“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” John: 10:11
In the very early Church, Easter was not thought of as simply one day on which the resurrection of Jesus is to be observed but rather, the early Church saw Easter as a season of fifty days which began with the glorious resurrection and culminates with the manifesting of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost which is found in the Book of Acts:2
The Jubilee Year
This was in part because the early Christians
wanted to emphasis that our lives were to be lived out in light of the
resurrection of the humanity of Jesus and that the number fifty was drawn from
and chosen from the Old Covenant Jubilee Year which restored all things back to
the way that the Lord God had always intended for the people of Israel. Lev:
25:11-13
This Jubilee Years occurred every fifty
years, so the number fifty was chosen to demonstrate that living in light of
the incarnation and glorified Jesus was what the Lord God has always intended
for his human children. This means that, when we come to hear the Gospel about
message about Jesus and believe it and come to see that Jesus is the Son of God
and embrace that truth, we enter into what the Jubilee Year only hinted at,
which is, life lived in and with the incarnate risen Christ. This is the way it
was always intended to be.
Fifty was also the number of days between the
resurrection on Easter and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost
which ushered in the time when believers would be guided and led by the Holy
Spirit, which is the way God has always intended us to live.
The thought of Jesus as the Good Shepherd was
a common and reoccurring theme in the Primitive Apostolic Church. Christ, as
the Good Shepherd drew on the cultural idea found in Israel that of one who
would, like a shepherd, oversee each and all of their lives and give them the
blessings which God had long promised.
This Good Shepherd of Israel found
within Psalm:23 was easily seen as embodied in the person of
Jesus by the primitive Church, through Jesus’ life death and resurrection.
The early Disciples of the Church witnessed firsthand
Jesus’ out flowing love and care for those around him in the same way as would
a shepherd would who have been given charge over a flock of sheep.
They saw Jesus moving among the people as
would a shepherd would have caring for their needs and giving each and all the
care and even comfort which was needed.
The Good Shepherd
Jesus himself tells us that he, and he alone,
is the fulfillment of not only the Good Shepherd of Israel, but that he himself
is the way through which anyone would be admitted into his flock and come under
his gracious care.
“Very truly I tell you, I am the
gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters
through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture.” Jhn: 10:7b-10
Our Lord then tells us that no other person
can fulfill this Shepherd’s role in our live but himself, nothing or anyone
else can bring to us what only Jesus can, anything else will, in the end do
harm to our lives.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and
destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” (10)
Lay Down His Life
Jesus contrast himself with any other who
would present themselves to us as potential shepherd(s) over our
lives. Jesus tells us that he has demonstrated his commitment to any who
would but freely accept him as the Shepherd of their lives and thereby gain
access to his flock.
Jesus’ commitment is demonstrated to us
through his willingness to lay his life down his life for the flock, even unto death,
all so that they might live.
“I am the good shepherd. The good
shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (11)
Jesus tells us that any who look to another as
their shepherd, one who would be a “hired hand” of their lives will find
themselves abandoned by the “hired hand” when the wolves of life surround them
and prey upon them.
“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. The man
runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep”. (12-13)
Jesus speaking of the evidence of his
Shepard’s commitment to and for his flock tells us that this willingness to lay
down his life was not in any way forced upon him out of some judicial need or
power which could force him to die or have claim over his life, but rather it was out of a choice born of his
perfect love for God and all humanity.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep
and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the
Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep” (14-15)
This willingness and choice to lay down his
life in death would be on display as our Lord went to cross to die; all that we
might see God’s salvation and gracious love for us and his commitment to be our
Shepherd who is willing to lay down his very own life.
“He was delivered over to death for our sins
and was raised to life for our justification.” Rm: 4:25
Jesus as our Good Shepherd has demonstrated to
us all his willingness to confront the wolves who would prey upon his flock,
laying down his own life for us, interposing himself between us and any wolves
who would stock us, even the greatest of all wolves; sin and death itself which
no “hired hand” could defeat.
Jesus defeated the twin wolves of sin and
death, by defeating both of them, taking on our own sin and died himself. As
St. Paul wrote.
“But God demonstrates his own love for
us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Rm: 5:8
Jesus died for us, and even in the violent
nature of that death of the cross he died perfectly for us as we could never do
our selves. Have you ever considered that Jesus died perfectly?
To Take It Up
But, this perfect of death, the laying down
his own life, is and was not the end, as Jesus’ death was within his own
authority and approval which was given him by the Father, so did Jesus have the
authority to take up his life, and our lives, again and dispelling the very
wolf of death itself.
Jesus was in death no longer than he willed to
be there. Death could not hold him. He came forth in the glorious resurrection.
Jesus addresses his own power over death and
his resurrection.
“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay
down my life—only to take it up again. 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.” Jhn: 10:17-8
Jesus has come forth from the grave to be a
living Good Shepherd who is there to watch over his very own flock. Jesus is
not just Good Shepherd who once lived and died, but rather one who lives and is
there even now to watch over and guilds our lives and keep us safe from the
wolves which will assault us, attempting to drag us away from his care.
One Flock
Jesus, as the Good Shepherd is not just the
Good Shepherd of Israel, but for all peoples who will but receive him when they
hear the message of salvation found within the Gospel presentation, they will
hear his voice and recognize it and come into his flock and be under his care.
“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.” (16)
The Season of Easter speaks to us about our
Lord Jesus, who has shown to us his commitment for us all, his flock, by facing
the wolves of sin and death laying down his very own life, and now having taken
his life up again through his glorious resurrection. Jesus is there, ever
present, to be the Good Shepherd over each and all who will but enter into his flock,
being one flock under his loving care.
This is the way our God has always intended it
to be.
Benediction: May we each and all give glory to our
Good Shepherd Jesus who is ever present to care for and guild us as his flock,
today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen
Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor
Topinabee Community Church
Topinabee Michigan
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