Sunday's Message - The Problem with Shepherds and Sheep

Here's the message I offered during the celebration services in the First United Presbyterian Church of Brilliant, Ohio and First United Presbyterian Church of Mingo Junction, Ohio on Sunday, April 25, 2021.

John 10:11-18 [Contemporary English Version]

I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep. Hired workers are not like the shepherd. They don’t own the sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. Hired workers run away because they don’t care about the sheep.

I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them together too, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd.

The Father loves me, because I give up my life, so that I may receive it back again. No one takes my life from me. I give it up willingly! I have the power to give it up and the power to receive it back again, just as my Father commanded me to do.

The Problem with Shepherds and Sheep

When I was right out of seminary, my very first call was at the Community Presbyterian Church in Fairview, Montana. Now, Fairview was a little, bittie town in the Yellowstone River valley about ten miles from where the Yellowstone joins the Missouri. And it was also about two miles from the state of North Dakota. And that’s where I spent my first five years as an ordained minister. And although out there, it was certainly different as soon as you got away from the river, down in the irrigated valley, most people earned their living doing one of two things. They either raised sugar beets or they raised sheep. And so during my time out there, I spent a fair amount of time with a lot of the “woolgrowers” and their animals. Of course, it didn’t hurt that among the four ministers who lived in Fairview at the time, I was the only one who really liked lamb; therefore, I was always invited to give the prayer at the annual Woolgrowers Dinner. I mean, where else could you get lamb cooked four different ways. Brothers and sisters, that’s what I consider heaven. Now that was my life in the late 1980s.

And I’ve got to tell you, a lot of that stuff sort of came flooding back when I first looked at both the Psalm and the New Testament passage for this week. In fact, I kind of felt excited about preaching this sermon to y’all this morning, and I’ll tell you why. Given my background, I think I’m probably uniquely qualified to talk about the relationship between sheepherders and their flocks, even though my personal connection to sheep involves something you might find on a plate rather than wandering in a field. And so this relationship, well, that’s going to be our focus this morning. But I’ll tell you, since I know a little bit about the herders and the herdees, we’re going to talk about one really important issue that we’re going to run into when we apply this analogy, this image to ourselves. You see, as it relates to us, we’re going to discuss the problem with shepherds and sheep and how that problem might shape how we respond to Jesus Christ. 

But let me be really clear about this; my problem with taking this analogy of shepherds and sheep and applying it to ourselves, in my opinion, it has absolutely nothing to do with the shepherd part. In other words, I believe we’re absolutely spot on when we see God and Jesus as a shepherd, in fact, as our shepherd, the good shepherd. You see, that’s exactly what they are, because that’s exactly what they do; they shepherd us. And isn’t that the point of both the Psalm we read together this morning and our passage from the Gospel of John? Sure it is. I mean, in my opinion, “the Lord is my shepherd.” [Psalm 23:1a, NRSV] And I believe it’s both right and appropriate to see our Lord Jesus Christ as “the good shepherd.” As a matter of fact, when we look at both what the psalmist wrote and what Jesus said, I think God and his incarnate presence shows himself to be our good shepherd in three very clear and distinct ways.

You see, as our shepherd, first, I believe that God leads us. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s exactly what the psalmist was getting at the beginning of his psalm. Remember, he wrote, “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. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.” [Psalm 23:1-3, NRSV] Now, that’s what he wrote. And I’ll tell you, it’s really not all that different from these words from the Prophet Isaiah: The Lord will always guide you and provide good things to eat when you are in the desert. He will make you healthy. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water or like a stream that never runs dry. [Isaiah 58:11, CEV] In fact, it’s a lot like what Jesus promised his disciples right before his crucifixion:  But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you. [John 14:26, CEV] You see, this idea that God is the one who leads us has deep roots in the Bible.

And so does his rationale, you know, why he does it. You see, he knows the way, the way to green pastures and still waters, and the way to good things to eat in the desert and to a stream of water that never runs dry, and the way to the words and lessons offered by Jesus. It’s like the psalmist wrote in another psalm: You said to me, “I will point out the road that you should follow.I will be your teacher and watch over you.” [Psalm 32:8, CEV] And just remember, this from the Gospel of John, “Thomas said, ‘Lord, we don’t even know where you are going! How can we know the way?’ ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life!’ Jesus answered. ‘Without me, no one can go to the Father. If you had known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him.’” [John 14:5-7, CEV] You see, according to scripture, the Lord leads his flock. And that’s the first way he’s like our shepherd.

And second, God also protects his sheep; he protects us. And I’ll tell y’all, that’s something else shepherds do. And I think that’s the first point Jesus made in the passage we read just a few minutes ago. “I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep. Hired workers are not like the shepherd. They don’t own the sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. Hired workers run away because they don’t care about the sheep." [John 10:11-13, CEV] 

In other words, there’s a real difference between the hired hand and the shepherd. While they both may be able and willing to guide the flock to still waters and green pastures, the minute a wolf shows up to do what I did at the annual Woolgrowers Dinner in Fairview, Montana, the day laborer begins to reevaluate his career choice and will probably come to the conclusion that fighting off a hungry wolf with a stick far exceeds his pay scale. You see, that’s just what happens. It happened then, and it happens now. Let’s face it, those who have no stake in the operation will just leave when things become tough. 

