John 10:1-10
Listen and Watch Sermon
Pastor Tom Johnson, May 3, 2020
King David is the author of Psalm 23. It’s packed with imagery from his personal experience as a shepherd. When Samuel came to his father Jesse’s home to find the next king of Israel, David was out tending sheep in the fields (1 Sam 16). When Goliath of Gath boasted about his height, strength, and all the Israelites he was about to kill, David drew confidence from his skills as a shepherd. He said,
“…whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Sam 17).
David then slays Goliath with one small stone. David’s confidence is not merely in his own skills as a sling and stone marksman. He draws a connection between his vocation as a shepherd of sheep to his higher vocation as a sheep under the care of the Lord, the Good Shepherd. His trust is in the Lord. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” David sees the connection between his passion and skill to protect the sheep and God’s even greater passion and greater ability to take care of us, God’s people: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
David led his sheep from green pasture to quiet waters. He satisfied their hunger and thirst to make them lie down contentedly. But it was not all bucolic serenity. It was not all a bed of spring greens and flowing streams. Between the pasture and flowing streams, there were dark valleys. There were thorns, cliffs, and predators lurking in the shadows. Lions, bears, wolves, and thieves who would kill and poach. David speaks of the shadow of death. These are the dark corners of our journey where the threat hides under the cover of darkness. Think of the reflected light from the retinas of the predators—those pairs of twinkling, hungry eyes staring us down wanting to have us and our sheep for breakfast. Or the sound of the hireling and thief sharpening his knife for the kill.
I’ve never led a flock of sheep through the wilderness, but I do have several experiences hiking territory ruled by bears and mountain lions. Once I was hiking with a friend and we saw huge mountain lion prints join the dusty path we were walking on. It was a windy day. So the prints were fresh. It was unnerving. The only defense we had were clawless fists and kicks and cries for help with our fangless mouths. We constantly heard rustling in the brush and trees. Not once but twice deer jumped out of the shadows presumably from the predator whose tracks we saw. We finished the hike and were walking down and away from the mountain. My friend calmly said, “Tom, turn around. I did. And there on a cliff high above us was a huge mountain lion pacing back and forth looking at us as if to say, “I wouldn’t come back or trespass my hunting ground again if I were you.”
As collective humanity we have always struggled against many invisible foes—whether a virus or the powers and principalities of this present darkness, our own sin, or palpable evil. We cannot always see what is in the shadows of this world or in the hardened hearts and calloused minds of others—or even ourselves! As the prophet Jeremiah says, “The heart is desperately wicked. Who can understand it?” We cannot lean on our own understanding or rely on own strength. Our only hope is to rely on the Good Shepherd: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” David sees himself as a vulnerable sheep whose only option is to shelter himself under the skillful rod, sling and stone of the Shepherd Lord and the guiding staff of the Word of God. David puts himself into the place of the sheep God cares for.
Jesus turns Psalm 23 beautifully upside down. He sees himself as the one who will care for his sheep: “I am the gate for the sheep.” “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” Jesus himself is the hedge of protection that surrounds us. He is the one through whom we find a shelter and rest during troubling, dangerous, and exhausting times. He knows full well what hides in the shadows. He alone knows how to overcome adversity and evil. And he has already wielded his rod and his staff. Our safety and security are found under the care of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He laid down his life for the sheep. He was scourged by the rod and crucified to the wooden beams of the Cross. It appeared that injustice and evil prevail. But at early morning light on the third day, he rises from the dead. He proves that he has victory over the Goliath of sin, stopped the roaring and prowling of Satan, and dealt a death blow to death itself. Though for a little while the threat lurks in the shadows, we walk by faith not sight. One day, the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls will bring final defeat and an end to all our enemies. His grace assures us: “I have come into the world that you may have life, and have it abundantly.” His presence assures us. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”
In the meantime, I will not let fear but the Lord get the best of me. Even though for a short while we walk beneath the shadows, we will refuse to let fear paralyze us. Not the terror in the night but trust in the Lord will rule over our hearts and minds. Fear will not rob us of his peace and joy. For the Good Shepherd is risen indeed.
We are the sheep; he is our shepherd. He says, “You got this. Because I got this.”
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