A pastor was taking a group of his parishioners on a tour of the Holy Land. He had just read them the parable of the Good Shepherd and was explaining to them that, as they continued their tour, they would see shepherds on the hillsides just as in Jesus' day. He wanted to impress the group, so he told them what every good pastor tells his people about shepherds. He described how, in the Holy Land, shepherds always lead their sheep, always walking in front to face dangers, always protecting the sheep by going ahead of them. He barely got out the last word when, sure enough, they rounded a corner and saw a man and his sheep on the hillside. There was only one problem: the man wasn't leading the sheep as the good pastor had said. No, he was behind the sheep and seemed to be chasing them! The pastor turned red! Flabbergasted, he ran over to the fence and said, "I always thought shepherds in this region led their sheep - out in front. And I told my people that a good shepherd never chases his sheep." The man replied, "That's absolutely true! You're absolutely right! But I'm not the shepherd…I'm the butcher!"

I am afraid that in this day and age we are all too familiar with the butcher, and not familiar enough with the Good Shepherd. There are many people and things in this sinful world that chase us around, looking to harm us. Butchers and wolves. They want to take advantage of us, and they care not at all about our lives. There are also plenty of people and agencies in this world who declare their intent is to help us and say they want to take care of us, but instead of really being concerned about our lives and souls, they are concerned about their pocketbooks.

And we are helpless sheep. Just waiting to be taken advantage of. Don't get me wrong - some of you are smart business people and won't be taken advantage of by anyone - but I am talking about our souls here, our spiritual lives. We are helpless sheep in this sinful world! And sheep need a shepherd. Sheep have the reputation of being docile, harmless, and rather stupid animals. In storms they have been known to pile up in the corner of their pasture, actually smothering one another to death. If a sheep stumbles and falls into a ravine and rolls over on its back, the poor animal is helpless to right itself and to stand up again. And of course, a sheep does not have fangs or claws or the ferocity to defend itself from a hungry predator. In short, sheep are helpless without a shepherd!

Realize that when Jesus calls us his sheep, He is making a spiritual comparison. You aren't dumb people. But spiritually, we are blithering idiots. We have utterly failed God's will for our lives. We have bungled up his perfect world. We harm our relationship with our perfect Creator every day, and as we endanger our own spiritual lives, we have no idea what we are doing. With our flawed thoughts, words, and actions, we are lying helplessly on our backs and can do NOTHING about it to get back on our feet. That is the state of complete helplessness that our sins have put us into! On our own, there is nothing we can do to stand upright before God again! And this world is really not concerned about our predicament, even if it pretends to be. The devil is just waiting to sink his fangs into us as we are lying on our backs! We await a cruel and awful fate! Except for one thing - we have a Good Shepherd! One who really cares about us! We are Safe in the Arms of Jesus!

1. Because He Is the GOOD SHEPHERD! In our text, Jesus describes two shepherds. Outwardly there seems to be no difference. The skin of both has been bronzed by the sun and weathered by the wind. They both carry a fleece to keep them warm at night. Both carry a shepherd's crook. But one is a genuine shepherd and the other is a counterfeit. One is a shepherd in his heart; the other is a shepherd for hire. On an ordinary day you could never tell them apart. But let trouble come. Let a pack of wolves appear and then the difference comes out. The counterfeit runs, because it is only money to him. He has no ownership. But the real shepherd stays. Jesus said in our text: "I lay down my life for my sheep." That is the difference between the real shepherd and the counterfeit!

Here is the good news, friends. No matter how much trouble comes your way, the Good Shepherd will never leave your side! He will not desert you in times of trial. That is the news that will get you through the night and help you to keep your sanity. That is the news you can count on because Jesus gave you good reason to. He proved He was the Good Shepherd, the Real Shepherd. He laid down his life for you! He gave up his all, his life, in your place! He willingly suffered hell on the cross, so that you wouldn't have to. So that you would be saved!

A particular census taker once went to a family to gather information. This was in the mountains and the family was quite poor. He asked the mother how many dependents she had. She began, "Well, there is Rosalie, and Billy, and Lewella, our dog Willie…" The census taker interrupted her and said, "No, ma'am, that is not necessary. I just need humans." "Oh," she said, "Well, there is Rosalie, Billy, and Lewella…" Rather exasperated, the census taker interrupted her again and said: "No, ma'am, you don't seem to understand. I don't need names. I just need numbers." The mother innocently replied: "But I don't know them by numbers. I only know them by names."

Does it strike you as a rather comforting thought that the Creator of the world knows you by name? That He knows your situation? Some might find it hard to believe that the God of all could also be such a caring shepherd. But all you have to do is look at Jesus' words: "I know my sheep." And that is another reason Jesus is The Good Shepherd. He knows us! That word means that He knows us by experience. He knows his believers. He knows us through and through. He knows us by name. He knows our needs, our wants, our desires, and our pain. He knows us so perfectly that He keeps every hair on our heads numbered. That is a shepherd we can depend on. That is a shepherd we can feel safe with!

As we mediate on how Jesus is our Good Shepherd and our protector, we are also reminded of mothers who care about their offspring. Have you ever seen mother hens using their instincts to aggressively shield their chicks from harm? That is true of all animals. It also is true of humans. God has created mothers to care for their own. It is common and fitting for us all to cherish our loving mothers. Today, we fittingly set aside a day for loving, thanking, and remembering our dear mothers. They are a blessing to us from God. So it's also easy for us to think of The Good Shepherd as the Good Mother. Motherhood is indeed a ministry that imitates Christ's eternal love for us. A mother will do anything for her children. She puts their lives before her own, and will protect them at all costs. She loves them and wants to bring them up in the way that is best for them. What a picture of the love Jesus has for us!