But of course, that doesn’t happen with the shepherd, because the sheep actually belongs to him. It’s his flock; therefore, he’s willing to defend it even at the cost of his own life. And I’ll tell you, that’s exactly what Jesus, the Good Shepherd, said about himself. But you know, even more than, just knowing that we have this kind of shepherd, well, I think we have every reason to identify with what King David felt as he considered how God had protected him. He said, “You are the rock where I am safe. You are my shield, my powerful one and my place of shelter. You rescue me and keep me from being hurt. I praise you, our Lord! I prayed to you, and you rescued me from my enemies." [2 Samuel 22:3-4,CEV]  You see, according to scripture, not only does the Lord lead, he also protects his flock. And that's the second way he’s like our shepherd. 

And third, God also calls us. He calls us to himself and he calls us to come together as a flock. And I think that’s what Jesus was getting at when he said this: I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them together too, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd. [John 10:14-16, CEV] 

You see, because Jesus knows his sheep, in other words, because he knows those who belong to him, he calls them to come, to gather together and do what they’ve been created to do. It’s like something else Jesus will say a little later in this gospel. According to the Evangelist John, Jesus said, “You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name.” [John 15:16, CEV] Now that’s exactly what Jesus did and does. And I’m telling you, this calling extends far beyond those we think belong in the flock. I mean, remember, Jesus said, “I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them together too, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd.” [John 10:16, CEV] And according to the Prophet Isaiah, "I, the Lord, was ready to answer even those who were not asking and to be found by those who were not searching. To a nation that refused to worship me, I said, 'Here I am!'” [Isaiah 65:1, CEV] And so, since he leads and he protects and he calls, the Lord really is like a shepherd, you know, our shepherd. 

And for that reason, I don’t think the problem with shepherds and sheep have anything to with the shepherd. No, for me, the problem is with the sheep, and in particular, with us as sheep. You see, if we were sheep, when the shepherd leads us, we’d follow. And when the shepherd protects us, we’d accept it. And of course, when the shepherd calls us, we’d respond, right? I mean, we’re sheep, for crying out loud. And let’s get real, in the Animal Kingdom, unlike house cats, sheep aren’t exactly known for independent thinking or bold action. You see, contrary to way some of us may act from time to time, God didn’t create us to be sheep. 

And right there is the problem with this analogy. You see, regardless of how much we say that the Lord is our shepherd or the number of times we claim that Jesus is our Good Shepherd, God’s given us a brain. And he’s given us free will. Therefore, he’s given us a countless number of choices to make and the freedom to make them. You see, even though God leads us, we still have to choose whether or not we’re going to follow in the direction he leads. I mean, we have to decide if we’re going to trust him and to believe that, even if the way is hard, he knows best and that being where he wants us to be will be a whole lot better than not, or if we’re going to trust someone or something else and to turn from God so that we can chase people who tell us what we want to hear and who dish out ideas that taste really good but that have the nutritional value of cotton candy. Are we going to follow our shepherd’s leading? That’s our choice. And even though God is always ready to protect us, we have to choose whether or not we’re going to accept the protection he offers. I mean, we have to decide if we going to find comfort and security in his presence and in his word or if we going to wander off on our own into a harsh and often unforgiving world, in other words as sheep in the midst of wolves. Are we going to accept shepherd’s protection? That’s also our choice. 

And finally, even thought God will always call us, we have to choose whether or not we’re going to respond. Now let me be clear, since Jesus said we didn’t choose him, rather he chose us and that no one can take away what belongs to him, I don’t think we need to worry about our eternal future. You see, that’s really not the issue. For me, it’s all about how we get there. In fact, it’s like that parable Jesus told in the Gospel of Matthew: Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on solid rock. Anyone who hears my teachings and doesn’t obey them is like a foolish person who built a house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house. Finally, it fell with a crash. [Matthew 7:24-27, CEV] Simply put, are we going to respond to the shepherd’s call? And that’s definitely our choice. You see, since we’re not sheep, these choices are really up to us. And depending on what we choose, well, that may be a problem. 

You know, I think it’s kind of funny. I haven’t thought about the Yellowstone River and all those woolgrowers for a long time. I mean, even though I’m still in a valley, the two economies couldn’t be more different. And you know, on this Sunday morning, I think it’s really important for us to be aware of another fundamental difference, one that comes out of these passages. Of course, I don’t think it has anything to do with how God is like a shepherd, because like a shepherd he leads and protects and calls his flock. And that’s exactly what God does for us. No, I think the discrepancy arises when we compare ourselves to sheep, because unlike those rams and ewes, we have to decide if we’re going to follow the leading and to accept the protection and to respond to the call. You see, these choices belong to us. Of course, if we do, I don’t think there’ll be any problem between the shepherd and the sheep.