Easter 4, 2020
John 10:1-10 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. 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.” 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.[a] 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. (NIV)
LISTEN FOR JESUS’ VOICE
We have many who clamor for our attention
We have only one Savior to give us real life
His name was Saul of Tarsus. He was a person who made a choice. A very bad choice! He considered Christians to be such a threat to this religion and nation, he set out to do all he could to make them disappear. He travelled far and wide to find Christians, to arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment. He did all that he did with the full authority of the religious leaders of his day.
Of course, you know the rest of the story. On the road to Damascus he heard the voice of Jesus. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4) A few days later, he was visited by a Christian named, Ananias, who told him, 17 “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized. (Acts 9)
A few years later Saul made another choice. He chose to devote his life to traveling across the north side of the Mediterranean Sea through modern day Turkey, Greece and finally to modern day Italy for the sole purpose of spreading the gospel message of Jesus, the person he once persecuted. Saul made a poor choice. In fact, Saul made a horrible choice. But his story didn’t end there. He also made an excellent choice. It all started when he learned to LISTEN FOR JESUS’ VOICE.
Today we look for the key to gain the Victory over Bad Choices. Like Saint Paul it happens when we…LISTEN FOR JESUS’ VOICE. Let’s face it, we have many who clamor for our attention, but we have only one Savior to give us real life.
We have many who clamor for our attention
Like Saul (St. Paul) we need to listen to Jesus. The words Jesus speaks in our text is a continuation of events from the chapter before. In John 9, we have the account of Jesus healing a man born blind. There are 41 verses in his chapter. In verse 7 we are already told the man was healed. He could see. Most of the rest of the chapter records a confrontation between the religious leaders on the one hand, and the blind man who now could see and his parents. The leaders tried to put words in his mouth. First, they tried to get him to deny that Jesus healed him. When he refused to do that, they wanted him to say Jesus healed him by the power of Satan. When he refused to do that, the leaders told him he was no longer welcome to come to church, they excommunicated him from the synagogue.
In our text, Jesus was talking directly to those church leaders. More importantly he was talking about them when he said, 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. 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.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. So, he looked them in the eye and repeated his warning: 10 “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
How were the church leaders behaving like a thief and robber? Thieves and robbers have no desire to help people; they don’t love people; instead they use people to take from them and gain their money.
When the religious leaders kicked the man whom Jesus healed out of the synagogue, it had a purpose. The leaders were trying to undermine Jesus, his popularity and message. About three years earlier, at the start of Jesus’s ministry, he came to the entry of the temple courts. This was the one place in the temple complex where Gentiles could gather. This is where they prayed and listened to religious discussions.
But at Passover, these church leaders would allow merchants to set up shop, right in this worship area. The merchants exchanged coinage, because the religious leaders required a special coin to pay the temple tax. They sold the doves and sheep and other animals that were used by the Jews in their worship. Many Bible scholars believe the church leaders took a concession on those sales and they made a lot of money.
One of the first things Jesus did at the start of his ministry was to go in there drive out the merchandisers out of this temple courtyard. In our text, Jesus is speaking just before the Passover. Guess what. The religious leaders had brought back the merchants.
Within days of Jesus’ talk, Jesus would be going into the temple and driving out the merchants all over again, for a second time. Here is how St. Mark described it: 15 They came to Jerusalem. Jesus went into the temple area and began to drive out those who were selling and buying in the temple courts. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those who were selling doves. 16 He would not allow anyone to carry any merchandise through the temple courts. 17 He began to teach them: “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’?[a] But you have made it ‘a den of robbers’!” (Mark 11) The leaders didn’t care for the people they were supposed to care for. Instead, they used them. They built personal fortunes by using them.
Today we are looking at this text to learn how to gain the victory over bad choices. In Jesus day, the religious leaders were clamoring for people to listen to them, and abandon Jesus. That’s what they were after with the man that Jesus healed. Times haven’t changed. Today, when we make our choices there are still many people who clamor for us to listen to them.
Certainly, you and I are responsible for our choices, but it doesn’t change the truth, there are many who will tell us our bad choice is a good idea. Think of the drug dealer. Or the friend who pushes another drink when we’ve already had enough. Or the person who wants us to help her cheat on a test. Or the person who wants us to cover for his dishonesty at work. Or the blogger or celebrity who urges us you to adopt their viewpoint on how to express our sexuality.
All of these have a goal in mind. They want us to make a choice. They also want us to make a choice which in some way benefits them, for money, or to cover their laziness or to validate their point of view. None of them care if our choice is bad for us, or for our families or if it’s a sinful choice before God. Finally, all of them make Satan very happy!
