4th Sunday of Easter April 25, 2021
Pastor Tim Patoka Connected to the Shepherd Know Your Good Shepherd John 10:11-18 1) Who Lovingly Lays Down His Life for His Sheep 2) Who Knows and Is Known by His Sheep
With summer coming up and travel on the rise, many families from across the country are looking forward to seeing each other again. And one of the things they might do, especially if there’s a kid in the mix, is go to the zoo. I don’t know about you, but when I go to the zoo, I tend to prioritize which animals to see because there usually isn’t enough time to see them all. And if I’m involved in the decision-making, I make a point of seeing animals from exotic places like the penguins and polar bears from the frozen north or the kangaroos and wallabies from down under. If there’s a particular must-see animal or a local favorite, I also try to include them too like is the case with the anteater at our Reid Park Zoo. Nevertheless, one group of animals I don’t go out of my way to see is the farm animals, especially the lowly sheep. Unless it’s a petting zoo, I’m guessing you too don’t make it a point to see the sheep if you have your choice of a zoo full of animals. And that’s because sheep aren’t very glorious or special when it comes to what all God has created in the animal kingdom. While the lowly sheep may not grab your attention much at all, it is a big deal this morning on this Good Shepherd Sunday. We Christians are happy to be called sheep because of our connection to the Good Shepherd as described in John chapter 10. As sheep of our Good Shepherd, we know who he is. Jesus who lovingly lays down his life for his sheep to save us from the attacking wolf and who knows and is known by his sheep as well. 1) Who Lovingly Lays Down His Life for His Sheep Sheep need a shepherd if they’re going to make it in life, especially the white, fluffy, domesticated kind. That’s partly because sheep are helpless against most predators. While some have horns, that doesn’t guarantee their protection. Another reason why most sheep need a shepherd is that they blindly go about in life, following one another even into certain doom. One of the simplest ways to protect sheep from themselves and their predators is to have a shepherd guide them and protect them. However, the mere act of having someone watch over a flock of sheep doesn’t guarantee everything will be okay. We hear Jesus talk about this when he compares what a hired hand and a shepherd will do for the sheep. “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired man, who is not a shepherd, does not own the sheep. He sees the 1
Pastor Tim Patoka Connected to the Shepherd
4th Sunday of Easter April 25, 2021
wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13Because he works for money, he does not care about the sheep.” (John 10:11-13 EHV) The hired hand, because he cares more for himself, is quick to abandon the sheep when his health and safety are in danger. While he may still have his life, the sheep get seized, scattered, and slayed by the attacking wolf. The shepherd, however, would not run away. Instead, he places himself between the wolf and the sheep to protect them, even if it means putting his own life on the line. Unlike the hired hand, the shepherd cares for his sheep and puts exposes himself to danger even though his life is worth much more than a mere sheep. Jesus is doing more than talking about 1st century shepherding techniques. He’s using an object lesson to teach us something. And to make sure we’re all on the same page about what that something is, let’s break down what the elements are in this object lesson. The Good Shepherd is Jesus who is good in every sense of the word. The sheep are Christians who believe in Jesus and therefore follow him. The wolf is anything that attacks our faith in Jesus whether it be Satan himself, false prophets, worldly temptations, or our own sinful flesh. The fleeing hired hand are those religious leaders who care more for themselves than their sheep as was the case with many Pharisees in Jesus’ day. Even though we are sheep of the Good Shepherd, that doesn’t mean we’re free from the attacking wolf. Sometimes we fall victim to his attacks on our faith because we wander away from Jesus’ shepherding. We know what sin is and still commit it. We think we can fight off the attacking wolf ourselves only to end up seized, scattered, and slayed by him. We also fall victim to the attacking wolf when our trust is placed in a selfish, hired hand. While we aren’t to blame if this happens on accident, it’s the sheep who pay the price. But if we knowingly place our trust in someone who mishandles God’s Word or in something that misrepresents what God truly says, then not only do we suffer the consequences, we also carry the blame for what the attacking wolf has done to us. The only way to protect ourselves from the attacking wolf is to go to our Good Shepherd who lovingly puts himself in harm’s way. He does this because of his love for his sheep, for sinners like you and me who are like physical sheep in so many ways. We can’t guarantee our protection from our natural predators. We blindly walk into situations that endanger our very soul. Yet despite our lowly status and the much greater value of Jesus’ life than our own, he still calls us his sheep and showers us in his all-encompassing love. A love that he puts in action by laying down his life and picking it back up again by his own authority. Although nailed to a cross, Jesus decided when his life actually ended when he looked up to heaven and committed his spirit to God the Father. While his death on the cross may not have seemed it, this is how our Shepherd placed himself in harm’s way to protect us 2
Pastor Tim Patoka Connected to the Shepherd
4th Sunday of Easter April 25, 2021
