Lay It Down - John 10:11-18 - Fourth Sunday of Easter

 

John 10:11-18 NIV

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Lay It Down

So, what’s this Gospel passage have to do with this Easter Season of the Church?

John 5:13 NIV

¹³ The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

Huh? I still don’t get it! Perhaps, I’m the man who was healed? Perhaps, Jesus came to heal me?

This particular healing began at a pool near the Sheep Gate. The Sheep Gate in Jerusalem was the only gate that was consecrated. That’s just a big word, for, to be made holy. Why was it made holy? Well, this is the gate used to bring in the sacrifices offered to God at the Temple. The Sheep Gate was also the way Jesus would enter Jerusalem in his day. And, the Sheep Gate also led the way to Golgotha, the place of Jesus crucifixion and death. Hmmm….

So, I guess, in some ways this Sheep Gate could have some meaning in my, your, our, salvation.

Back to John 5:13… A number of disabled people would gather at a pool by the Sheep Gate. Jesus looks upon one of the men and asks him if he wants to get well. It was thought, at the time, that healing would come to the people who could get in this pool, called Bethesda. But this particular man’s response to Jesus wasn’t that he wanted Jesus to make him get well. Rather, this man told Jesus that he needed help reaching the water, and by the time he got close to the water, others would already reach the water in front of him (my paraphrase.)

Jesus response to this man? Pick up your mat and walk. And then, Jesus slipped back into the crowd and the man didn’t know who had healed him. Well, this was the Sabbath day and the religious leaders of the day accused Jesus of doing healing work on a day of rest. They were really just trying to trap Jesus. So, the religious leaders asked the man, who it was that healed him. The healed man didn’t know. But later the man met Jesus and found out it was Jesus that healed him.

So, like some tattle-tale rat, the healed man goes back to the religious leaders to tell them that it was Jesus who healed him. Then follows…

John 5:16-18 NIV

¹⁶ So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. ¹⁷ In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” ¹⁸ For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

OK, so what? Perhaps, I’m the reason Jesus was killed. The “rat” that I am! I need healing from all of my sinfulness. And as I see here, Jesus is willing to lay down His life for me and all the “rats” of this sinful world. Jesus willingly sacrifices Himself for ALL. Jesus death on the cross was an act of love on behalf of all the “rats” of this world, me and you included.

Let’s look at Jesus life. Jesus held back nothing of His life. He gave His life up, all of it, for you and me. Jesus chose to give His life up for ALL creation. Jesus saw the danger of our death, due to our own sin, our most grievous sins, and Jesus lay His life down in our place.

We were too blind, stubborn, and selfish to see the danger we faced in the consequences of our own sin. Jesus knows us better than we think. He sees our needs. Jesus sees all our needs and he satisfies all of our needs for us. Thank God!

So, let’s take a look at this Shepherd, sheep thinking, through some Old Testament Passages…

Here’s a favorite

 Psalm 23 NIV

A psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Isaiah 40:11 NIV

¹¹ He tends his flock like a shepherd:
    He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
    he gently leads those that have young.

Ezekiel 34:11-15 NIV

¹¹ “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. ¹² As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. ¹³ I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. ¹⁴ I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.

Jeremiah 23:1-4 NIV

23 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. ² Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord. ³ “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. ⁴ I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.

So, this image of God as the Shepherd and His people as sheep, is nothing new.  In this Gospel lesson, Jesus takes the time to point out, that He is the Shepherd and will always take care of His sheep.

There are many folds of sheep, but just One Shepherd… Jesus. And just One flock, Jesus Church.

One Flock

One Shepherd

Many folds --- many gifts --- many talents --- many different sheep

With…

One Lord --- One Faith --- One Baptism.

Jesus’ life was not taken from him by men. No! Jesus gave his life FOR men. Jesus gave his life of his own will, through the will of God, AND, Jesus takes back that life He gave on his own to give to Us.

There it is! There is that connection back to this Easter Season. We live after the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus gave His life for us. Completely. And after His death, Jesus rose to new life for us. Jesus… the first in resurrection will come again to resurrect all those who believe.

This IS god’s will for us as well. Seek God’s will in your own life. For we are all now free to give our own life. We are free from the power of sin and death to freely give our life to God and neighbor. Not because we are slaves to sin. No! We are rather servants of love and grace and life. Free, to walk with the resurrected Shepherd.  Free to lie down in green pastures beside still waters. Free to walk the paths that our Shepherd leads us, both the nice ways and the scary paths. Free to sit at table with friends and enemies.

Why? Because we have a Shepherd that loves us and lays down His life for us.

Why? Because Jesus is the Gate that protects us and fills us with the only real need that we really need.

That is… eternal life with Him in His Kingdom.

When? Starting today, lasting through tomorrow and into forever.

So, with a Shepherd like this… you ARE free to give your life to God and all those God gives to you to serve in thanksgiving now and forever.

Which brings me to conclude with my Confirmation Verse…

Psalm 27:1 NIV

¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?

God bless you this Easter Season.

I leave you with this YouTube Song/Video that I enjoyed this week as I studied and prepared for this Gospel Lesson reflection.

Psalm 23