The Good Shepherd Cares for You

[Jesus said,] I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sake of the sheep. ... And so he did. And now he’s risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

This is not only the definition of what it takes to be a Good Shepherd, it is literally the very definition and proof of what it means to be good ... period. His work is so very good, it is perfect. His work is complete. His work is heavenly and beautiful. His work fulfills all the purposes of God. He alone does what is good ... delivering to you your salvation on his account.

JESUS ALONE IS GOOD BECAUSE HE LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR YOUR SAKE.

This is our theme.

When we mention the Good Shepherd, I imagine most of us instantly recall from memory an image of a lamb resting on his shoulders, or like our bulletin cover today, a lamb cradled in his arms. These images of the Good Shepherd are some of the most beloved in the world.

And what a beautiful image it is! ... It is an enduring image ... Warm ... Comforting. ... expressing care and the love of God for his people. It compels us to seek that which is virtuous, friendly, praiseworthy (Pp 4:8) and downright good.

It reminds us of Psalm 23, which declares the LORD ... the Great I AM ... is “My Shepherd” and therefore we will never be lacking in his Divine Service. He gives us reason to rest. He leads us to absolution. He restores us in baptism. He nourishes us with his supper. He anoints us ... our cup overflowing. He dwells ... not only with us ... but in us.

More than that, the image of the Good Shepherd reminds us of our Old Testament reading, where the LORD declares that he is the one who will search for his sheep. He will seek you when you wander. He will rescue you when you fall. He will bring you out of bondage and lead you to the Promised Land.

The Lord is my shepherd. ... I AM [is] the Good Shepherd. His name is Jesus.

Our passage from John 10 does raise good questions for us: What is good? What makes Jesus good? And how and when, then, do you become good?

I. [What is good?]

When you really get down to it, in the New Testament, there are two words we routinely translate as good ... ἀγαθός and καλός. But they don’t mean the same thing. The first one ... ἀγαθός ... reflects an essential goodness of God, a moral quality mediated by God’s Law or perhaps better yet, his instruction. When we say the name of the Lord is good ... his Law is good ... and his promises are good ... we are talking about ἀγαθός.

Today, when Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd, he uses καλός ... which reflects the beauty of good. I AM the Good Shepherd, Jesus says. That is, I am the Beautiful Savior. I am the Lamb which is free from defects. I am the one who does the Law. I am the one who keeps my promises. I am the only one who can lay down my life for the sake of the sheep.

The hired hand, not being a shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and flees.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, I may be a shepherd, but I am not the Good Shepherd. Only Jesus is good. His works are perfect and complete and beautiful. Our works are nothing but filthy rags. No matter how hard I try, I can not save you like Jesus.

The works we think are good are nothing of the sort. As Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds us, there is no one who is [this] good. We are sinners who sin. For I am not doing the good ... that is, the καλός ... which I desire, but the evil which I do not desire, this I practice (Rm 7:19). In other words, idolatry, adultery, blasphemy, jealousy, malice, selfishness, ingratitude, covetousness, among so many other sins. Our lives would be καλός ... if we kept his law.

So hear what God’s Beautiful Word is telling you, and repent every one of you in the name of Jesus. That is, stop running away from the wolf, which is an image of the sin that devours you and divides you and causes you to hold grudges. Mourn your sin like Paul. And listen for ... and to ... the voice of the Good Shepherd.

II. [What makes Jesus good?]

Jesus says I AM the Good Shepherd. I know my [sheep] and my [sheep] know me, just as the Father knows me, so also I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sake of the sheep.

There is only one who is good ... whether that be a shepherd, a neighbor, a friend, or even a sheep. His name is Jesus. He alone became like one of the sheep. He alone was born a Lamb of God, the best of sheep ... the Lamb of sacrifice. He alone is the beautiful (καλός) savior. He alone did what none of us could do ... He was born without sin. He lived his life without sin. He went where no man could or would ever want to go. He handed himself over into the hands of sinful men, to suffer and die on a cross, a tree of death.

This is what makes Jesus good. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sake of the sheep. This is the reason the Father loves his only begotten son, who fulfilled all of the promises of God. Because he alone is good, Jesus lays down his life in order that he may take it up again (v 17). Celebrating his resurrection on Easter morning, he is now the Good Shepherd, leading us so we can follow where he is going ... back to the Father, who has reconciled himself to us.

Do you hear him calling?

The Gospel, which is the voice of the Good Shepherd, is telling you, as we heard last week, to stop being afraid. There is nothing left to fear. He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Hallelujah!

This is very good. In the resurrection, we have life and life abundantly. Jesus has shown to the disciples that now on account of him, the forgiveness of sins is yours. This is what the peace of God really is. This is why the Lord is with you. This is why he is here even now. And this is why our epistle is such a wonderful pairing, today. Peter writes: For into this you have been called, because Christ also suffered on behalf of you, leaving to you an example, so that you might follow upon his tracks. He did not sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. While being insulted, he did not retaliate ... suffering, he did not threaten, but gave himself over to one judging rightly. He bore our sins in his body upon the tree in order that we might die to sin [and] live in righteousness (1 Pt 2:21-24).

And you can do this ... because he is risen!

III. [You are good because you hear him and you go.]

You who are baptized ... you who were called by the Father ... you who received the Holy Spirit ... you who are fed with the means of grace ... God’s Word of absolution, God’s water of life, God’s own body and blood. This is all given to you in the Divine Service, for the forgiveness of your sins, so that you can have peace, knowing that Jesus is always with you, giving himself to you, showing himself to you.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who is not content in knowing that the ninety-nine are safely in the fold. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen, he says. It’s necessary to go to these. They will hear my voice.

It is Jesus who goes out to seek the one lost lamb, and when he has found that one, he lovingly gathers it into his arms and carries it home rejoicing: Because he is the Good Shepherd. Then, when he comes into his house, he calls together his friends and neighbors ... you ... saying to them, Rejoice with me because I found my lost sheep. I tell you, in this way, there will be [more] joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety-nine righteous who do not need to have repentance (Lk 15:5-7).

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we need not worry or wonder then about our standing with the Father. In Jesus, God himself has given us the one shepherd for the one flock. He lives to continue to guide and care for his flock. He’s the one who will not leave you or forsake you. There might be adversity along the way, but he will get you through it. And your final destination is not the valley of the shadow of death.

As you hear his voice of Jesus and follow ... from cradle to grave, through suffering and death, to the right hand of God the Father in heaven ... rest without fear of the wolf. That is the Gospel for this Good Shepherd Sunday, and every Sunday really. For every Lord’s Day, whenever and wherever the Word of Christ is preached and his sacraments administered, God the Father’s sheep are being gathered by his Good Shepherd, nourished and preserved unto salvation.

We are welcomed into His fold, into the house of the Lord ... and even into the very kingdom of the heavens ... with the blessing of our baptism that is placed upon us and the supper that is fed to us ... in the name of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

κήρυξον τὸν λόγον