Talkin’ ’bout sheep. And Jesus. And how the two are related.
John 10:22-30; Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 23; Acts 9:36-43
Our lessons for today tell us something fairly interesting about Jesus: He’s the shepherd, but he also knows what it’s like to be a sheep. John 10 has all kind of references to Jesus being the “good shepherd”. Things like, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” Yet at the same time, in revelation Jesus is almost always referred to as “the Lamb”. The great multitude sings, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
Now, I’m willing to guess there’s only a handful of people here who have spent any length of time with sheep. I definitely haven’t – about all I know about sheep I learned from Wikipedia this week. Sheep are herd animals, and have a tendency to follow a leader around and huddle close to each other. Sheep also like to eat, and have no problem “begging” for it. Sheep have a tendency to run from danger, though if cornered they’ll get a little feisty. Sheep also remember faces, both of humans and other sheep, and have some measure of problem solving ability. Sometimes they can even be taught names or have some measure of training.
So when I look at this information, it’s not altogether surprising that Jesus calls himself a shepherd. I mean, yes, I’m a people. But I rather like being around other people. In general, people like to have a dominant leader around. I really like to eat and I have no problem begging for food. I tend to run from conflict, but have no problem dealing with it if there’s a pressing issue. And I’m pretty good remembering faces even though I’m not so great with names. So I guess I’m a little like a sheep.
Now when Jesus calls himself the shepherd, it should bring up images of Psalm 23. In it we read that God is our shepherd. He takes care of our needs, gives us rest, guides us in the right paths. When it’s dark and we’re afraid, he protects us. (Curiously enough sheep don’t really like the dark, either.)
God also prepares a banquet for us even when we’re in the midst of enemies, and we will dwell in God’s house forever. That image is echoed all through the book of Revelation, where even though there is chaos and opposition to God and His people, God still takes care of those who call on his name. In our reading for today there are a whole slew of people, more than anyone could count, praising God and the Lamb for feeding them, giving them water, sheltering them, and giving them rest.
That’s what Jesus is saying today in the gospel: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” Because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, those who follow him have eternal life. Jesus, as the shepherd, looks out for us. Earlier in chapter ten he says, “I am the good shepherd, and I lay down my life for the sheep.” That’s what he did for us, and what we especially celebrate in this Easter season.
But Jesus isn’t just the good shepherd, giving his life to protect his flock, but he also is sacrificial Lamb of God, offered up as payment for our sins. Earlier in Revelation, innumerable angels sing “Worthy is the lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” It’s not a very different song from the ones from our reading.
Now back to what I said at the beginning of this sermon; Jesus is the shepherd, but he’s also a sheep. More than as the ultimate sacrifice for sin, Jesus is also fully God and fully man. Jesus knows what it is to be a human being. Jesus also knows what it is to be God. How amazing is it that we pray to a God who knows what we go through every day? He’s not like a shepherd, who, no matter how much s/he knows about a sheep, can never be a sheep. Jesus spent 30-odd years as a human. He grew up, lived, died, and lived again. He was tempted in every way, but still didn’t sin. And yet on the cross, by taking on our sin, he even experienced what it’s like to be separated from God by sin.
Jesus knows us. And he still loves us. (That in itself is amazing.) And he wants us to know him, to recognize his voice and to follow where he leads, that we might never perish and have eternal life.