John 10: I am the good shepherd

I understand you’re in a series from the gospel of John about the statements Jesus makes about himself. The 'I am' statements that Jesus uses and John reports very deliberately echoing 'YWEH' from the Old Testament. As you may recall that is the name that the Jews have used for God since Moses asked what God’s name was and he responded 'I am'.

These are the statements Jesus makes about himself. And typically these statements are interleaved with what John calls 'signs' and reports of how the first hearers respond to Jesus' statements. So that’s the basic pattern for John’s gospel, at least the first half:

In fact, John tells us that is exactly the point of his book. His last sentence is that these signs are recorded so you may believe. Believe what? That Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. And as a result of believing, that you may have life. In His name.

I’m sorry if it has been pointed out already, but I definitely think it bears repetition because as well being John’s point it is a good part of mine too.

Do we have any shepherds here today?

Ok, so we’re going to need to do some translation because the reason this is such a natural metaphor for Jesus is that everyone in first century Palestine would have been intimately familiar with sheep and shepherds, even if they weren’t actually one themselves.

From my reading, I understand the sheep fold, or sheep pen is soemthing that would exist on the edge of every town or village. There might be a pen out in the pasture land where the shepherd keeps his sheep overnight so they don’t wander off. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. This is for when the shepherd brings the flock to town. Maybe for a festival, go to visit his Mum on her birthday, so he can pop to Asda for supplies whatever. There would be a sheep pen at the edge of town where all the shepherds could leave their sheep. Everyone’s sheep go in together and there’s one hired hand who sits by the gate and makes sure none of the sheep get out or a wolf gets in. Well, that’s the theory.

But this hired hand has no interest in the sheep, no skin in the game if you like. None of them is going to be his fattened lamb come the next festival. He’s not going to be able to use any of these lambs to persuade the parents of that cute girl next door that he’s a fine son in law. In fact, chances are he’s not going even be getting paid more than a tiny pittance for the job.

So, should a hungry looking wolf actually appear, the incentives for him to put his life on the line are pretty small.

Do you start to see the genius of this metaphor? We don’t have a single shepherd in the room today but I think we can start to recognise the characters. Jesus was not blind or ignorant to how people are. Then as now, we’re often keen to ask 'What’s in it for me?' Which will make his own motivations and actions all the more surprising. So let’s turn to those now.

Let’s start with the contrast that Jesus has set up between the hired help and himself. He is the good shepherd. Do you remember David’s job interview to be King Saul’s champion against Goliath? To Jesus' audience in first century David was the greatest ever king of Israel and reigned over a golden age for the nation. But long before he was king himself, David was just the youngest of eight sons. When the nation’s elder, Samuel, came calling, David was so insignificant that Jesse didn’t even bother calling him in. In from what? Why tending the sheep, he too was a shepherd. You can read about that in 1 Samuel 16.

Now how does David convine Saul to risk his kingdom on David’s ability to take on the giant Goliath? He presents his credentials as a shepherd.

Jesus too will be this kind of shepherd, brave beyond measure and risking his life for his sheep.

In fact he goes further.

Jesus says four times that he will lay down his life for his flock. Not just that he’s ready to do so, but that he will.

So Jesus is the shepherd, the good shepherd, then who are these sheep he will risk all for? Have we stumbled into some ultra-zealous animal liberation story?

Now we come to a bit of a sensitive point. I come in here, not knowing you well at all and I now need to tell you that not only Jesus' first listeners but you too are a bunch of sheep!

Moving quickly on…​ Who has a pet? My daughter’s not here today but if she was I can assure you she’d say that a photograph of something cute and fluffy always diffuses an awkward situation.

Do your pets know your voice? If you have a dog, does it prick up its ears when you say its name? Does it rush to the door and smother you in love when you arrive home? Does it bark when the postman comes?

We have two rabbits that live in a hutch just outside our back door. Although rabbits never make a sound, they both know the sound of our back door opening. If they’re on the grass their ears immediately shoot up and like as not they will run towards us. If they’re in the hutch and we don’t head in that direction, expect to hear their displeasure as they bash their paws against the wire door or thump a foot on the floor.

So it is with us, at least to this extent: Jesus says he knows his sheep and they know him (v14). When the shepherd walks into that shared sheep pen, with its multiple flocks all mixed up together, he starts to call out their names.

Woolly! Fluffie! Vicky! Jeanette! Alan!

And his sheep know his voice. They are comforted by it, associate it with care and guidance.

Not for nothing is Psalm 23 one of the most famous:

So:

There is one other facet to this sheepiness that we need to examine. The wolves. We’ve touched on it already, when I mentioned the association of King David with shepherds. Other of Israel’s Kings were, well some of them were real stinkers. Ezekial is just one Old Testament called upon to challenge them.

In chapter 34 he reminds Israel’s leaders that they were called to shepherd the people in God’s name. Then he really lays into them about how to took every advantage of the flock, eating their cheese, warming themselves in their fleeces and even slaughtering them for this feats. Just like the wolves in our passage today the bad shepherds of Israel brutalised and scattered them.

But Ezekial does not leave it there. If you are one who struggles with the Old Testament, hear this from Ezekial 34 v11:

That plan, prophesied by Ezekiel several hundred years earlier than our passage today, but intended by God from the beginning was about to come to fruition as Jesus—​the good shepherd—​willingly lays down his life for his flock. And then takes it back up again three days later at his resurrection.

So as we come in to land, what should we, here in Melksham, in 2023 take away?

v14 has been described as some of the most reassuring words in the whole Bible.

They were spoken and written down for my reassurance and for yours. You may justifiably and irrevocably take that assurance home today knowing as Paul sayss in Romans chapter 8:

But the question is, will you? God is willing, but you must be too.

As you read through John in this season, look at what Jesus says about himself. Look at the signs John recorded specifically to point to the fact that he is not just another person bigging himself up but actually is the Son of God.

And engage with the debates that John also inserts. What do you think?

Those who are Jesus' sheep know him and follow him. However falteringly and however prone to wandering off or getting stuck in a ditch.

John Newton, former slave trader and author of Amazing Grace, believed each of these human failures creates a growing evidence inside us that that God is both capable and willing to save me, and you.

He wrote:

So this week, each time you find yourself in that ditch, again, remind yourself: Jesus lay down his life. Of his own accord. For you. And he would have done it if you were the only one.