Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
I Have Other Sheep (and Shepherds, too!)
Theme: Concerning faith, Christ is the one and only Shepherd; concerning
love, we are each good shepherds to many sheep.
Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!) Alleluia! In today's
Gospel, our Lord Jesus speaks Words both of stern command and of great
comfort to us: "I am the Good Shepherd," He says. "The Good Shepherd lays
down His life for the sheep."
Dear Christian friends,
When the Jehovah Witnesses show up on the front porch of the
parsonage, they usually do so when I am not home. This careful timing is
probably the result of having learned their lessons the hard way. On those
rare occasions that I am home when these heretics come calling, I usually
get right to the point, loudly warning them that their satanic false
teachings will destroy both them and their hearers if they do not repent and
confess the Triune God of the Apostles' Creed.
So the Jehovah Witnesses usually prefer to talk to the wife. They
always want to talk about Jesus, and how we all should want to follow His
example in our lives. (To be fair, St. Peter does say in his first letter
that Christ is our Example, 1 Peter 2:24-25). But an example is all the
Jehovah Witnesses want Jesus to be for them. They do not want our Lord to be
God the uncreated and eternal Son Who has no beginning and apart from whom
nothing exists. The Jehovah Witnesses want Jesus to be their example and not
much more than that. Forget the atoning sacrifice for our sins, forget the
Living Power of His Word and His Sacraments. Just follow Jesus the example.
In this manner, the Jehovah Witnesses sort of cut our Lord Jesus in half,
taking only the half they want to have and abandoning the rest.
This great sin of cutting Jesus in half and taking only what you
want might not be the sin only of the Jehovah Witnesses. We Lutherans also
feel the temptation to take only what we want from Jesus-we just want
different things than what the Jehovah Witnesses want. (This is not a flaw
in our teaching, but in our day-to-day practice.) Where the Witnesses cling
to Christ's example and throw away His atonement, we tend to do the
opposite, clinging to the atonement but closing our eyes and ears to the
example that our Lord gives us. Stated another way, we so earnestly fix our
attentions upon What Jesus Has Done that we might excuse ourselves from also
asking, What Would Jesus Do?
In today's Epistle, St. John would like to see us put an end to
such nonsense. "By this we know love," St. John states, "[Christ] laid down
His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers" (1
John 3:16). If we were to re-word this verse using the vocabulary of today's
Gospel, also written by St. John, we could say, "By this we know love:
Christ Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and we ought be good shepherds for the
brothers, our fellow Christians." In other Words, treat each other in the
same way that your Christ treats you.
That is why I introduced today's sermon by saying that Christ
speaks both command and comfort to us in today's Gospel. "I am the Good
Shepherd," He says. "The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."
With these Words, Jesus preaches both faith in Him and love toward your
neighbor. That is to say, Christ in today's Gospel teaches us that He is
both our atoning sacrifice AND our example for living.
· "I am the Good Shepherd." With these Words, Jesus warns you
everything else in creation will fail to guard and protect you against the
wolf, the devil, and the curse of death. Only He-only the Good Shepherd-is
your faithful helper and only He can guard and protect you from all that
would destroy you. While others might love you enough to die for you, only
the life of Jesus your Good Shepherd is powerful enough to put your enemies
to death. "I am the Good Shepherd," He says. "The Good Shepherd lays down
His life for the sheep." In this laying down of His life, you how have
forgiveness of all your sins, protection against all your enemies, and a
guarantee of eternal life with Him.
· But Jesus also says "I am the Good Shepherd." With these Words,
your Lord Jesus calls upon you to love and to serve your neighbor in the
same manner Jesus has likewise served you. "The Good Shepherd lays down His
life for the sheep." "[Christ] laid down His life for us, and we ought to
lay down our lives for the brothers" (1 John 3:16). Through your love and
devotion to your neighbor, whether your acts are noticed or ignored, you are
not only sheep but you also become good shepherds.
A devout and faithful pastor is a good illustration for how each Christian
is both shepherd and sheep (and I will leave it up to you to decide whether
I myself am devout and faithful). This is how Luther explains pastor as
shepherd-and-sheep:
. at the same time that they [pastors] believe they are saved by the death
of Christ, they straightway follow the example of Christ, ready to die for
the little sheep, and willing to give up their lives for the Word. Such
surrender of life redeems no one, for salvation comes only through the death
of Jesus Christ; and, yet, it strengthens the others and God is glorified
through our death and blood, and our neighbor is strengthened in faith.
[Those are] hirelings who have no love for the flock; a devout pastor, on
the other hand, gives up everything for the flock, even body and life
(Luther, Second Sunday After Easter, 1534 [Klug, vol. 2, 81]).
So a pastor must be a sheep, believing only in Jesus His Good
Shepherd, in order that he may be saved and protected from every evil. But a
pastor must also be a shepherd, serving his neighbor as a good shepherd
ought, so that his neighbor might also come to know Jesus the Good Shepherd.
I am telling you these things about pastors, not so that you may
look at my life, but so that you may look at your own. Is there really that
much of a difference between us? Are not you and I washed clean in the same
Baptismal font? Do we not at this altar both receive the Body and Blood of
our Lord for the forgiveness of our sins?
· You and I both are sheep-precious lambs of God-because Jesus says
to you and to me both, "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down
His life for the sheep."
· You and I are both shepherds, too, because the same Jesus says
through His apostle John, "[Christ] laid down His life for us, and we ought
to lay down our lives for the brothers" (1 John 3:16). The only real
difference between you and me is the flock we have been given. You are my
flock; your family, your co-workers, and the others whom God has placed into
your lives all together form your flock.
As I must lay down my life for my sheep, every day serving you with
faithfulness and devotion, so also must you lay down your life for your
sheep. That is to say, you also must serve your flock with devotion and
faithfulness, following the example of Jesus your Good and Faithful
Shepherd.
Faith and love: these two things meet together in today's Gospel.
a.. "This Gospel highlights the teaching on love. It points out everything
that our dear Shepherd, Jesus Christ, has done has been placed before us as
an example. There is nothing I can or should add to this, but only believe.
Nevertheless, in faith I should follow His example and serve my fellowmen,
no matter whether it's acknowledged or distained. In this way every
Christian also becomes a good shepherd" (Luther [Klug, 2, 80).
a.. "In speaking of faith, it [this Gospel] explains that Christ is the
only one, the Shepherd, who dies for [you] His sheep. 'I am the Good
Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.' With these
Words he [Jesus] draws all men to himself (Luther [Klug, 2, 79).
With these same Words, Jesus proclaims to you eternal life, and no one shall
snatch you out of your Good Shepherd's hand. Christ is risen! (He is risen
indeed!) Alleluia!
The peace of God which passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. Amen.
___________________________________________________________________________
'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise
noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such
gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_
_attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author, as well as
for quoting or use in a congregational setting
_with_or_without_attribution_.
Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list.
Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster.
Subscribe? Send ANY note to: sermons...@cat41.org
Unsubscribe? Send ANY note to: sermons-...@cat41.org
Archive? <http://www.mail-archive.com/sermons@cat41.org/>
For more information on this or other lists offered by Confess And Teach
For Unity, you can contact the CAT 41 list administrator at:
Rev. Fr. Eric J. Stefanski <m...@cat41.org>
