“Our Good Shepherd” Colchester Federated Church, April 21, 2024, Fourth Sunday of Easter (John 10:11-18)

“I am the good shepherd.”[1]  When we hear Jesus’ statement in the Gospel according to John, we can recall that this is one of Jesus’ most famous of the seven metaphorical “I am” sayings in that Gospel.  In John, Jesus declares: “I am the bread of life, the light of the world, the gate of the sheep, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth, and the life, and the true vine.”  (The seven “I am” sayings in John are going to be on the quiz later, so you had better be paying attention)!  Anyway, these statements Jesus shares about himself in John’s Gospel are metaphors meant to be representative or symbolic.  The “I am” sayings were intended to help Jesus’ followers understand him better, and have captured our imaginations ever since.

We know that “I am the good shepherd” was used by Jesus metaphorically because New Testament scholars and historians are fairly certain that Jesus was not a professional shepherd.  There’s scholarly debate about how we understand what Jesus was up to before he began his ministry when he was around 30 years old.  The debate revolves around the Greek word tekton and how we translate that ancient word for our modern world.  Tekton could mean an artisan or craftsman, specifically a carpenter, woodworker, or builder.  Jesus might have been an unskilled day laborer or a stone builder.  Jesus might have been a carpenter or artisan, or more precisely—a boat builder.  There is debate about Jesus as a tekton (and I have preached about this before)!  The point being that a shepherd is not a profession that Jesus has been historically linked to.  Thus, when Jesus says “I am the good shepherd” he means it metaphorically.

Jesus proclaims, “I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”[2]  Jesus contrasts this level of devotion with a hired hand who would see a wolf coming, and that hired hand would leave the sheep to fend for themselves and run away.  Jesus explains to his followers that the hired worker would do so because he isn’t the shepherd and the sheep aren’t really his at all.  Why would he risk his life when these sheep don’t belong to him?  The wolf will attack the sheep and scatter them because nobody was there to protect those sheep, at least not when true danger came along.

What’s interesting is that this is not the first time that shepherds are linked to Jesus.  If we consider the Christmas story—the story of Jesus’ birth—we can recall that there were shepherds living in their fields keeping watch over their flock by night.  Luke tells us in his Gospel account that these shepherds were living in the fields and guarding their sheep.  Homiletics Professor O. Wesley Allen Jr. reminds us that those “shepherds are not necessarily the landowners who own the flock and the fields—those persons are asleep in the comfort of their homes.  The shepherds in the text are more likely the night-shift slaves or low-paid wage earners who protect the flock at night.”[3]  In the Christmas story, it’s important to remember that the angels don’t appear to the high and mighty any more than Jesus is born in luxurious comfort.  The message of the birth of the Messiah is announced to modest folks who are doing their best to protect the sheep entrusted to their care, whether they owned those sheep or not.

It’s fascinating when we consider that Jesus is comparing himself to a good shepherd—the kind of shepherd who protects the sheep from the wolves.  Why?  Because the sheep belong to him.  There is a sense of possession here, a sense of responsibility and care.  “I am the good shepherd.  I know my own sheep and they know me.”[4]  The good shepherd knows his sheep and the sheep know him.  This is a relational metaphor.  Jesus wasn’t a professional shepherd.  Though shepherds were present on the night of his birth.  Lowly shepherds living in the fields and guarding a flock of sheep at night were the people who first heard the Good News of Jesus’ birth from the angels—this person that his followers will one day understand to be our good shepherd.  There are some beautiful connections here in our sacred story.

How many works of art have we observed of Jesus as the good shepherd?  There are so many, both ancient and modern!  We can easily imagine Jesus walking through a meadow with sheep grazing all around him and perhaps with a lamb across his shoulders.  Maybe Jesus is holding a shepherd’s crook or not.  We can picture the sun shining in that meadow and we may find great peace and comfort in such a pastoral scene.  There’s a reason why the 23rd Psalm is so popular—that Psalm that declares, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.”[5]

Though these days folks sometimes call people “sheep” as an insult.  So much for the comfort of “The Lord is my shepherd.”  Have you ever heard the phrase, “You’re just a bunch of sheep!” said in a negative way?  Why do folks use that phrase?  Well, sheep are not known for being all that smart.  Sheep are also known for having a herd mentality and that phrase is often used to call into question anyone who may be mindlessly following along (in someone’s perception anyway). 

If we stay with this thought, thinking of Jesus as our good shepherd may not be that appealing in our modern American culture.  Because in this Biblical image, we are the sheep as followers of Jesus the Christ.  Make no mistake here.  We are not the good shepherd—Jesus is the good shepherd.  We are the sheep who sometimes wander off and get lost, who sometimes encounter wolves who are not very nice.

Years ago, I did a deep dive about sheep characteristics and behavior to contemplate Jesus as our good shepherd.  Long story short, there are redeeming qualities about sheep that call into question our preconceived notions.  For instance, there was an article in The Guardian that researchers in the United Kingdom discovered that sheep do have a good sense of individuality.  Sheep can recognize the faces of at least 10 people and 50 other sheep for at least 2 years!  And sheep react to facial expressions—just like humans, sheep prefer a smile to a frown.  Sheep even mourn, knowing when part of the flock goes missing.  You know that parable about the 1 lost sheep and the 99 who are chillin’ in the pasture in the Gospel according to Luke?  The shepherd leaves the 99 and goes searching for the lost 1 until he finds that lost sheep.  It ends up that the 99 would have realized that one of their friends was lost and possibly in trouble.  The rest of the herd would have been in mourning.  Honestly these findings from scientists challenge the stereotype of unintelligent farmyard animals that have no sense of self when it comes to sheep.[6] 

Additionally, sheep have good instincts.  Sheep are grazers and instinctively run from what scares them.  Their only means of survival is to band together to protect the flock.  Because there’s safety in numbers.  Herding dogs are good at their jobs because sheep see the dogs as predators.  The sheep come together for protection and move away from the perceived danger.  This is why it’s amazing when Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.  I know my own sheep and they know me.”[7]  Sheep instinctively know and trust their shepherd to protect them from the wolves. 

It ends up that there are many redeeming qualities about sheep which are helpful to know as we encounter our good shepherd today.  Because again, we are the sheep in this metaphor and Jesus is our good shepherd.  We can remember that Jesus used all sorts of metaphors to speak about himself—the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd.  Perhaps Jesus did so knowing that not every metaphor is going to resonate for every person.  Maybe it’s comforting to think of yourself as part of Jesus’ flock of sheep or not.  But hopefully there is comfort in realizing that our good shepherd truly sees us and knows us because we belong together.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

[1] John 10:11, CEB.
[2] John 10:11, CEB.
[3] O Wesley Allen Jr., Commentary on Luke 2:8-20, Working Preacher, December 25, 2016, https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2996
[4] John 10:14, CEB.
[5] Psalm 23:1-3, NRSV.
[6] Mark Townsend, “Sheep might be dumb. . . but they’re not stupid,” The Guardian, 6 March, 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/mar/06/science.animalwelfare
[7] John 10:14, CEB.

Photo by Ronnie Khan on Unsplash