I Am the Good Shepherd
May 11, 2003
John 10:11-15
4th Sunday of
Easter
Galena-Warwick United Methodist Charge
Warwick & Galena, Maryland
Rev. Dr. Lawrence D. Jameson
larry@larryjameson.com
back to our church home page
John 10:11-15
11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the
wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the
flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares
nothing for the sheep.
14"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- 15just as the
Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Jesus is our good shepherd.
Let me tell you why that is important.
1) it clearly identifies Jesus as the Messiah
2) it teaches us a lot about his character
3) it is comforting to know
When Jesus said,
“I am the good shepherd”
he was teaching his disciples that he is the Messiah.
Let’s start by looking back
into the Old Testament.
In Ezekiel 24:23 the Bible says:
I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David...
he will tend them and be their shepherd.
That is a prophecy about the Messiah.
Do you remember what King David did for his family
when he was a little boy?
He was a shepherd.
David learned a lot when he was a shepherd boy:
He learned how to work hard, and follow through
even if the job was difficult.
He found out that he could trust God
to guide him in every aspect of his life.
He learned how to fight off dangerous predators,
to protect his sheep
even if it required personal risk and self-sacrifice.
Those were exactly the qualities he needed
to be an effective king.
God made David the king of Israel.
And not only that. God went on to bless David even more.
In 2 Samuel 7:11 the Bible says:
The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you:
12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your
offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish
his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will
establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
Jesus of Nazareth
is the fulfillment of that prophecy.
He is the descendant of David.
He is the good shepherd.
He is the Messiah, the anointed one, the Christ.
The 12 disciples were Jewish men.
They read the Hebrew Scriptures.
They knew the prophecies.
When Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd”
there was no mistaking what he meant.
It is important for us to know
that when Jesus identified himself as the good shepherd
he was telling us plainly that he is the Messiah.
Here is my second point.
When Jesus described himself as the good shepherd,
he was teaching us about his character.
Do you want to be like Jesus?
The answer is YES
OK. How do we know what he was like?
An important part of our knowledge of Jesus
comes from this passage in John.
When we read these words,
we learn a lot about who Jesus is.
And by extension, we learn how to be more like him.
Listen to these verses again, and this time
notice how Jesus is describing himself.
John 10:11-15
11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the
wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the
flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares
nothing for the sheep.
14"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- 15just as the
Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep.
What do we learn from these words?
Jesus really cares for us
He is qualified to lead us
He sets the standard we can follow
of bravery, faith, and sacrifice
He’s not going to run away
when things get tough
He will oppose anyone who wants to hurt us
He knows us really well
He has voluntarily given his life for us
Now, how can we become more like Jesus?
1) We can care about people
Cards, visits, gifts, work great
but what it all boils down to is
making room in your heart
for another friend
Every time we reach out to care
we get closer to Jesus.
2) We can become leaders.
Leadership is learned.
Leadership happens when we are willing to
use our influence to the best of our ability.
Look around at the opportunities to be a leader!
The good shepherd is a model of leadership.
Every time we accept responsibility,
every time we help build a team and accomplish a goal,
we are getting closer to Jesus.
3) We can be brave,
and be willing to sacrifice.
With God, there isn’t anything we can’t do.
The world is changing,
and it takes courage to face the changes.
We can touch people in relevant and appropriate ways
at the very point of their need
in ways they can understand.
The sacrifice comes when we lay down
what is precious to us
in order to share Jesus with our neighbors.
4) We can stand our ground
and trust the Lord when things get tough.
One of the keys to success is faithfulness.
Don’t stop! Do what is right. Don’t give up!
If God has called you to a task
hang in there!
You have been faithful up to now
so keep going because we serve the good shepherd.
5) We can oppose anyone who is trying to do harm.
There are times when staying silent is morally wrong.
What if the KKK wanted to hold a rally here?
Our congregation would do SOMETHING
to oppose that.
It is right for Christians to take action
and oppose anyone who hurts others.
I know that casinos
create addiction, bankruptcy, crime, and divorce.
That’s why I support a coalition called NOcasiNO.
The good shepherd fought lions and bears
to protect the sheep.
So do we.
6) We can get to know God’s people.
Friendship makes the church rich.
The good shepherd knows every sheep by name.
When we spend time with each other,
that honors Jesus
and it builds the kingdom.
7) We can choose to
give our time, our talents, and our treasures
to build God’s kingdom
Jesus showed us
that we just cannot out-give God.
My last point
is this:
it is comforting to know
that Jesus is the good shepherd.
All the qualities I just described are personal.
They apply to you
and they apply to me.
Jesus is OUR good shepherd
This isn’t abstract. It is true for every detail of your life.
He really does care
and he really did give his life for us.