from the attacking wolf. Jesus’ death was not only controlled, it was complete. It completely paid the price for our sins and stops the wolf from reaching us sheep. By rising from the grave on Easter Sunday, Jesus picks his life back up and shows us that he is stronger than death itself and everything else to this very day. Our Shepherd is not just good in every way; he is almighty and all-powerful too. Our Good Shepherd continues to protect us sheep from the attacking wolf. He has nullified the greatest wolf of all, the Devil himself, by canceling his threat of eternal suffering in hell. Our Good Shepherd protects and prevents all kinds of danger that other wolves bring against us whether they be false prophets, worldly temptations, or evil in general. Our Good Shepherd quiets the wolf that attacks from within by assuring us that we are forgiven of all our wrongs and at peace with the Lord Almighty himself. As such, we are surely blessed to be counted among Jesus’ sheep and happy to call him our Good Shepherd. 2) Who Knows and Is Known By His Sheep Not only are we sheep of the Good Shepherd safe from the attacking wolf, we also know and are known by our Good Shepherd. For those of you who have or have had a pet, I’m sure you’ve gotten to know each other pretty well. My family had a basset/beagle dog growing up named Gastogne where we got to know each other pretty well. I could tell when he was scared, sleepy, playful, or most other things just by looking at him. It also went the other way where Gastogne knew who in the family to go to if he wanted to lick somebody’s dinner plate, jump up on their lap, and go for a walk. As this two-way relationship naturally forms between an owner and their pet, so it also occurs between our Good Shepherd and us, his sheep. Jesus compares this two-way relationship to his relationship with God the Father when he says, “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me 15(just as the Father knows me and I know the Father).” (John 10:14-15a EHV) God the Father and God the Son know each other perfectly. In the same way, our Good Shepherd knows us inside and out. While we may not have such a perfect knowledge of our Good Shepherd, we do know him much better than they do know those who aren’t his sheep. Nevertheless, we can grow in knowing our Good Shepherd by listening to his voice. This is, in fact, what Jesus expects his sheep to do. As he says, “I also have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.” (John 10:16 EHV) Whether it is we who are already his sheep or those still yet to come from every walk of life, we find our Shepherd’s voice in the words of Scripture. 3
Pastor Tim Patoka Connected to the Shepherd
4th Sunday of Easter April 25, 2021
However, are we familiar with our Shepherd’s voice as found in Scripture? Perhaps there’s room to grow in your personal usage of his Word. If it’s a paper Bible you use, how much dust is covering it right now? If it’s a Bible app, when’s the last time it got updated? Even though Grace Lutheran Church has historically offered a number of Bible studies across its four sites at different times throughout the entire week, there’s more of its members who only attend worship on Sunday morning. Now I recognize that most people are busier during the week than on Sunday morning, but might this be an area for encouragement to you? Thinking of our children Bible studies, isn’t Sunday School a great place for young ears to hear their Shepherd’s voice on a weekly basis? For those youth who don’t have a specialized class right now, might parents and grandparents come with them to set good habits, lead by example, and open the door to potential conversations? When it comes to what we’re doing right now with public worship, are we listening to our Shepherd’s voice? Or are we simply going through the motions or allowing ourselves to be distracted? Are we settling for head knowledge when we could be applying it devotionally to our heart? There is indeed room for us all to improve when it comes to listening to our Good Shepherd’s voice. A voice that, despite our selective hearing, Jesus still speaks for you to hear. Even though our Shepherd knows us inside and out and has us wonder how he can call us his sheep when we don’t deserve it, he still showers you with his love because that is who he is. It’s in this love that he invites to hear from him in the words of Scripture in public worship, in Bible study, and in personal usage. Two results will naturally happen if we regularly listen to our Good Shepherd. First, we will recognize it when it’s our Shepherd who’s talking. There are many voices out there claiming to speak on God’s behalf. Some who directly quote from Scripture and let it speak for itself. Faithful called workers and Bible-based materials that correctly explain and apply God’s Word for our lives today without changing what the Lord has said. Others who knowingly, or without meaning to, replace the Shepherd’s voice with their own. Not only will we become more familiar with our Shepherd’s voice the more we listen to him, we’ll also be better equipped to listen, ignore, or rebuke those who speak on God’s behalf. A second result is that we’ll better retain our position within the one flock of sheep under the one Shepherd. While that flock will continue to be marked with denominational divisions, differences of belief, and the necessary separation of fellowship on this side of heaven, it will be seen in full when we enter our heavenly home and gather as one united body of believers under our Savior and Good Shepherd Jesus Christ. It is that end and eternal result that we focus on and, humanly speaking, shore up whenever we grow in knowing our Good Shepherd.
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4th Sunday of Easter April 25, 2021
Pastor Tim Patoka Connected to the Shepherd Conclusion
When families go to the zoo, they don’t often make time to see the lowly sheep. Yet on this Good Shepherd Sunday, we are happy to call ourselves sheep of our Good Shepherd because of who he is. I don’t know how many of you know this, but here at Grace-Tucson we have a big, stained glass window over the balcony with this very image. On your way out of church this morning, I encourage you to look up there so you can remember who your Good Shepherd is. He is the one who lovingly laid down his life for you as his sheep. While the hired hand may flee from the attacking wolf, our Good Shepherd puts himself in harm’s way to protect us. And that’s exactly what he did when he exercised his authority to lay down his life on the cross to pay the price for our sins and do away with the greatest wolf of all, Satan himself. Because he has picked his life back up on Easter Sunday, we continue to look to our Shepherd’s loving guidance and protection whenever the attacking wolf comes our way. Jesus is also your Good Shepherd who knows and is known by you, his sheep. As the Father and the Son know each other inside and out, so our Shepherd knows us and still lovingly calls us his own. While our knowledge of him is not as expansive, we can certainly grow in this whenever we listen to our Shepherd’s voice as heard in the words of Scripture and those who faithfully share it. For the more we listen to our Shepherd’s voice, the better we’ll be able to recognize it, respond appropriately, and shore up our blessed place among the Shepherd’s one flock. Amen.
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