Deo Gloria
Sermon for Good Shepherd Sunday, May 12, 2019
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: John 10:22-30
Theme: Safe in the Shepherd’s Arms
- Safe because our Shepherd knows his sheep
- Safe because he gives them eternal life
- Safe because he and the Father are one
Did you see the pictures in the news, pictures of the tornadoes that stuck in down in Oklahoma and Texas a little over a week ago? They caused extensive damage, destroying homes, uprooting trees and even killing two people. It’s that time of year, isn’t it, time for severe weather? In fact, we had our first tornado drill at school just last week. As the alarm sounds, students and teachers make their way to the restrooms or an interior hallway where they would be much safer in the event that a tornado should strike.
So how about you? Where do go for safety when the storms of life strike? When sudden illness comes howling into your life? When the sky turns dark and the thunder clouds rumble? When your life is battered by the hail of adversity or torn apart by a tornado of trouble? As Christians you and I naturally turn to our Lord and Savior Jesus. After all, he is our Good Shepherd. And as John reminds us in the verses of our text, you and I are safe in the Shepherd’s arms.
It was winter time in Palestine—December to be exact. The Jews were celebrating Hanukkah or the Feast of Dedication. Jesus had gone up to Jerusalem for the celebration and was walking about in the temple courts when he was suddenly surrounded by a group of Jewish leaders. “How long will you keep us in suspense?” they demanded. “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly”(v. 24). Two months earlier they had been divided in their opinions about Jesus. Some had said, “He’s demon-possessed and raving mad. Why should anyone listen to him?”(10:20) But others had said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”(v. 21) In the meantime, however, it seems they had met together and come to a resolution of the matter. Those who opposed Jesus had convinced the others that he was a false prophet and a blasphemer, and that he should be put to death. So now they confronted him. “Are you the Christ? Tell us plainly. We can hardly stand the suspense. Tell us, and the stones will fly!”
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Those who oppose Christ have come to the same conclusion today. Many in academia and the media have conferred together and decided that Jesus is not the Christ, that he is not the Son of God, that he never even claimed to be. He was just a good teacher, a moral leader whom many misunderstood and who was martyred in the political turmoil of his day. Many of his teachings are outdated and certainly not politically correct. And if you claim to follow him and hold to his teachings, you expose yourself to ridicule and shame and persecution.
Jesus wasn’t afraid, however. “I did tell you,” he replied, “but you do not believe.” Just two months before he had told them that he was the Good Shepherd, the Shepherd who had come so that his sheep might have life, and have it to the full. In others words he was the fulfillment of Psalm 23. He is the Shepherd who feeds his sheep in the green pastures of his Word and refreshes their souls with the still waters of the Gospel. He is the fulfillment of that prophecy in Isaiah where it says that the Messiah would “tend his flock like a shepherd and gather the lambs in his arms”(40:11).
In addition, there were all the miracles Jesus had performed, miracles he had done in the Father’s name, miracles which testified that he was indeed the Messiah. Could anyone else make a lame man walk as he had done at the Pool of Bethesda? Could anyone else open the eyes of the blind as Jesus had done at the Pool of Siloam? Was this not also a fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the Messiah, that he would cause the lame to walk and the blind to see? The evidence was plain, as plain as day. “But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep”(v. 26). With his words Jesus condemns the Jewish leaders for their unbelief.
Jesus then goes on to describe his sheep, those who belong to him by faith: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me”(v. 27). Yes, Jesus knows his sheep. The word Jesus uses makes it clear that he knows more than simply who we are. He knows us in a personal way. He knows everything about us.
When Abraham’s servant girl Hagar was wandering around like a lost sheep in the desert, God found her and he spoke to her. He brought her back and gave her the promise of safety. In her gratitude Hagar praised God and called him “the God who sees me”(Gen. 16:13). Jesus, my Good Shepherd, is the God who sees me too. He knows when I am weak, when I am tempted. He knows when I am sick and tired. He knows when I am lonely and afraid. At times like that, at all times, he is right there with me to bless me with his love and to protect me with his power. Yes, we are safe in our Shepherd’s arms.
Jesus continues, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand”(v. 28). Do you see how blessed you are? Our Shepherd Jesus guards and protects us at every step on our journey through this life. No troubles or hardships, no sickness or sorrows, no pain or suffering—no one and nothing can snatch us out of his hand. And, on top of all of that, when this life is over, he gives us eternal life as well. Not even death can take us away from Jesus. We are safe in our Shepherd’s arms!
People will go to great lengths to try to preserve and extend their lives here on earth. They try to eat the right foods and get proper rest. They try to exercise and stay physically fit. They take vitamins and make regular visits to the doctor, but sooner or later their life does come to an end. No matter how hard they try, they cannot avoid death. The death rate is still 100%.