He also shows Himself to be the Good Shepherd by Gathering other sheep to Him. He says, "I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd." Jesus makes it clear that his flock will be an international one. He will gather in believers from every corner of the globe. And He has commissioned us to help Him carry out that work by telling others the wonderful news about their Good Shepherd. Jesus' flock is not some exclusive club for us - He wants everyone to be part of it. He wants to gather all of us to Him so we can be safe in his arms!

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. And "good" doesn't mean "good" like I got 92% on my test. It means perfect! He perfectly kept God's will - something we couldn't do. And because of that, He made his Father pleased with us! God loves Jesus and was pleased with Him because He did everything God wanted - perfectly - including laying down his life on the cross and taking it up again on Easter morning! And He did that for us - his sheep!

The Good Shepherd sacrifices. Jesus said, "The shepherd lays down his life for his sheep." Lay down your life for a worthless animal? It hardly seems reasonable! That is, until we remember that we are the sheep that He is talking about! We are the worthless ones! It is called atonement - the shedding of one's blood on behalf of another who doesn't deserve it.

Nicholas Bredyaev, who abandoned Marxism for Christianity, told of a powerful event that played a big part in his conversion. He was present at a concentration camp in Nazi Germany when the Nazi were killing Jews in the gas chambers. One distraught mother, whose first name was Maria, noticed that the officer in charge, Bredyaev, was really only interested in numbers. And then, as things were proceeding, without a single word, Maria was pulled aside by an unknown woman who took her place. So powerful was the image that it turned Bredyaev toward Christ, who sacrificed his life for all humanity. Jesus did that for you! He stepped into your place in line. He certainly is the Good Shepherd. And We are Safe in the Arms of Jesus!

2. That truth also comforts us Because WE are the Sheep of His Flock! We got to tour Israel a few years ago and see and learn first hand about middle-east shepherds, who live very similar lives to their 1st century counterparts. It was fascinating to see the lives they led, wandering aimlessly in search of fields where their sheep might graze. Every night, the sheep were led into a protected area - a "sheepfold." Sometimes, there would be 4 or 5 flocks gathered by a number of shepherds into the same area. The shepherds took shifts throughout the night, making sure wolves or wild animals couldn't make their way into the protected area. In the morning, a person would wonder if there was any hope of separating one flock from another. But it was a simple matter! Each shepherd went to opposite corners of the field, and began to call the sheep. As the sheep heard the shepherds' voices, they immediately began to move toward the one that belonged to their shepherd! After a few minutes, all the sheep were separated into their own flocks, and the shepherds led them away. Sheep know the voice of their own shepherd, and they follow it.

We belong to Jesus' flock. That brings us comfort. We know his voice. It brings us comfort. We listen to his voice. We are always safe in his arms when we do. Phillip Keller has been both a pastor and a shepherd of sheep, as well as other things. In his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, he writes, "As I have moved among men and women from all strata of society as both a lay pastor and as a scientist I have become increasingly aware of one thing. It is the boss, the manager, the Master in people's lives who makes the difference in their destiny. I have known some of the wealthiest people on this continent intimately, also some of the leading scientists and professional people. Despite their dazzling outward show of success, despite their affluence and their prestige, they remained poor in spirit, shriveled in soul, and unhappy in life. They were joyless people held in the iron grip and heartless ownership of the wrong master. By way of contrast, I have numerous friends among relatively poor people - people who have known hardship, disaster, and the struggle to stay afloat financially. But because they belong to Christ and have recognized Him as Lord and Master of their lives, their owner and manager, they are permeated by a deep, quiet, settled peace that is beautiful to behold. It is indeed a delight to visit some of these humble homes where men and women are rich in spirit, generous in heart and large of soul. They radiate a serene confidence and quiet joy that surmounts all the tragedies of their time. They are under God's care and they know it. They have entrusted themselves to Christ's control and found contentment."

We belong to Jesus' flock. He is our Shepherd. He is our master. And since He is the Good Shepherd, we can be assured that We are Safe in the Arms of Jesus! And being assured of that truth, we can live our lives differently - with a new sense of confidence! A sense of confidence in our risen Lord and Good Shepherd Jesus! Knowing Him changes our lives!

There was a 13-year-old Chinese girl who continued with her family to worship God secretly in their home during the Cultural Revolution in China, that time when religion was forbidden and worship was banned by the Chinese rulers. One evening the Red Guards burst into their small home and threatened them for worshiping Jesus. A small altar with a crude cross stood in one corner of the room. Determined to put a stop to their worship and command complete allegiance to the Communist state, the Red Guard lieutenant demanded they spit on the cross. They refused. The lieutenant became indignant and shouted at them that unless they spat on the cross they would be killed.

Finally the elder in the group came forward, spat on the cross and left. One by one they followed, doing the same disgusting thing until only the 13-year-old girl remained. She refused to do what the others had done. "I cannot and I will not," she replied. Then she told the lieutenant the depth of her faith and that she was willing to die for it. Remarkably, the lieutenant seemed pleased. "This is the kind of devotion we want for the new China: people who will commit themselves so totally that they are willing to die for what they believe." But he wanted that devotion directed toward Chairman Mao. "We will change you," he promised and left. She was spared, but never saw the rest of her family again.

The story doesn't end there. That little girl soon fled to Hong Kong and was taken in. Later she entered a Lutheran school and today is a very active servant and missionary in the Hong Kong Lutheran church, serving the needs of countless souls. She prays for the day when she will be allowed to return to her village and minister to her people there and perhaps even to that Red Guard Lieutenant who spared her but murdered her family. She was able to endure, to overcome that tragedy in her life, because she knew the Good Shepherd! You also will endure and overcome tragedies in your life because you know the Good Shepherd! We are Safe in the Arms of Jesus! Amen.

Back to the Easter page
Back to the Pastor's Messages page