A Homily Prepared For Sunday April 21, 2024

The Collect

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

The Gospel: John 10:11-18

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Commentary on Today’s Gospel Selection

The Good Shepherd Discourse, the Gospel reading assigned for today, is one of the most moving and memorable teachings given by Jesus in John’s gospel. Ironically, this warm, gentle, almost poetic discourse is bracketed by intense conflict with—and even attempts to murder Jesus by stoning him—those John often refers to as the Jews, i.e. the Pharisees and associated religious leaders.

In John 8, Jesus—after praying on the Mount of Olives that morning—had gone down to the temple to teach where he was first accosted by the Pharisees who sought to test him by bringing a woman, who had been caught in adultery (a crime in their culture punishable by death), and they demanded he pass judgment against her; but he turned the tables on them by saying, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

The confrontation continued with the religious leaders questioning Jesus, resulting in his discourses: “I Am the Light of the World,” (8:12-30 ) “The Truth Will Set You Free” (vs. 31-38), “You Are of Your Father the Devil” (vs. 39-47), and the last of these discourses, “Before Abraham Was, I Am” (vs. 48-59) so infuriated the Pharisees that they began to pick up stones to throw at him but he rendered himself so that they could not see him and walked away.

This running confrontation continues in chapter 9 where Jesus heals a blind man by spitting on the ground, making clay from the wet earth, then rubbing the clay in the man’s eyes and instructing him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. When the man went to the pool and washed his eyes, he found that he was no longer blind, and those who knew him were amazed and took him before the Pharisees to be questioned as this healing (labor) had been performed on the Sabbath, another crime in their religious traditions.

Matthew Henry the 17th century theologian wrote of this event; “Though he was in his flight from a threatening danger, and escaping for his life, yet he willingly halted and staid awhile to show mercy to this poor man. … When the Pharisees drove Christ from them, he went to this poor blind beggar. Some of the ancients make this a figure of the bringing of the gospel to the Gentiles, who sat in darkness, when the Jews had rejected it, and driven it from them.”

The man that Jesus had made to see, after being dismissed by the Pharisees, returned into the crowd where Jesus found him. The conversation resulted in Jesus revealing himself as the Son of God to this man who professed his believe in him and worshiped him. Jesus said to him, “For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. ”

Jesus does not force belief or unbelief on either the blind man or the authorities. He acts in a way that reveals God’s glory, and allows people to choose. The blind man responds by believing, and these religious leaders—Pharisees—respond by not believing. Jesus does not rob the Pharisees of their sight, but they are blinded by their refusal to see. In their pride, they assume that they see clearly, and reject anything incongruent with their beliefs. Jesus does not condemn them, but they are condemned already, because they have not believed in the Son of God.

When they had questioned him, the Pharisees accused the previously blind man as a sinner, their evidence being his affliction. Now Jesus portrays them as sinners, the evidence being their refusal to see Jesus, the light of the world.

All these confrontations set the scene, so to speak, where in chapter 10 Jesus delivers yet another discourse, one that is loving and comforting to his followers but was a stinging rebuke of the Pharisees he was speaking to at the time.

Jesus begins the I Am The Good Shepherd discourse with a statement to the Pharisees they had already determined to kill him for making, a statement in their opinion, that was blasphemous.

“I am the good shepherd:” “I am” (Greek: ego eimi) Ego eimi can be understood as coded language that refers back to Moses’ encounter with God many centuries earlier. On that occasion, when Moses asked God’s name, God replied,“You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you’”

(Exodus 3:14). In that verse,“I AM” is “ego eimi” in the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament). Also, in Isaiah 40-55, God uses this phrase,“I am,” over and over to refer to himself. In other words, ego eimi can be construed as God’s name. When Jesus applies ego eimi to himself, he is subtly identifying himself with God—as God.

Jesus identifies himself as God then by stating that he is the good shepherd, he implies that they are bad shepherds, and hired hands or servants so to speak, an obvious insult to them. He drives his point home by stating that a good shepherd will give his up his life for his sheep (v. 11) which of course is his mission on earth—that of giving his life so that we may have eternal life. This self sacrifice contrasts with that of the hired hands—a metaphor for the Pharisees and chief priests—who run from danger leaving the sheep—the people of God—to suffer (vs. 12-13).

In verse 14 he makes another “ego eimi’ statement in which he says that as God he knows his “sheep” or those humans who believe in him. And in 15 he again equates or connects himself to God implying that God knows that he will sacrifice himself so that his people might be saved. This intimate relationship between God and Jesus is so similar to that of Jesus and the Christian community, that one could say that through Jesus God is intimately related to the community also.

In verses 14-15a, Jesus gives us the sense of an all-encompassing intimacy that begins in his relationship with the Father and extends to those whom the Father has given to him (17:6) and to all “who believe in me through their word” (17:20). What Jesus is describing, then, is a grand extended family that begins with the loving Father and, through the love of the Son, embraces all believers.

In verse 16 we have another statement which is especially comforting to those of us not of the Hebrew ethnicity, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”

Scholars believe that “this fold” refers to the Jewish people while “other sheep I have, which are not of this fold” refers to the Gentiles and the rest of humanity. ,“I have,” implies that these sheep already belong to him, but he has yet to bring them to the fold. He “must ” (Greek: dei—it is necessary for him to do so). Which means that God has ordained for all mankind to be offered the opportunity for salvation, not just the chosen ones, the Jews. Keep in mind that while Jesus is speaking to the crowd, he is addressing the religious leadership of the Jews in particular.

Jesus then states that—unlike them—he is willing to lay down his life for his people, all mankind, and because of that willingness God the Father loves him, is so proud of him, that he will restore Jesus to life after Jesus’ self sacrifice. Unlike the synoptics, in John’s Gospel, Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension together constitute a single salvation action. Jesus is not a reluctant martyr but a willing savior carrying out the purpose for which he came.

This willingness, on the part of Jesus to commit a sacrificial action, is driven home when Jesus states to them that no man is taking his life, but he is giving it freely. Jesus taking his last breath on the cross is not brought about by mankind, but rather at his Father’s grand design.

But the architect of the plan was the Father, and the Son is complying with the Father’s will. The purpose of the plan was to save the world from its sin, and Jesus is a willing participant in that plan. Just as “the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (v. 11), Jesus lays down his life “that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (3:16). The plan required the incarnation—the Word becoming flesh and living among us (1:14). It required Jesus to wear the garb of human flesh for three decades as he dwelled among us “full of grace and truth” (1:14).

Again, while we as followers of Jesus, read this discourse and find a loving statement in that Jesus loves us so much, he is so willing to protect us, he will voluntarily give his life so that we might have eternal life; but on the other hand, he delivers these leaders of the Jewish community a strong rebuke, accusing them of running from their responsibility of guarding the people of God from the “wolf” the powers and principalities of this world, a rebuke that applies to all ministers—Priests Popes and Preachers alike—who fail to lead their “flocks” toward the light of God’s Holy Word—all of the Holy Word of God—not just the feel good parts.

We need more “Good Shepherds” who are willing to self sacrifice—not to give up their life as Jesus did—but to speak the truth even if it means to be shunned by the secular community. Gods Holy Word is more truthful that any of these modern day relativistic truths created by mankind’s need to justify desires that are contrary to God’s Word(s).

Benediction:

Out of the Son’s fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself is God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. O Lord our God, grant us understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.