Easter
3 – May 4th, 2014 – John 10:11-16
Christ
is Risen (He is Risen indeed, Alleluia) + Amen.
I
Am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd
lays down His life for the sheep.
How unlike the way of the world is the way of Christ Jesus our
Lord. How unsearchible are His ways
beyond the way of human knowing, how far He is beyond sinful thoughts. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His
sheep. A Shepherd exchanging His life for
that of a sheep? That doesn’t seem like
a wise trade, a fair trade at all. Can
you see it; a pastor consoling a grieving wife – I am sorry about your husband,
but at least he died saving that sheep.
I Am the
Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays
down His life for the sheep. Why would you do that? Why, oh Shepherd! The sheep are not worth it. Dear friends, is there anything in you, that
makes you worth being saved? Yes, I’m
sure you who have cattle would protect them against dangers, but not knowingly at
the cost of your own life. Better to let
those cattle go – you can always get new ones.
So why doesn’t God think this way?
Do you not think that God has the ability to just start all over with
Creation, that He couldn’t have just blotted out Adam and Eve and all their
children and started again? Tossed this
creation away into the trash bin like a discarded rough draft. There is no worth in you that would call for
God to lay down His life – nothing in you that makes Jesus say, “Oh, I must
save Him.” Why would you do that, oh
Shepherd, why give Your life for mine?
I Am the
Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays
down His life for the sheep. Why? Because I AM.
I AM the Good Shepherd. I AM
Good. Dear friends, this text is about
Christ. He is Good. He is the One by whom all things were made –
who made all things Good. Who made man
in His own image, made him male and female, and made them both good. You were made to be like, to look like
God. When you saw Adam, when you saw Eve
in the garden, simply by looking at them you would be pointed to God their Creator,
God who made them good. They were the
very image of God – if you wanted to understand the Goodness and Holiness of
God – you needed simply look at His image – His Adam, His Eve, and you would
see and understand and know how Good God was.
Man reflected His image, His glory – just like a mirror reflects your
image. And it was Good… because God was
Good and what He does is Good.
He who does
not own the sheep sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the
wolf snatches them and scatters them. The wolf
of all wolves came – entered the garden dressed as a snake. He whispered lying words and half truths to
our first parents, spoke seductively, promised something more. Do not be content to be in God’s image, you
could be so much more. And as they disobeyed,
the image of God that was Adam and Eve was shattered. Satan snatched Adam and Eve, and He dashed
that mirror that reflected God to the ground.
And since then, what have you seen when you look man? What do you see now when you take a long,
hard look in the mirror? Do you see
someone who looks more like Christ, or who looks more like the Devil? How often are your words used to lead another
astray? How often do you bring death
with you – how often do you kill a friendship, how often do you kill someone’s
reputation, how often do you kill them by “getting the better of them”, and how
often, when this is done, do you slither away satisfied in your
wickedness. Hear what Christ Jesus says
of your broken, fallen nature. You are of your father the devil, and
your will is to do your father’s desires.
He was a murderer from the beginning, and he has nothing to do with the
truth, because there is no truth in him. We heard that a few weeks ago – it was the
charge leveled against the Pharisees, the “good, religious people” of Christ’s
day. How often does that describe
you? And be honest –does not Satan’s way
often seem more appealing? Doesn’t it
seem better, easier to hate your enemy rather than love? Doesn’t it seem better elevate and glorify
yourself rather than show respect? When
you think, when thoughts creep into your head, how often are they wicked
thoughts worthy of Satan?
The wolf
snatches and scatters them. That is what
befell formerly fair Eden
at the fall. Adam and Eve were
scattered, sent of Eden,
banished and condemned. With no power of
their own could they be freed. With no
power of their own could their children be freed. Sons after fathers and daughters after
mothers, all bearing this tainted nature, looking like broken mirrors, like
pale shadows of what they were created to be.
What was made good had become wicked, and to be honest, quite often
enjoyed it. And, if left to our own
devices, that’s all we would see – a world where wickedness grows more and more
and people call it good – call it “choice” or “freedom” or “profit” when it
really is murder and lust and greed.
