3rd Sunday after Easter – April 14th, 2024
Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas
Rev. Joshua Woelmer
Text: John 10:11–18
“Jesus’s Little Lambs”
Theme: Jesus is the Good Shepherd who protects and unifies his flock.
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Alleluia, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
Jesus as the Good Shepherd is perhaps one of the most comforting pictures of our Lord. It forms the basis of Psalm 23, and Jesus identifies himself as “the Good Shepherd.” It come up again and again in our hymnody, artwork, and imagery. As you heard from all of our readings, it’s all over in the Bible. It’s one of the primary images that we associate with God.
When it comes to sheep and Jesus as the Good Shepherd, I’m afraid that we magnify the downsides of sheep and how they might apply to us as the flock of God. I’ll be honest, I’ve done this too before. Having raised both sheep and goats, there’s a big difference between them. However, we don’t often extol the virtues of sheep, as if they don’t have any. Many people just see them as mutton that grows wool. But if described cows to you as only steaks covered in leather, you might nod your head, then proceed to remind them of the temperament of cattle and the knowledge and skill that goes into raising them.
So it is with sheep. One skill that sheep have is that they listen. They listen to their shepherd’s voice. I’m sure those of you who raise cattle wish that you could lead your cattle around simply by calling out to them. Instead, I hear all the stories about cattle *not* doing what you want them to do, and getting injuries or bruises or worse for your trouble. Sheep know their shepherd’s voice. Often when the Bible talks about sheep other than with regards to sacrifice, it has to do with what they hear.
They know who is protecting them, and they generally know their vulnerabilities. They follow that man or possibly the group of men who are watching them and watching out for predators. You can find examples online of shepherds calling out special calls to gather their sheep to them. They might be resting or eating, but when they hear that call, they get up and go to it. When they don’t, they get in trouble.
What is the danger for a sheep that has gone astray? Not only could they get caught in brambles, or fall into a ravine, but there are animals that are on the lookout for stray sheep. Wolves and coyotes especially know that a lonely sheep is very good prey. Thieves too try to snatch what they can. A lonely sheep does not have its shepherd protecting it, nor does it have the herd to bunch up into and fend off a predator.
Sheep get into this situation by straying too far from the shepherd. They are not able to hear his voice. Our reading from 1 Peter touches on this, “For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (25). But Jesus also tells a parable about a shepherd going out to look for even one sheep that has gone missing, and he brings it back and rejoices because he has found it (Luke 15:1–7).
Doing this has cost Jesus our Shepherd a great price. Jesus says, “I lay down my life for the sheep. . . . For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father” (15, 17–18).
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down his life to save his sheep from the wolves. He allowed the enemies of the sheep to sink their fangs into him instead of the you, his sheep. That is the price he paid for your soul, to claim you as his little lamb. He also claims you personally by the waters of Holy Baptism. He has claimed little Jacey here to be his littlest, newest lamb. Thanks be to God!
This is what Jesus the Good Shepherd does. He brings sheep into his fold so that they would listen to his voice. He has brought you here today to do just this. That’s the purpose of everything we do in the church: make sure that each of us, young and old, knows the voice of Jesus. We will all mature and learn more and deepen in our faith. But the voice stays the same. It calls to you. Jesus says, “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd” (16).
Jesus’s voice works unity in the church. Jesus works unity among us gathered here today. We are unified not only because we happen to live in a certain geographical area or because we are related to each other. Jesus unites us together in Him—by the waters of Baptism and by the truth of His Word. Sometimes when we look out into Christianity in the world, all we see is division. There is this denomination and that denomination. And yet, Jesus’s flock is nonetheless one.
The plural for sheep is sheep. That’s a handy way for us to remember that when you add up all the sheep you end up with only one flock of sheep. There are not many different flocks with many different shepherds. There is, as Jesus said, one flock and one shepherd, just as there is one bridegroom and one bride, one head and one body, one cornerstone and one temple, one king and one kingdom. This is what we confess: “I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic church.”
This also informs our attitude towards other Christians. We don’t want to see any lonely Christians. The devil, the wolf, wants to scatter and snatch. He wants to isolate us from one another. He has a variety of means: chaos, discord, hard feelings, and so forth. Everything the church does is to show how Christ accomplishes the opposite in our lives. He forgives sin. He bids us to love one another.
In the end, it is always and only Christ who does these things in our heart. Left to our own devices, we as sheep would wander. We would distrust the fellow sheep around us. We would find other idols, in ourselves or others. We would eat what we want to eat rather than the food that God gives us. But Christ calls us away from all that would harm us. He protects us by calling us always to Him. He reminds us that the food of this world is fleeting, and following our own noses leads to isolation and pride. Rather, remember that you belong to him, and he cares for you. He knows you, just as the Father knows him. He has laid down his life for you, for you are his little lamb.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
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