it up again is absolute.

   6. The question is not, why is Norcross not like Montreat… but how can Norcross be more like Montreat?

   7. Preach the Gospel not with grand words on the corner of a street, but with a helping hand or a comforting word.

   8. We should not trust in the strength of our own command but trust in the guidance of the Good Shepherd.

   9. We are vulnerable sheep; maybe we should embrace of vulnerabilities instead of masquerading behind a facade of aspirations.

   10. And as we learn to trust and we go where the Good Shepherd directs us, we will find that the fields are lush and the wolves are driven away, for such is the glorious bounty of grace and salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.