You have a Good Shepherd

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You Have A Good Shepherd

What will we get? I haven’t been in your shoes. But I can imagine. I can imagine what it might be like to have a pastor take a call away and then to go without for a year. And then, when you get a new pastor, you have to ask the question, “what sort of shepherd will we get?” And the prayer that you pray is a simple one. But it’s an important one. You pray that you get a good shepherd, good pastor. In the words we look at this morning, we see what it means to have a good pastor and a good shepherd. A good shepherd leads you to the Good Shepherd, Jesus. In John 10 we read these words: “¹ Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (John 10:1–3 NIV11-GKE)

One of the challenges of diving into these words is that it’s like diving into a large lake on a night with no moon when you can’t see the shore. You dive in and get lost. What is the context here in these words? Jesus is speaking about his flock of believers to false teachers. Jesus here is in the middle of a long conversation with the Pharisees and leaders of the Jewish people. And his disciples are there, listening to the conversation. And what Jesus is trying so very hard to teach these Pharisees is what a good shepherd is. A good shepherd is the one who leads his flock to the Good Shepherd. So then, how do you know who the bad teachers are? First, Instead of coming through the gate, they hop over the fence at the back of the corral.¹ Instead of shining the spotlight on the Messiah and Savior who would redeem his people, they shine the spotlight on themselves. But there’s another way the flock knows that they are not the good shepherd. Jesus says: “⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”” (John 10:4–5 NIV11-GKE)

How do you know who the bad shepherds are? First, they don’t go through the gate—they do not focus in on and preach Jesus. Instead, they preach about themselves or about the person. But there is a second way. They speak with a different voice. They might even use God’s word and quote it. But they quote it out of context.

And when this happens, notice what happens to the sheep. Instead of going to the bad shepherd, they run away. This brings to us a very important truth in God’s word. Through the power of God’s word a miracle has happened inside of each of you. You have this gift of faith. And through this gift now you know. You know who the true God is. And yet, as amazing as this is, it is also filled with bitterness. For even though we know the true voice of the Good Shepherd, we often ignore his voice. Inside each of us is a little false-teacher. This false teacher knows what the truth is, but chooses to ignore it. We know that we are supposed to be eager to worship, to be eager to respect those in authority over us, to help those in need, to not lust, to not gossip. Jesus tells us this in his word. But we do not listen. Like stupid, stubborn sheep, we go our own way.

But my friends and fellow members of God’s flock, you have a Good Shepherd. Instead of letting us wander stubbornly to our own destruction, look at what your Good Shepherd does. First, he runs out to you and lays down his life for you. He dies so that you would live. He pays for your sin with his own life. And second, he still speaks to you through his word. Our Shepherd would have every right to let us go away and astray to our own doom, but he reaches out to us with his precious word. He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit he has placed in our hearts. And the result of all of this is that you have a real Savior and a Real Shepherd. You know him.

But, my dear friends, before we move on to the next section in these words, there is still one question to ask: “how do you know?” How do you know that you believe in the real Good Shepherd. How do you know that you know him? This seems like a strange question to ask until you sit down and speak with someone who is not a Christian. When you sit down with the Mormon or the Athiest and their view of the world and salvation seems to make sense, how do you know that you know the real Good Shepherd? The first answer is that Jesus, the real Good Shepherd speaks to the truth to you in his word. His word is clear and consistent. His word actually answers and solves the real problems we face as humans. But there is a second answer. When Jesus speaks to you through his word, there is understanding and joy when you hear his word. Last work we heard these words: “⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8–9 NIV11-GKE) There is real understanding and real joy because the Holy Spirit has given this gift to you. You have a Good Shepherd whom you know. But these words continue: “⁶ Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. ⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:6–10 NIV11-GKE)

Here we have another picture of what the bad shepherds look like. They steal the sheep. They slaughter the sheep. They kill the sheep. Instead of taking their lives and corrupting them, what does the Good Shepherd do? He gives them life. And even more than that, he gives them an overflowing abundance of life.²

Now, before we speak about what Jesus is saying in these words, we have to speak about what these words are not speaking about. They are not saying that, as soon as you become a Christian your problems fade away. They are not saying that, as soon as you know the Triune God, then you get a bumper crop in the fall and a bonus at the end of the year. Instead, what Jesus is saying here is that he is the Good Shepherd. And because he is the Good Shepherd, not only do we get to know him, he also knows us. And because he knows us, he knows what is best for each of us.

This is a truth to ponder. He knows exactly what burdens to bring into your life and into my life. And these burdens are custom-tailored for you. I remember many times as a pastor in my congregations wondering why God would allow that tragedy, that trouble, that burden to fall on that member of God’s flock. And part of the answer is that God knows that person. He knows the burdens he will use for good in that person’s life. I don’t know this. You don’t know this. But Jesus does. That’s why he is the Good Shepherd.

This is true when it comes to the burdens that Jesus allows to enter our lives. But it’s also true when it comes to the blessings. I think of this most of all when someone passes away. What always amazes me is what parts of the bible they know by heart and cling to. So very often, what amazes me is that they are parts of the bible that I know of, but if I had to be perfectly honest, they haven’t impacted me the way they have this person. There has been more than once that I’ve said, “why did this person pick this part of God’s word or this hymn?’” And the answer is that Jesus, their Good Shepherd spoke to that person in a very personal, real, and custom-tailored way. And my dear friends and fellow flock of Christ, the same is true for you. Jesus gives you custom-burdens just for you. And he gives you custom-blessings just for you. And he does this because he knows you.

And so, my dear friends in Christ, you have a Good Shepherd. Through God’s word and by his Holy Spirit you know him. Rejoice in that. But also know that because he is your Good Shepherd he knows you, and what is best for you. Amen.