How comforting it is, then, that our Shepherd Jesus gives us life, eternal life! It’s a gift our Shepherd earned for us because we never could. In the Bible it says that “we all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way”(Isaiah 53:6). Often times, like sheep, we think we know better than the shepherd. We ignore what he tells us. We go our own way and do our own thing. The problem is it usually doesn’t go very well, does it? It brings all kinds of problems and troubles and heartaches into our lives. And worst of all, it separates us from God. Our sinful and wayward ways can not and will not bring us to heaven. They will only take us straight to hell, which is exactly where we would end up except for our Shepherd Jesus. As our Savior, Jesus kept God’s commandments perfectly in our place, every single one. As our Savior, Jesus also died a cruel and humiliating death in order to pay for all our sins. The wages of sin is death, but he suffered the penalty for us. So then the gift of God is eternal life. What cost God dearly, the death of his own Son, he offers to us freely, eternal life through faith in Christ. How grateful we are for such a priceless gift!
One day during the Great Depression in the early 1930’s, a poor, elderly woman walked up to the front desk of an insurance company in Minneapolis. She asked the clerk if she could stop making payments on the yellowed insurance policy she clutched in her hand. The clerk looked it over and then said with surprise, “This policy is worth a lot after all these years! I would advise you to keep on paying it. Have you talked this over with your husband?”
“No,” she replied. “My husband died 3 years ago.”
“What?” exclaimed the clerk. “This is a policy on his life for $100,000!” Eventually the company paid the entire benefit and also refunded the overpaid premiums. And the woman finally began to enjoy the financial security she had had all along.
Our gift of eternal life is similar to that insurance policy. It is paid in full. The premiums have all been paid by Jesus Christ our Savior. It was put in force by his death and resurrection. And it is as good and certain as any of God’s promises. No, we will not fully realize all its blessings until we get to heaven. But even now we can enjoy knowing that this gift from God is already ours. We are safe in our Shepherd’s arms because he gives us eternal life.
I know what you’re thinking: This sounds too good to be true. Can I really believe this? Could this Jesus, who stood surrounded in the temple by his enemies—could he protect his disciples until they had finished their work for him? Can this Jesus, who himself was crucified, protect us and keep us safe as we carry out the work he has given us? He mostly certainly can because he is one with the Father.
There are those who say that Jesus never claimed to be God, that such claims were made up by the disciples long after Jesus was dead. Those who say such things don’t know their Bibles very well. Back in John ch. 8 Jesus told the Jews, “Before Abraham was born, I am,”(v. 58) clearly identifying himself as the God who had appeared to Moses in the burning bush. On the evening of Maundy Thursday when Jesus was in the Upper Room with the disciples, he told them, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father”(14:9). And here again, in John ch. 10 Jesus says it plainly and clearly, “I and the Father are one.” Jesus is God just as the Father is God. He has the same power, the same glory, the same honor as God the Father himself. Jesus is God.
There is a story about a small town in California that was rocked by an earthquake. Everyone was frightened as the china clattered in the cupboard and the floor trembled under people’s feet—everyone, that is, except one lady who stayed calm and collected through it all. Later her neighbors asked her how she could be so calm. “Weren’t you afraid?” they asked.
“No,” she replied. “I wasn’t afraid. I’m just glad that I have a God who is strong enough to shake the world.”
In Jesus our Good Shepherd we have someone who is strong enough to shake the world and yet loving enough to save the world. That is why he assures us that no one, not even the devil himself—no one is strong enough to snatch us out of his hand. He and the Father are one.
John Paton was a missionary who worked among the aborigines in the South Sea Islands. His life was in constant danger as he worked among savage tribes who had never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One time three witch doctors, who claimed to have the power of death, said they would kill Rev. Paton by the power of their sorcery before the next Sunday. They said all they needed was some food that he had partially eaten in order to carry out their magic. Unafraid, Paton took a bite out of three plums and gave one to each of the witch doctors. When Sunday came, Missionary Paton walked into the village with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. The people stared at him in amazement, thinking that he could not possibly be Rev. Paton. The witch doctors admitted that they had used all their incantations in trying to kill him. When asked why they had failed, they said that the missionary was a “sacred man” just as they were, but that his God was stronger than theirs! Can you think of anyone better to whom you can entrust yourself, entrust your family, entrust your eternal future? Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is stronger than any witch doctor, stronger than any false god, stronger than any demon, stronger than even the devil himself. We are safe in our Shepherd’s arms.
I don’t remember all the slogans I’ve heard over the years, but one I do remember comes from the Allstate Insurance Company: “You’re in good hands with Allstate.” If you have Allstate Insurance, they can certainly help repair your home if it is damaged in a storm or your car if it is damaged in an accident. But they are helpless when it comes to protecting you from such harm and danger. And they are even more helpless when it comes to protecting your soul from harm at the hands of Satan, sin and death; but not our Shepherd Jesus. He knows his sheep. He loves his sheep. And because he is true God, one with the Father, he can even protect our souls from death and give us eternal life. You and I are safe, safe and secure in our Shepherd’s arms. Amen.