Yes, we have many who clamor for our attention
We have only one Savior to give us real life
LISTEN FOR JESUS’ VOICE
We have only one Savior to give us real life
Let’s return to Jesus’ words: 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.[a] 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. (NIV)
Jesus goes back to the picture of a shepherd and his sheep. The sheep pen was an outdoor area surrounded by a hedge of thorn bushes or by a stone wall. It was the place shepherds would use to shelter the sheep at night, so the shepherd could get a good night’s sleep. If you or I looked at the operation, we’d notice a number of different shepherds using the same large pen and turning the sheep over to the “gatekeeper” who would stay up all night to guard the sheep from thieves and predators.
Jesus compared himself to the gate. To a sheep the gate represented safety. At night, going into the gate meant a they could rest in safety. At daybreak, going out the gate meant the sheep was under the shepherd’s care for the day. He’d take them to water and good grazing. He’d also be there if they got hung up or became injured or were threatened by predators.
Jesus was thinking of you and me when he called himself “the gate.” His mission was to provide us safety, 24 hours a day and seven days a week while on earth, and then for eternity in heaven. Describing it another way, his singular goal is to provide us with life, a life, full and abundant. That’s a life free from bad choices.
Now, let’s be real. We have already made plenty of bad choices. They have hurt us, and it’s likely our bad choices have hurt some people. Our Good Shepherd has come to fix our bad choices and replace them with a life that is rich and full, and fulfilling, in other words, a life of good choices. He does so in a multitude of ways.
First, he takes our bad choices out of the picture when it comes to the way God looks at us. He does this by forgiveness. A just and holy God is driven to take our bad choices seriously. He just has too. If he didn’t respond, he’d be reinforcing them; condoning them and signaling to the world that bad choices don’t matter. But when God takes sin seriously, it’s a serious problem for you and me. It means we can’t remain in the same universe with God. It compels him to put us in a place where he isn’t, outside his presence forever. This is a place described as hell.
Our Good Shepherd came to deal with this problem. Jesus lived his life without ever making a bad choice. His actions were perfect, his words were perfect and all his thoughts were directed by a respect and love for his Father, and a love for people. That’s why part of his plan was to lay down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11) When Jesus went to the cross, he went there to pay for our sins. He took responsibility for the guilt and shame of our bad choices, so God’s justice was satisfied. By Jesus’ act of going to the cross and dying, he satisfied God’s compelling need to show the world sin is serious, and allows God to justly and fairly give up his responsibility to make us pay for our own sin. Moreover, God takes Jesus’ loving perfection in his actions and words, and now views us as having lived like that. All that is ours by faith in his life, death and resurrection.
We call this forgiveness, “justification:” God looks at us just as if we’d never sinned and just as if we’ve always done everything the right way. Forgiveness not only lifts the burden of guilt off our shoulders, it clears the way for us to leave our bad choices behind, and put us on the path to make good ones.
Here’s how. Have you ever noticed when we do something which we know to be wrong, we find a way to justify it in our own mind?
Supposed a person cheats on a test. What do they say to themselves? Well, I really didn’t hurt anyone. Or the class is too hard, or the teacher is unfair, or this is the only way I’m going to get the grade I need. Here’s the problem. When we believe these lies to justify our past behavior, we are setting ourselves to cheat the next time around. We’ve already built case to make the next bad decision, and the one after that. On the other hand, when we admit that cheating is a sinful bad choice, confess it and come to Jesus for forgiveness, we are saying, I’m going to live with the grade I earn, and we throw out all our excuses for cutting corners.
Second, Jesus forgiveness gives us a powerful motive for making the better choice: Gratitude. We can’t ever repay Jesus for what he’s done, but we can thank him with a life that honors him.
Third, forgiveness gives us the emotional energy we need in life: Love. St. John says, “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) We make it our goal to love God and love people to return the love God has for us. More than that, God gives us his commandments to help us understand what real love is and what it’s not. It’s not a loving thing to do to gossip about people, even if our friends want us to do it. Then, driven by love, we try to find a way to help.
Finally, Jesus our Good Shepherd gives us a purpose in life, to glorify God by leading more and more people to see Jesus is their Good Shepherd, making a difference that lasts for an eternity.
LISTEN FOR JESUS’ VOICE
He speaks in his word. That’s another reason to hear it and read it! Jesus has placed helping shepherds in our lives: a pastor, Christian teachers, Christian parents and Christian friends. These people whom Jesus has placed in our lives, many of them have years of experience in making good decisions. Some of them will tell you they’ve made bad choices, and have learned from them.
Friends, you know your Good Shepherd cares for you. You know the Christian family and friends who care for you. Listen to them. They want you to know you are forgiven. They want you to succeed as a person, and as a child of God.
LISTEN FOR JESUS’ VOICE
He’s come to be your Savior. He’s come to give you a life that is rich, full and fulfilling: a life confident of God’s forgiveness; impelled by gratitude to love God and people like God loves you, all to the glory of God. Follow him, to victory. Amen.
Trinity Lutheran Church | Belle Plaine, MN
Pastor Curt Seefeldt | May 4, 2020