Richard Davenport
April 21, 2024 â Fourth Sunday of Easter
John 10:11-18
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Jesus, the Good Shepherd. If there was any one theme or idea that people have about Jesus that they consider the most comforting, itâs almost certainly this one. The standard at every Christian funeral is Psalm 23, âThe Lord is my shepherd, I shall not wantâŠâ There are times we want a teacher. There are times we want a friend. There are times want a protector. But there as we gaze into the casket, we want to know that the Good Shepherd has taken his sheep to be with him and will watch over that sheep for eternity. Those other themes Scripture uses for Jesus, the other roles we see him filling are still important, still vital to Christian life, but sometimes you need one more than another.
Thatâs one of the reasons why we go through the various seasons of the church year. We go through it to follow the life of Christ, but his life isnât always one of unbridled joy. Sometimes he is more contemplative, reflecting on the world he had made and the people in it, their needs, their lives. Sometimes he is sorrowful, as he attends to the death of his friend or as he deals with the multitudes of those who are hurting, grief-stricken, and those who see what their sin has cost them. Sometimes he is joyful, when the burden of sin has been taken away from those who are crushed down, when he restores health and function to those who are broken physically or spiritually. Jesus is fully human, with all of the emotions that come along with humanity. He just lives without the taint of sin that continually disorders those emotions.
So, throughout the church year, the different seasons take on their different characters. We are equally contemplative and sorrowful in Advent and Lent, but then joyful in Christmas and Easter. We are steeled for action on Pentecost, with other Sundays changing gradually based on what happens in the life of Christ. Our lives reflect his life, and so we hear him speak to us in the various places we find ourselves in our own lives. Not every Sunday will resonate with where youâre at right now in your life, just like not every role Jesus takes on will come to mind. But, at some point that will change, and so we take the time to hear all of the different things Jesus does and what goes on in his life so those words can come to mind when you need them.
Itâs reflecting on Jesus as the Good Shepherd that made think about situations Iâve encountered in my own life. Several years ago, my friend asked me to be best man at his wedding. I hadnât been to a lot of weddings, so I didnât have a really good idea of what to expect. The one thing I did know was that I would be expected to give a toast. I didnât know the bride real well, since I was off at seminary when the two of them were getting together, but Iâd met her here and there.Â
While I didnât know her all that well, I did know him. I knew what he had been through, some different medical problems which were bad enough on their own but also meant he could no longer do his job. Not being able to do much, not being able to get out much, also led to loneliness and a sense that he had no purpose, no value.Â
But, then he met this girl, and slowly everything changed. He felt like he had purpose again. He was more positive about life and felt he could endure the challenges that faced him.  There would still be struggles and challenges, as there are in any relationship, but they would be there to go through it together.
It wouldnât seem like marriages and funerals would go together, unless youâre making the obvious jokes about married life, but in truth theyâre about as far apart as you can get. One is about joy, one is about sorrow. One is about something gained, one is about something lost. One is about a relationship put together, one is about a relationship broken apart.
Yet, if you were to just look at people at a wedding or at a funeral, it would just be a bare snapshot of their lives. It would tell you nothing of how they got there or what happens to them afterward. In both instances you might be thinking of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who comforts those who have lost someone and who carries the deceased to be with him. Jesus is the Good Shepherd to leads the new couple in their life together. In both joy and sadness, the Good Shepherd is there for his sheep.
When looking at a wedding, like my friendâs, you can see God at work bringing a companion when one was desperately needed. A story that began in sadness ended in peace and joy. The same is true at funerals. The story of a funeral is one of sadness and we ask the Good Shepherd to bring comfort. We donât have the peace and joy now, but we look for it. We need it. So we turn to Christ, the Shepherd and ask him to show us where we may find it.
As I said, whether youâre looking at people at a funeral or at a wedding, youâre taking a snapshot of their lives. Here they are at a high point or a low point and the Good Shepherd makes his appearance. But what about the rest of the time? We spend very little of our lives at the true highs or lows. Almost every day is spent somewhere in the middle, a little up, a little down, sometimes lower for a few days, sometimes higher, but all, more or less evening out.Â
When talking about Jesus as the Good Shepherd, it highlights the strange ways we think about Jesus. When we hit those low points, thereâs the tendency to wonder where heâs been all this time. Why didnât he protect us and keep us safe? When we think about him at those high points, if we think about him at all, it is to give thanks for bringing us here and giving us this time together.Â
Where is Jesus in all of the in-between times? What is he doing in all of those times when life is just happening? If youâre coming to church, if youâre reading the Bible, if youâre praying, then he is probably still coming to mind during those times. Itâs not as if you arenât thinking about him at all. Heâs still there. Heâs still around. But, heâs just sort of hanging out. If life is going ok, then he doesnât have a lot to do.
We tend to treat Jesus as more like a policeman or a paramedic. He just doesnât have a lot to do most of the time. When he gets that 911 call in the form of someoneâs desperate prayer, he leaps into action to rescue you from danger. Then, when youâre in the thick of whatever emergency has befallen you, you finding yourself asking how God could have allowed this to happen in the first place? Why didnât he keep me safe? Why wasnât he watching out for me? Isnât that his job? How could he let the wolves get me?
I canât say I know a whole lot about herding sheep or cattle or that sort of thing, but what I do know about it tells me there just isnât a whole lot of excitement in the job. For the most part, the shepherd leads the sheep out and leads them back in. He watches for danger and keeps an eye on sheep that are drifting or getting into some other kind of trouble, but, for the most part, life goes on from day to day without much to make it memorable. Watching the sheep dogs do their work is pretty cool, but still, itâs all just part of the job.
We treat Jesus as someone whoâs generally lounging around with nothing to do, yet it is all of your not very exciting, rather mundane days that are proof that the shepherd is at work diligently doing his job. If you found sustenance for your body and soul today, the shepherd did his work. If you found rest today. The shepherd did his work. You werenât hurt. You werenât attacked. There were probably dangers you never saw, threats that never came close. Youâll never know exactly how many times in the day you were in trouble and never even knew it, because the shepherd did his job.
Of course, sometimes troubles do come. Sometimes they come from the outside, accidents or those actively trying to harm us, sometimes they are self inflicted. Where is the shepherd? Heâs right there with us.Â
Psalm 23 reminds us: âEven though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.â The shepherd leads the way. He knows where the green pastures are. Sometimes they lead through scary places. But thatâs all part of the plan. He knows where the dangers are and he knows what to watch out for. If we are with him, then nothing can truly hurt us.Â
Thatâs what this life is, a path through death to the greener pastures that lie on the other side. Some of us will get there sooner, some later, but, when following the shepherd, we will all get there. Here in the Easter season, we see again how he has laid down the path through death to new and greater life.Â
Though we may think of Jesus in different ways at various points in our life, there is never a time when we donât need him to be our shepherd. And so there is never a time when he is not leading us, watching over us, and protecting us, his poor, defenseless flock.Â
His grace has already redeemed you. He has claimed you as one of his flock. Watching over you is his full time job. Look to him when you doubt and see how much he has done for you and how he is there with you every day, even when life seems rather mundane. His grace is present every day, offering you forgiveness, proof that he is always there to take care of you.Â
Even in earthly matters, he cares for you. My friend couldnât see the end of the path. All he could see was the darkness of depression. But the shepherd knew. We donât see the path either. Many days it winds through uneventful places, where we face small joys and small trials. Sometimes we have great celebrations and great losses. Youâve no doubt had your own ups and down, high points, low points, and those in between points. The shepherd has been with you through it all and always will be. No matter what, the shepherd continues to lead us to the green pastures he has promised.Â