Sermon Tone Analysis

More often than not, when we discuss this text about the good shepherd, the focus seems to be on the sheep and what we can glean by being called sheep.

If we don’t focus on the sheep then tend to look at the idea of the shepherd and at first glance we typically see the shepherd, especially the hired hand variety, as untrustworthy and just as dirty as the sheep.

I’ve always wondered why Jesus refers to himself as the good shepherd and therefore us as his sheep if the two main ideas that come to mind are dumb animals and an unscrupulous character.

Really quickly I thought I would mention, in case you were unaware, that the reason why shepherds were considered less than idea people in society is that they were often seen as little more than petty thieves.

They might steal from the person who owned the sheep so that they could supplement their income and have more food to eat each day.

So when a shepherd brought their sheep to the town there is a chance that they may be up to no good.

So I’ll say it again, why does Jesus use this idea of being the good shepherd?

To be honest it really bothered me and the notes and commentaries in the Bible weren’t the greatest help.

They tended to focus on quotes from Ezekiel and looked at how Moses and David were both in the shepherding business, but that still didn’t , in my mind, adequately explain the reason why Jesus chose shepherd as the metaphor for who he is, so I did more digging.

After I did that digging, I soon discovered that the idea of a shepherd king appears throughout the middle east.

In the Greek classics we find out that Agamemnon and Nestor were both described as people who shepherded their people.

There are also other writings in that describe other kings and on occasion gods with the symbology of shepherd.

There might be some reasoning behind this.

Throughout ancient texts including the Bible we see that there are countless references to shepherds and their flocks and the reason for this is because everyone wore wool.

Cattle may have been for food, but sheep were kept in massive quantities for their wool so that people could live during the cold months and always have something to wear.

Because wool was an indispensable commodity sheep a d their shepherds were a vital and important part of society.

There is also a chance that the first kings that came into the role of king were wealthy shepherds who had those massive flocks.

So a shepherd king not only was a metaphor, but could have also been literally true.

The idea behind a shepherd king, or a king that shepherded his people probably brought about the imagery of someone who took care of and looked after a multitude of people to ensure their health and wellness because it was vital to not only their income but also to the health and welfare of all those who benefitted from the sheeps wool.

So when we look at Jesus calling himself the good shepherd, he is not referencing the hired shepherd who might steal and cheat people and run away from the flock when the wolf comes, but Jesus is harkening back to the ancient idea of what it meant to be a shepherd king and how much care and attention they set aside to look after the multitude of sheep in their flock.

I am the good shepherd and the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.

Because he is the good shepherd we have heard his words.

We have heard the stories of love, we have heard how much he healed and cared for people who were sick and oppressed.

How he brought sight to the blind, the deaf, and the lame.

The stories of the Bible are how we hear his voice and how we know it is Jesus when he calls to us.

What is even more amazing is that Jesus says that there are other flocks in the world and that he will bring all those flocks together so that there will only be one flock and he will be their shepherd.

Jesus continues to bring all people together.

It wasn’t just for the time when he was here, but through us he continues to bring about his kingdom on this earth where we are all one people united together in the mission of God.

If we are to help out in bringing about his kingdom then we too are part of this great lineage of shepherds.

There may only be one ‘good shepherd’, but we are also called to go out and shepherd God’s people.

Let’s take a look at ourselves for a few minutes and how this text and being church fit together.

For me, the term pastor comes from the word shepherd, so when you call a pastor to lead your congregation we use the very term pastor to remind us about Jesus calling himself the good shepherd.

You have called me and others before me to shepherd this people, to help lead and work amongst you, the congregation.

Let’s take a look at ourselves for a few minutes and how this text and being church fit together.

For me, the term

The word congregation also comes from this whole shepherd and sheep metaphor as well.

A congregation was a gathering or herding together of the flock.

Every time that we gather together we are congregating and living together as God’s people.

The whole reason we flock together is so that we can come to hear the voice of the good shepherd.

We come together each week so that we can once again say yes that we know his voice and that we are so very blessed that he knows us each by name.

Being a part of this congregation isn’t just about coming and hearing as an individual but it is about coming together and being lifted up by God and by one another so that we are all together strengthened by the good shepherd’s voice to face all the trials and challenges of this life.

Or in the words of the text today, so that we may avoid the wolves that may come and take us away from the other sheep and the shepherd.

Being a part of a congregation is the mutual uplifting of one another so that we can be there for each other.

It is at this point that we see that our good shepherd is willing to lay down his lift to fend off all the wolves that may come and try to kill us and take us away from him.

I know that this passage references his death and resurrection, but just to hear the words that Jesus loves me, loves you, loves those who aren’t even a part of his flock so much that he lays down his life for his sheep.

What is even more beautiful about that for me is that it doesn’t say that he is willing to do it, but that he does.

Jesus lays down his life for each and every one of us, and as I just mentioned, not just those of us who are in his flock, his congregation, but he lays down his life for all flocks in all the world.

Jesus is our shepherd king.

He is king over our lives and over our hearts.

He is the one who watches over his one flock that spans the whole world and he calls you by name because he knows who you are.

Jesus is always there for you, he is here now with us and will be with each of us no matter where we go in this life.

Go out into this world knowing that you are loved and cared for by the good shepherd.

Amen.