“I am the Good Shepherd” by the Rev. Brett Gudeman

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

John 10:11-18

Jesus says I am the good shepherd. Shepherd, Jesus Christ as shepherd may be one of the most influential and important analogies from the New Testament, because there is such richness and depth in the metaphor. Jesus Christ as the good shepherd connects him to the Davidic line of Kings, it is a reminder not only that Jesus is not only the King of our lives, but also that the Lord God fulfills God’s promises. God made a covenant that the line of David would rule forever and that is made manifest in Jesus Christ, the King of our lives.

Jesus Christ says, I am the good shepherd, which calls to mind the parable of the lost sheep, where Jesus assures us that even when we stray, even when we are lost, Jesus will leave the 99 to rescue the one who has gone astray. And as each one of us is a wandering sheep, people who stray and stumble, pursued by grace. This is good, good news.

Jesus Christ says, I am the good shepherd. But what does that mean for us as sheep? How do we relate to the shepherd? You may have heard that sheep are one of the most unintelligent animals on the planet, but the rumor that they are without any intelligence was started by cow herders. Many cow herders switched to sheep when there was more money to be made and they found that sheep do not behave like cows. Cows are herded from the rear with shouts and prods from the cowboys. But that does not work with sheep. If you stand behind sheep making noises, they will just run around behind you. They actually prefer to be led. Cows can be pushed; sheep must be led. Sheep follow where the shepherd leads.

This means we follow where Jesus is leading, we go where Jesus has already gone before. Jesus Christ as the good shepherd is one who leads, who walks ahead of us, making sure all is safe. And sheep follow their shepherd. There is great security in watching, knowing, someone has gone before you, that you are not the first to venture out onto the cliff of uncertainty all alone.

Growing up, one of the things my family did together was we would go rock climbing together, sometimes at the climbing gym, and sometimes up on the Mountain. Now the reason we rock climbed was because my older brother was very into it, so obviously his three little brothers followed in his footsteps, and I don’t think my parents cared what we did as long as it was together and we were not fighting with each other. It was an unfortunate activity for me because I am terrified of heights. I do not like them. I still hate them. I do not know what the views from the Hancock building or the Eiffel tower are, because at both of them, I hugged the inside section and refused to go to the edge of the lookouts. 

One day, my family went to a new climbing route on Mt. Lemon. And as we hiked to where we would climb I immediately knew this would be a bad day. Because the climb was completely exposed. If you looked right, you would see the forest, but if you looked left, you could see all of Tucson, you could pretty much see where the earth began to curve. I thought, there is no way I am climbing this, I’m scared here at the bottom of the wall. And so I sat there in pity and fear, as I knew chastisement was incoming, I watched my older brother lead climb, setting the ropes so it would be safe for the rest of us. He pulled on the ropes and bounced floating in the clouds to make sure all was safe for the rest of us. And then I watched my mom climb and the rope held when she fell, and then I watched my little brother climb and the rope held him as he belayed down. PAUSE. And it was then, I knew, I would be safe. That in the fear of the whipping wind, in the terror of the sheer drop off of the cliff, in the stomach-churning height, I would be ok, because someone had gone before me, someone had made it safe. Someone had modeled where to go, and how to proceed. 

Church, every place we are called to go, Jesus has already been. Every relationship we are called to enter into, Jesus has already entered. Every journey with a family member toward death or sickness, Jesus has already gone before and is there to lead us through. Every time we feel called to reach out to someone new and feel awkward doing it, Jesus has gone before. And, we must have faith that Jesus is not only the good shepherd to us, but also the good shepherd who leads the people we love as well. Every time, we say goodbye to a child returning to a college campus, Jesus has gone before. Every time we have to say goodbye to family members who have cancer, Jesus Christ has gone before and is leading them now. Jesus does not call us to go, where he has not already been. Jesus does not ask us to lead where he hasn’t already led, he doesn’t ask us to follow, where he’s already followed God’s will. Jesus goes before, every single time. Jesus guides us, every single time. Jesus is with us every single time.

But the reality is, there are these hired hands in our life that promise us they are watching out for us. There are these hired hands that are around, and tell us to follow them, but they will not lead us toward green pastures or still waters. Some of these hired hands are wealth and prestige which promise us total security, but when confronted with the death of a loved one, those two things mean absolutely nothing. They will not lead you to comfort. But Jesus Christ, the good shepherd, who has walked through death will. There are the hired hands of technology that promise us connectivity, and easement in our life, but when the waves of loneliness pass over you and the deep longing in your soul takes hold, technology cannot give you hope or true purpose. Jesus Christ, the good shepherd, who has gone through the pits of loneliness and discernment, can lead you to fuller meaning and deeper community. 

So, we as sheep, continue to discern the voice of the good shepherd vs the voice of the hired hands. How do we choose between the voices of the world, and the voice of the Divine is this loud cacophony that is our lives? One study estimated that we hear/read/ take in somewhere between 20 and 30 thousand words a day, that is 175,000 words a week. How, in the world, do we determine the shepherd’s voice in the midst of that noise? How do we discern and determine where the shepherd is leading us? How can we differentiate? 

I have three ways we can listen for the shepherd’s voice, three ways can learn to listen. We can look back, reflecting on where where Jesus Christ has lead us before. Looking back on our lives, and looking where God has shown up, where God has been present, when have we heard a call that we responded to previously and we see how Jesus Christ voice has sounded to us before. We can look at Scripture, where has Jesus gone before? Jesus has ventured into the houses of the other, of people different from himself, of people considered outsiders, so if you’re feeling led to do this, it is probably the good shepherd leading you.

When determining where the good shepherd is leading, it must be measured against the fundamental truth: is this helping me more deeply discover the truth that I’m God’s Beloved child, or, is this helping another know that they belong and are God’s Beloved children part of God’s family? If the answer is no to either of these questions, your direction is worth re-examining.

We can ask our community. When discerning where Jesus Christ is leading this church, I may start with prayer, listening, and Scripture reading, but then I always check myself with Dr. Bulger and the rest of the staff, I check in, asking committees and the session, and together we discern where the good shepherd is leading us, and once we are sure of that call, we can go forth in boldness, in trust, in hope, because Jesus has gone before.

Church, wherever we go, whenever we are following Jesus Christ, we may go forth in boldness, and care, because we are following the good shepherd, who knows us each by name, who will not abandon us, who will chase after us if we stumble from the fold, who will guide us to green pastures and still waters. We are following the good, good shepherd who is King, and Lord, who loves all of you deeply and calls you by name. Thanks be to God, amen.