Easter 4 (3)

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 who owns 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."

The origin of the phrase, not commonly used in conversational vocabulary, comes from southern derby races.[citation needed] The owners of the horse have “skin” in “the game”. As the owner, they have the most riding on the outcome of the derby event. The phrase is historically used in southern states rumored to have originated with the Gruber family.

It has commonly been attributed to Warren Buffett, referring to his own investment in his initial fund.[2] However, William Safire disputes that Buffett is the source of the phrase, pointing to earlier instances.[3]

How important are you to other people? Well, this can be a difficult question to answer because it relies on a lot of subjectivity. How do we even determine whether or not we are important to someone else?

Every once in a while I see a meme on Facebook posted by someone telling others not to bother coming to their funeral. It goes something like this. “You didn’t have the time to call me, visit me, or interact with me when I was alive and now that when I am dead you want to make a big show of how much you miss me?” “Visit me when I am alive and not when I am lying in a coffin at a visitation for my funeral.”

So one criteria for a level of importance is how often someone contacts you and is willing to spend time with you.

Another criteria for how important we are to someone is what they are willing to do with us and for us.

Will they participate in events that they really don’t care about just because we will be there?

(Many is the teenage boy who will be involved in certain events just because “she” will be there.)

Do they plan events with us that we both enjoy?

Will they volunteer to help us?

Will they agree to help us when asked?

Will they listen to our deep concerns?

Will they open up and share their deepest concerns with us?

Do they remember our name and details about our lives? (When I was involved with Bible camp we generally had 60 elementary school campers. I would interact with them for six days and many I had not seen before and those I did know from past years I would not see again for another year. I did enjoy being with them but I must admit I am not all that good with remembering names. So I always apologized up front: “I only remember the names of trouble makers, so if I don’t remember who you are at the end of the week, consider it a good thing.” This was not exactly true. It seemed there were always several that stood out to me more than others and in a way were more important to me.)

That being said, as we go through life we do become important to others.

Close family.

Coworkers.

Class mates.

Neighbors.

Members at church.

Clubs, organizations, sports teams we are involved with.

One way of measuring the number of people we are important to is counting our Facebook friends. We most likely have had some contact with them (unless we are being stalked) so entry level importance. A deeper analysis would indicate how many people follow us. But this is much higher than our actual friends. And that number can be quite low, but that is OK. According to one study, we don’t need a lot of close friends.

Researchers found that in order to feel like we are getting enough in terms of friendship, having three to five close friends is the way to go. Participants with four to five friends reported the highest levels of life satisfaction, with people with three close friends not far behind.Sep 3, 2020.

But to what degree will they sacrifice of themselves because they we are important to them?

Perhaps one of the most astounding examples is whether they are willing to risk their life for us. I am always amazed how someone would donate a kidney for someone else. They take the risk of the operation and the risk of their own future health in order to improve the life of another.

Even more extreme is an example St. Paul gives of actually dying for someone else.

Romans 5:6–8 NIV84

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Why would he do that? Especially for sinners. Generally, we don’t have a lot of respect for evil people. We have this sense of justice that bad things should happen to bad people and that they should be punished for their atrocities. We watch a movie in which an evil person dies a horrible death at the hands of his victims at the end of the movie and we cheer. A police officer is convicted of multiple crimes and mobs take to the street to celebrate.

After the verdict was announced, cities across the country that had braced for protests erupted in emotion. Outside the Hennepin County Government Center, the unbearable tension of the trial was replaced with a mix of release, shock, ecstasy, optimism, joy, caution, and schadenfreude. (enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others)

If God were like us, we could picture him laughing hysterically as his condemned creatures roasted in hell for all eternity because they had sinned against him.

This may sound extreme. But what is really extreme is what God did instead for sinners. Paul tells us that Christ died for us. Jesus himself told his disciples just weeks before this happened that this is precisely what he was going to do. He uses the well known description of himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.

Why did Jesus do it?

He was commanded to do this by his Father.

He is invested in his sheep. Just as a shepherd is invested in his sheep, Jesus is invested even more so in his fellow man. We are that important to him. . . despite what we are like by nature and what any one else thinks of us.

Perhaps this is illustrated the greatest in the person of St. Paul. 1 Timothy 1:12–16 (NIV84)

12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

We can find this to be very comforting.

We may not think we have many true friends.

We may not think that we are important to God because of our sins.

The devil may use depressing circumstances to lead us to doubt God’s love.

Emphasis on God’s love.

1 John 4:7–12 NIV84

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

How do people show their love? They take an invested interest in them. Jesus used the illustration of what a shepherd would do for his sheep. People who love us care for us, interact with us, give us gifts, show affection, and warn us when we are in danger.

How did God show his love? He warns us and has sent Jesus to be our Savior.

How does God still show his love for us? Now he works out all things for our good. He protects us. He strengthens us with his word. He will deliver us safely to his heavenly kingdom.

This was the reassurance that Jesus gave to his disciples. He continued with the plan to bring in others who did yet follow him. This continues to be the mission of the church.