I AM the
Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays
down His life for the sheep. Christ Jesus
your Lord, the very Word of God that called you into being, that gave you life
– He saw your fall. God beheld your
wretched state, even before the world’s foundation. As He made Adam and Eve, He knew what Satan
would do. He even knew that His Adam
would fall. Before He even called Adam
into being, before He had even breathed into Him the breath of life, He saw
you. He saw and knew, knew you better
than you know yourself right now. Now,
if you were God, you might not bother – you might rethink this whole creation
thing, if you know where it was going to go.
But you, you don’t own the sheep, and by your sinful nature you think
like a simple hireling – “I best look out for myself.” But God, mindful of His mercies great plans
for man’s salvation even before creation.
He is the Good Shepherd. The
Sheep belong Him and He will not let Satan have them. So the Good Shepherd lays down His life for
the sheep.
Adam had the image of God, and Adam threw it
down. Cast it aside. Christ Jesus came into the world, came into
flesh, was born of human mother. And
what happened? Christ takes up your
image – man’s image. The image of God in
man was restored. Once again, when you
looked at Man you saw God. Hear St. Paul from Colossians –
He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation. When
you see Christ, you see and understand God.
For in Him all the fullness of
God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross. And what does Christ do with that image? I
AM the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd
lays down His life for the sheep. Jesus
says, “Look what I do! You suffer and
die according to your sin. Therefore, I
will suffer and die – and behold, you look like God again.” Christ Jesus joins you, comes down from heaven
and bears the consequences of your sin – He sheds His blood, sheds it upon you,
covers you with it – even covers your lips and your tongue with His blood. In Christ’s death Christ established
forgiveness – picked up the pieces of your shattered image, and drenched the
shards of that shattered mirror in His blood, took those pieces into the tomb
with Him for three days. And what
happens on the third? Christ Rises,
restored. Likewise, you are
restored. When Christ raises from the
dead, the image of God is restored. The
New Man strides forth from the tomb, and Christ Jesus, the Living God says,
“Once again I will make you live.”
I AM the
Good Shepherd. I know my own and my own
know Me. . . they will listen to my voice.
So there will be one flock, there will be one Shepherd. Christ speaks, He sends forth His Word, and what
does that Word do? It joins you to
Christ – that Word makes you who looked only like the Old fallen Adam to look
like Christ the New Adam. His Word
restores you, forgives you your sin. It
daily drowns the Old Adam, so that the New might emerge and shine forth. You are free to look like God again, to be
His image. This is what St. Peter tells
us – For to this you have been
called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that
you might follow in His footsteps. The
sheep follow the Shepherd’s footsteps, they look like Him now. He
Himself bore our sins in His Body on the tree, that we might die to sin and
live to righteousness. For you were
straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer [bishop]
of your souls. Christ calls you
unto Himself and He declares you righteous, proclaims you forgiven and
holy. He declares your sin dead, and He
declares you Good once again.
Now, in this life, when you look at yourself, you
will only see this dimly. You will
strive to do good, you will strive and fight to do God’s will, you will beat
down the desires of your sinful flesh – but while your flesh is still sinful,
until that day when you have completely followed the Shepherd’s footsteps
through the grave and onto your own resurrection – your life will be
struggle. But in this struggle, know
this. Christ Jesus, Your Good Shepherd,
has indeed lain down His life for you, He has won pardon and peace for all your
wrong. The claims that Satan had upon
you are done away with, and you now belong to Christ – He won you upon the
Cross, and He claimed you in the waters of baptism, sealed His Name upon you,
marked you with His sign, the sign of the holy cross upon your forehead and
upon your heart. His resurrection is the
proof of purchase, the sign that you do indeed belong to Him, that you are His
sheep, and nothing can snatch you out of His hand. Thus, live your life, struggle against sin,
and all this do without fear, for the Good Shepherd has gathered you into His
kingdom, and He continually gives you forgiveness to keep you here. Christ is Risen – He is Risen Indeed,
Alleluia. Amen.
2 comments:
Thanks, Rev.!
A solid underline of that strong, saving Word!
Even for those, like me, who really don't struggle all that hard.
Mostly I struggle to stay in charge.
But that's no barrier, thank God, to His love and mercy.
Just how "Highway Guys" got the credit (or blame) for that comment…I do not know.
All I know is that it was I, the Old Adam( Steve Martin), who made it.
Post a Comment