Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 13, 2008
The Rev. Charles Henrickson
Suffering Sheep and Their Good Shepherd (1 Peter
2:19-25)
This day is known in the church as Good Shepherd
Sunday. The readings from Psalm 23 and John 10, the
Collect of the Day, the hymns--all these carry the
theme of the Lord as our Good Shepherd. The images
that come to our mind on Good Shepherd Sunday usually
are very peaceful and pleasant ones. We think of
sheep safely grazing in green pastures, being led
beside still waters. We picture Jesus carrying a lamb
in his arms or a sheep across his shoulders. This is
all well and good. The shepherd imagery in the Bible
is meant to conjure up these pleasant images and warm
emotions. Its a very picturesque way of conveying to
us the goodness of God, the closeness of his comfort
and care. It creates a longing in us to hear the
sweet gospel voice of our Good Shepherd. It instills
in us a sense of belonging to Gods flock, the church.
But these warm and winning images become even more
beautiful when we see them set in contrast to other
very dark and dangerous ones. In Psalm 23, for
example, those green pastures become all the greener
because they stand in contrast to the valley of the
shadow of death. In John 10, Jesus calls himself the
Good Shepherd who comes to give us abundant life, over
against the thief who comes only to steal and kill
and destroy. These vivid contrasts make the warm
gospel images all the more appealing and attractive.
So it is in the Epistle for today from 1 Peter 2. The
reference to Christ as the Shepherd and Overseer of
our souls comes right after a reminder that we were
like sheep going astray. The contrast of these two
makes our Shepherd all the more precious to us. When
we realize how lost we would be on our own, then we
appreciate much more deeply the fact that we have a
Shepherd to guard and guide us.
Besides our straying, there is another negative aspect
that makes us appreciate our Shepherd all the more.
And that is our suffering. The unpleasant reality is
that Christians suffer in this world, precisely
because we are Christians. When we do suffer in that
way, its reassuring to know we have a loving Shepherd
who is looking out for us and taking care of us. This
is the theme of our message today: Suffering Sheep
and Their Good Shepherd.
Thats really how this text plays out. The first half
is about the suffering sheep, the second half about
their Shepherd. Here is the part about the suffering
of the sheep: This is a gracious thing, when,
mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering
unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and
are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do
good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious
thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been
called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving
you an example, so that you might follow in his
steps.
St. Peter here talks about the suffering sheep, that
is, Christians who endure suffering. Notice, by the
way, that not all suffering is due to our being
Christians. Some of it may come because we brought it
on ourselves. That would be suffering justly, because
we did wrong. But other suffering comes unjustly,
because of the good we do as Christians. Thus we need
to distinguish between the two and examine ourselves,
why it is that we are suffering. We could be
suffering justly, we could be suffering unjustly, or
it could even be a combination of the two.
Now perhaps our first problem in relating to this text
is that we Christians in America dont suffer that
much these days--for either reason, whether for doing
wrong or for doing good. Most of us are not used to
receiving a beating, at any rate. But maybe we do
experience some degree of suffering, just not quite
that intense. For instance, people may exclude us
from their circle of friends. People may make
derogatory remarks about us behind our back, or even
to our face.
The first question to ask yourself, then, when you
experience suffering would be this: Am I suffering
because of something wrong that I did? Did my sin
bring this on me? Was I being a thoughtless jerk, and
now my wife is mad at me? Did I fail to study
adequately for the test, and now the teacher is giving
me a bad grade? Was I driving under the influence,
and now the policeman is giving me a ticket? In those
cases, its not that my wife or the teacher or the
policeman is persecuting me because Im a Christian.
No, its because I was a jerk or I failed to study or
I was drinking and driving--those are the reasons Im
suffering. Sometimes suffering is just the natural
consequence of our own dumb behavior. If thats the
case, then I need to repent of the wrong I have done,
confess my sin, ask Gods forgiveness--and that of the
person I have offended--and seek to do better.
But there are also times when we Christians do suffer
precisely because we belong to Christ. We encounter
suffering, not for any misbehavior on our part, but
because of our good behavior. There are people who
will belittle your good behavior in order to make
themselves feel better about their bad behavior. You
dont go along with the crowd, when the crowd is
cheating or shoplifting or gambling or getting drunk.
And so they put pressure on you to conform to the
group. If you dont, then you are rejected and
ridiculed. That is unjust suffering.
What do we do in that kind of situation? How should
we handle unjust suffering when it comes our way? St.
Peter answers that question by pointing us, not to a
principle, but to a person--to Christ, our Lord.
