I Am the Good Shepherd // John 10:11-18
Due to technical difficulties, no recording of this sermon is available. Below is the passage and a brief summary of the sermon.
John 10:11-18 (NRSVue)
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own 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 do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
In John 10:11-18, Jesus declares "I am the good shepherd," the fourth of his seven "I am" statements. This is a shepherd who knows his sheep, lays down his life for them, and calls them together into community.
The Hired Hand
Jesus contrasts the good shepherd with the hired hand. You can hear the priorities of the hired hand in what Jesus calls him—he's hired. This worker is in it for the money. He's not loyal to the sheep, he's loyal to his paycheck. So when danger comes, he flees and allows the sheep to be scattered. Jesus says pointedly, "a hired hand does not care for the sheep."
This echoes the prophet Ezekiel who rebuked Israel's corrupt leaders: "Woe, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?" These false shepherds pursued power and used their positions for personal gain instead of extending care and compassion. The sheep were scattered.
But Ezekiel doesn't stop there. God promises through him: "I myself will search for my sheep... I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep." This promise finds its fulfillment when Jesus arrives and says, "I am the good shepherd." And "good" is a necessary adjective here. Because the people had known so many corrupt leaders, they might be skeptical. But Jesus promises he is not like those corrupt shepherds. He is the good shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep.
"I know my sheep"
This is a shepherd who cares deeply for his sheep. In verse 14, Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me..." That biblical word "know" runs far deeper than mere cognitive information—it is relational familiarity. A shepherd knows every trait, habit, and characteristic of his sheep. He understands all their peculiarities.
We live in a world that is largely anonymous. We're one in a sea of literally billions. A deep question in our hearts is, "Does anyone see me? Could anyone really know me?" And the answer is yes—the good shepherd. Jesus knows you. He knows your weird ticks and odd habits. He knows the depths of your heart. And he doesn't use this knowledge to put you to shame or take advantage of you. Instead, his knowledge of you led him to lay down his life for you—because he loves you. Do you believe that he knows you and loves you?
"My sheep know me"
But notice that this knowing doesn't just go one way. "I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father." This is truly stunning. The same kind of familiarity that Jesus had with his Father is available to us with him. Jesus lived his life aware of his Father's presence, hearing his Father's voice, following his Father's will. We too can live our lives aware of our Good Shepherd's presence, listening for his voice, and following his guidance. We often think of prayer as talking to God, but what if prayer is just as much about listening to God? What if you asked God a question and then stopped talking to just wait and listen? What might God say? Like a sheep learning to respond to their shepherd, we can learn to hear the voice of our Good Shepherd.
"There will be one flock"
Though this is deeply personal, it is not individual. This picture is not merely of a shepherd and a lone sheep. It is a picture of community—a flock of sheep gathered around their shepherd, each one personally known but all of them called together. Jesus says, "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." Jesus calls us out of our individualism into community, out of our tribalism into cooperation, and out of our prejudices into peace. He calls us to know and love one another. Who might you reach out to to get to know?
"The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep"
Jesus returns three times to a repeated refrain: "The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." Jesus' death is not an accident, it is absolutely intentional. He's not like the militaristic messiahs that the people were looking for, who would inflict violence on others for the sake of the people. Instead, Jesus insists on taking violence upon himself in order to save his people. He is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life.
And this forces us to consider, if this is the kind of shepherd that we follow then what kind of sheep are we called to be? We are called to be sheep who likewise lay down our lives and look for ways to serve one another and love one another.
"I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again"
This kind of sacrificial shepherding doesn't really make sense. Unless... unless what Jesus says is really true: "I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again." If death is not an end, but leads to resurrection... well then that changes everything! And that is exactly what we believe about Jesus! That's the journey that we're on in this season of Lent. We're journeying toward the cross, and awaiting resurrection.
So, what is your good shepherd saying to you today? Who is he calling you to know? How is he calling you to love? He knows you, he loves you, he laid his life down for you. He's made himself known to you and invites you to listen to his voice. He calls you into community and shows you how to lay your life down for others as well.