John 10: 22-30 | April 25, 2010
22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
There can be something warm and special in hearing someone call you my wife or my husband, my boyfriend or girlfriend or my good friend. It’s because those relationships are meant to be special. You have a special place in that person’s life. These words remind us of the place, the special relationship we have with Jesus.
It was the Feast of Dedication. We know it as Chanukah. In the home or in the temple, a candle would be lit for each of 8 days. In this way the children were taught to how the Lord’s temple was rededicated after it was terribly desecrated by pagan conquerors.
Here Jesus was walking in a temple area that was something like a covered patio held up by massive columns This area wrapped around the temple courtyard. It served as a meeting place and a teaching place for the Jews.
The Jews gathered around him. But these were not fans of Jesus. They did not surround him here to cheer him on. They came to confront him.
How strange that in the midst of this confrontation, our good Shepherd speaks some awesome words of comfort. How strange to find such comfort when the next thing his enemies would do was pick up rocks to stone him to death. And whether we are young or old, rich or poor, living or dying it makes no difference. There is something very special in what Jesus has for us here. I see it in just these two words. My Sheep.
“My Sheep,” he calls you…
I. The Lord, your Shepherd
II. Who look to him in faith
Who is this man they confronted? Who is this man who calls you and me, my sheep. It matters doesn’t it who he is? Even though they were not really looking for the truth, it is important. . If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Who is this man who calls you and me, my sheep?
Remember the Christmas angel? What did he tell some other shepherds about the baby Jesus? What did he say about this one we call our good Shepherd? He is Christ, the Lord. Jesus is the Christ, a King sent by God to save his people. That descendant of Abraham who would be a blessing to people all over the world. Tell us plainly if you are the Christ they demanded.
“I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, Just before this Jesus had healed a man they knew was blind from birth. And he was only one example of many. You know, My mom used to say: actions speak louder than words. Well Jesus miracles speak plainly. Jesus is the promised Christ.
But he is more than someone special. He is more than a man who shared this planet with us. He is Christ ,the Lord. He is true God with the Father. I and the Father are One he told them. And again we don’t have to just go with his words. his actions speak loud and clear. After he laid down his life for you and me, he took it up again. He is the Lord, your Shepherd. So it is something very special to hear Jesus call us, my sheep. For what does Jesus tells us here. He knows you.
You sit in the exam room and wait for the doctor to come in. You want him to know what’s going on. But he comes in, asks a couple of questions, writes a prescription and he’s gone. Does he know? Does he understand?
How different the One who calls you my sheep. He does know. As the son of Mary, he walked in our shoes. He laughed and cried tears . He felt the pain of suffering and betrayal. He knows. Our Shepherd knows his sheep because he lived as one of us.
But the Lord is my shepherd. So he knows us better than we know ourselves. Remember King David’s words in Psalm 139: 1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. think about it. My sheep, he calls you. He knows your hopes and fears. He knows how prone we are to wander. And even though it may not make sense to us at the time, he knows what is best. My sheep, he calls you. The Lord, your Shepherd.
And what a claim he makes. What a promise! I give them eternal life. And notice something. He doesn’t say, I show them eternal life. I show them how to earn it or deserve it. For we can’t. There is no one righteous, not even one, the Bible says We all like sheep have gone astray, turned to our own ways.
But this Shepherd came between us and what we deserved. He took it. He suffered it in our place. And he rose to show us that our sins are paid for and forgiven. My sheep, he calls us now . And this I can know. This I can know even when death is staring me in the face. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever
Do you believe that? That Jesus is the Christ, the Lord, your Shepherd. Those who confronted Jesus did not. Many we share this world with, do not. They think we are fools – fools for Christ. But we are something more in Jesus’ eyes. My sheep, he calls you…who look to him in faith.
If we took a survey of our country, we would find a lot of people who identify themselves as Christians. But suppose we followed up with another question. What does that mean for you? I imagine we would find some for whom Christian is nothing more than a label, an occasional trip to church on Christmas or Easter.
My sheep listen to my voice, Jesus says here. The Jewish shepherd didn’t have to drive his sheep. He called them because they knew the voice of their shepherd. And when they heard it, he had their attention.
That’s why we come. Jesus has our attention. The Holy Spirit has brought us to trust in Him. He has brought us to recognize our Shepherd’s voice in his Word and His Supper. My sheep, he calls you, who look to him in faith, a faith that listens to his Word.
And they follow me, Jesus reminds us. There’s the trust in his promises. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou art with me. There’s the willingness to obey his commands. He leads me in the paths of righteousness. His sheep follow Him in faith and obedience.
Of course, we are still sheep. We do stumble. We foolishly wander into trouble. Maybe we straggle behind and put too much distance between us and our shepherd. But when we hear his voice, we know. We need to head in his direction. We need to close that distance, We need to follow his lead to those quiet waters where we can drink up his peace and forgiveness. If that is you, know this, my sheep, he calls you, who look to him in faith.
And ours is a faith that can rest assured. Think about your faith. In a way, it is like a hand that holds onto Jesus. Nothing in my hand I bring simply to they cross I cling. Well when I was younger these hands were a lot stronger than they are now. And sometimes our hand of faith is not all that strong. Maybe we worry that something will happen and we’ll lose our grip on Jesus.
But notice where Jesus points you. They shall never perish. No one can snatch them our of my hand.. No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hands. I and the Father are one. In other words, don’t dwell on the grip you have on me. Look at the hold I have on you. Look at the hold my Father has on you. Whose hands are those? Hands that created this universe. Hands that stretched out on a cross for you and me. My sheep, he calls you. you who look to him in faith, a faith that can rest assured. You can rest assured that nothing in all creation will be able to separate you from his love. Amen.