Bible Passage: John 10:22-30
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: May 8, 2022

Bulletin May 8, 2022

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

Who or what has made the biggest impression on you in your life?  Who or what has had the biggest influence on who you are and what you are like?  I suspect for many of us the quick answer is that mom or dad made the biggest impression.

The baby was fine; not even crying!  The mother, almost miraculously, had only minor injuries.  It seems that when she began to fall, she had the presence of mind to kind of turn so she landed on her back and took the trauma while she held her baby to her chest.  Moms are like that, aren’t they?  They know instinctively to hold their babies tight and keep them safe.

That’s amazing holding power!  But may I tell you of a holding power even better and more powerful than a mother’s?  It’s the holding power of Jesus.  It’s the holding power the Good Shepherd has on his sheep.  And it is that “holding power” that Jesus speaks about today.  It is holding power that makes us realize that we are always Safe in the Shepherd’s Hand.

There is much “sheep/shepherd” talk in John 10.  The “sheep/shepherd” talk before us is occasioned when Jesus is in Jerusalem for Hanukkah, also known as the Feast of Dedication of the Temple.  While Jesus is walking at the Temple, some of the Jews corner and confront him.  They demand, “How long are you going to string us along? [As if Jesus had been unclear with them!]  If you are the Anointed One – the Messiah we are waiting for – tell us clearly!”  Their demand exposed them.  It showed that they didn’t really know who Jesus was; they didn’t really have a close bond with him.

And Jesus would say as much.  I did tell you, but you do not believe.  The works I am doing in my Father’s name testify about me. (v. 25)  Jesus says his words and his works clearly answer the question about who he is!  He is the Christ, the Son of the living God!  Then Jesus diagnoses why they don’t get it:  But you do not believe, because you are now my sheep. (v. 26) They don’t listen to him.  They don’t follow him.  Quite frankly, they don’t care for him.

They stand in sharp contrast to the sheep.  Jesus says, My sheep hear my voice.  I know them, and they follow me. (v. 27)  Notice the close bond of Jesus and his sheep!  The sheep hear Jesus’ “voice.”  They won’t respond to just any voice!  It has to be his voice!  Other voices sound strange and scary to us.  You have likely heard this before, but it’s worth repeating.  I have watched a video on YouTube that shows how sheep only respond to the shepherd’s voice.  In the video a shepherd instructed a tourist exactly how he calls the sheep.  The tourist then called the sheep saying EXACTLY what the shepherd did.  The sheep stood in the distance and did nothing.  Then the shepherd called, saying exactly the same thing.  Immediately, the sheep lifted their heads and began to trot to the shepherd.  Two men said exactly the same thing, but the sheep only knew the shepherd’s voice.  That’s the way Jesus’ sheep are.

Jesus says he “knows” his sheep.  He uses the word that means to know personally by experience, and not just to know facts about something.  Think about it this way.  Suppose I asked you to watch my flock of sheep while I went on vacation.  Now, you would show up and you would “know” that they are sheep.  But you wouldn’t know that the sheep right over there is a ewe and she is soon to give birth.  You wouldn’t know about that old ram over there, that you have to keep tabs on that guy because he has a tendency to wander away by himself.  You wouldn’t know when to move them to different pastureland.  You wouldn’t know that when a sheep rolls over on its back, it cannot get back on its feet and will die.  You wouldn’t really “know” the sheep because you have no experience with sheep.

Jesus knows his sheep.  We teach our children to sing it.  “I am Jesus’ little lamb, Ever glad at heart I am, For my Shepherd gently guides me, Knows my needs and well provides me.”  Jesus knows everything about you!  He knows your needs and your own special needs.  He knows your weaknesses and vulnerabilities.  He knows what keeps you up at night.  He knows you need to eat and drink and rest and sleep.  He knows you need shelter in a storm.  No one, not even your mother, knows you like your Shepherd!

Jesus says his sheep follow him.  Why do we follow?  It all comes down to that word Jesus used in our text.  He said of those who cornered him, You do not believe. (v. 25)  We follow because we believe!  We trust our Shepherd!  Finally, sheep will follow only when they trust.  We trust Jesus.  What he did for us shows that we can trust this shepherd.  Jesus spoke about it in this same chapter of the Bible when he said:  I lay down my life for the sheep…I lay down my life so that I may take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.  I have the authority to lay it down and I have the authority to take it up again. (John 10:15, 17-18)  Jesus died for you!  Wandering, wayward, wild, weak as we are, Jesus gave his life for you, for your sins.  And then, he took it up again!  And he did it so that not only could be your Shepherd when you are a brand new little lamb, or a ewe or ram in the prime of life, or a stubborn old one.  He did it most of all so when we come to the Valley of the Shadow of Death, dying sheep will hear the voice of our Good Shepherd in the gathering darkness and we will follow him and say, I will fear no evil, for you are with me! (Psalm 23:4)  And he will lead us through, and give us eternal life.

We are safe with this Shepherd!  He says, No one will snatch them out of my hand. (v. 28) Just let the comfort of those words sink into your soul!  The word “snatch” is a word that is used in the Bible to describe what a wolf does to a sheep when it attacks a flock.  Jesus says there is no wolf in all the world that can get you out of your Shepherd’s hand.  None!  Not the big, bad bully at school.  Not the big, bad boss at work.  Not the big, bad biopsy results from the lab.  Not the big, bad bear market on Wall Street.  Not the big, bad body bag at the end of life.  With his death and rising, Jesus, the Shepherd, has rescued you from it all!  He is holding you tight!  You are eternally safe in the Shepherd’s hand.

Amen.

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