Suffering sheep look to their Shepherd for their
example. Peter says that Christ suffered, leaving
you an example, so that you might follow in his
steps. The Greek word translated here as example
was used to refer to a piece of writing or drawing
thats placed under another sheet and then is traced
over on that upper sheet. So Jesus Christ, in his
suffering, is our perfect model to copy. Then there
is the phrase, that you might follow in his steps.
The idea is that we would follow his tracks. We step
into the footprints where Jesus already led the way
for us on his way of sorrows. We follow the path of
his example.
Look at how Jesus handled unjust suffering, Peter
says, and follow his example: When he was reviled,
he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did
not threaten. Think of how Jesus conducted himself
during his arrest and trials, his beating and
crucifixion. More precisely, think of what he did not
do. He did not revile in return . . . he did not
threaten. He could have--if anybody ever had a
right, he did--but he did not. When confronted with
mean and wicked behavior by others, Jesus did not
respond in kind.
What Jesus did do, Peter says, was to entrust himself
to God: He continued entrusting himself to him who
judges justly. Even if the whole world did not make
the right judgment in his case, Jesus knew that God
would judge him rightly. God would vindicate his
innocent and righteous Servant. God will see that
justice is done in the end, even if it is not being
done now.
Now its one thing to see Jesus as the example we
ought to follow; its another thing to be able
actually to follow it. And on our own, we couldnt do
it. But God gives us the grace. Notice that twice
here Peter says, this is a gracious thing. God
gifts us with the grace and strength and ability to
follow our Saviors example. Gods grace enables us
to bear up and endure under suffering, knowing that
God ultimately is the one who will save us and
vindicate us and even reward us for the sake his
righteous Son. This is not our own doing. This is a
gracious thing.
This is a gracious thing, all the way from start to
finish. Gods grace in Christ is what makes us
Christians in the first place, and its what will
enable us to endure, even to the end. And so thats
where Peter takes his readers when he talks about the
suffering they endure. He takes them to Christ. He
takes them to the cross. He directs the suffering
sheep to their Good Shepherd.
You see, when Peter writes about suffering, he cannot
limit himself to talking about Jesus as an example.
Jesus is far more than our example. He is our Savior.
That is the reason why he suffered. Christ suffered
for you, Peter says. He himself bore our sins in
his body on the tree. On that tree, the cross of
Calvary, the sinless Son of God took all our sins upon
himself, and he did it for you. For you he bore those
wounds in his innocent hands and feet and side. For
you the only righteous man who ever lived endured the
most unjust suffering possible. For straying sheep
like you and me, the Good Shepherd laid down his life
on Good Friday. Only to take it up again on Easter
morning! Christs resurrection is the proof that what
our Shepherd did in dying for the sheep was enough to
overcome all suffering and death, that we may have
life and have it abundantly.
For you were straying like sheep, but have now
returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Now the lost sheep have come home to their Shepherd.
The contrast makes our Shepherd all the more dear to
us. For we know where we would be without him--lost
and straying and vulnerable to all the dangers that
would otherwise do us in. But now we have a Shepherd.
We are safe, saved and safe for eternity, no matter
what suffering we may have to endure for the moment.
Our Good Shepherd, the one who laid down his life for
us, has risen from the dead and now is walking
alongside us, guiding us and guarding us as we travel
through the wilderness of this world. He is the
Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. He is watching
out for us, looking out for our welfare. Yes, we have
a Shepherd, a very Good Shepherd indeed. His name is
Jesus. Suffering sheep or straying sheep--we are both
from time to time. And suffering, straying
sheep--people like you and me--we need a Shepherd just
like Jesus.
In the movie, Babe, one of the sheepdog pups says,
Sheep are animals with thick wooly coats and thick
wooly heads. So maybe we sheep need to be reminded
from time to time, to get it through our thick wooly
heads, that we do have a Good Shepherd who is with us
in our suffering and who is taking care of us in the
midst of it. He cared so much that he himself
suffered and died for you. The Good Shepherd laid
down his life for the sheep. Now he is risen from the
dead and leading us to life everlasting. Our Shepherd
calls his own sheep by name. We listen to his voice,
and we follow him. And we know that in all of our
suffering and in all of our straying, our Good
Shepherd will be with us every step of the way. When
we stray, he comes and finds us and brings us home.
When we suffer unjustly, he guards our souls and
enables us to endure. The Good Shepherd is with his
sheep. My friends, this is a gracious thing.
Charles Henrickson
4749 Melissa Jo Ln
St. Louis, MO 63128
(314) 845-8811 (home)
(314) 779-8108 (cell)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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