Three P's of Good Shepherd Sunday

God’s grace, peace and mercy to you. My theme for today’s sermon is The Three P’s of Good Shepherd Sunday. My focus is on the Gospel of John, chapter 10.

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Last week, I opened my sermon by saying that people remember a sermon if you simplify it by hanging it on three points all beginning with the same letter. Today, those three points are Painting, Parable and Pastoring.

First, Painting. Growing up, my parents displayed a painting in our house by the famous American painter, Warner Sallman. The painting was entitled “The Lord is My Shepherd.”

Warner Sallman was born in Chicago in 1892. At an early age he showed a talent for drawing and painting. He was fascinated by all kinds of religious art, such as stained-glass windows and paintings of Biblical scenes. These greatly influenced the boy artistically and spiritually.

As a young man, he apprenticed in local studios while attending the Chicago Art Institute at night. Eventually, he opened his own studio. In 1916, he married Ruth Anderson, whom he met while both were singing in the church choir.

Not long after their wedding, Sallman contracted tuberculosis and was given three months to live. His wife suggested they pray about it and let the Lord have His way in the matter. This they did, and a remarkable though gradual restoration to health began. After his recovery, Sallman enrolled in a Bible college to learn more about the subjects he desired to paint.

He is best known for his “Head of Christ”, which was designed in 1940, and has sold over 500 million copies. The paintings are displayed publicly and used for private devotions. In 1946, he painted “The Lord is My Shepherd”.

This favorite painting has been placed in innumerable bedrooms and classrooms. It visualizes the pastoral image of Psalm 23, but without the dark side of the verses. There is no hint of the valley of the shadow of death, but only a tranquil vision of still waters and green pastures. The small, plump sheep inhabit a peaceful, utopian garden landscape. Jesus, portrayed in a soft flowing white robe, is as gentle as his flock. Located at the heart of the quiet flock, the Good Shepherd radiates calm as he dotes upon the lamb held to his bosom, a symbol of his concern for children. Even the sole little black sheep – symbolic of the wayward sheep restored again to the fold – follows his lead.

Sallman elevated the viewer above the scene to introduce the colorful landscape. Yet in adjusting the perspective of the landscape and sheep, he did not reduce the height of Christ who towers above the flock gathering about his knees, making the sheep doll-like and enhancing their dependence on their Savior. Their size gives them a charm that corresponds to the cherubic cuteness of children in his other paintings.

While Sallman’s imagery is often dismissed for its sentimentality, he was able to create paintings that convey very effectively the sentiment that mattered to his appreciative public.

Good Shepherd Sunday often brings country scenes to mind. We picture a well-groomed shepherd, crook in hand, seated peacefully in lush, green pastures, surrounded by docile sheep. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

Yes, but we leave the beauty of Sallman’s painting and enter into the parable of today’s Gospel. There are only two passages in John’s Gospel that are considered parables. In chapter 15, we read of the Vine and the Branches, and in chapter 10, the Good Shepherd.

The Good Shepherd parable begins with verse one of chapter ten, but we should always read Scripture within the larger context. If we step back to see the bigger picture, our parable falls between the narratives of Jesus restoring sight to the man born blind and raising Lazarus from the dead. The structure of these passages is important because in chapter 9, John wrote of Jesus giving sight to the man born blind and blindness of the Pharisees. Chapter 10 opens with five verses of Jesus speaking of the door and the sheepfold before He retells the parable because the Pharisees failed to understand it. In fact, Jesus’ original words are directed against the Pharisees whom he accused of being blind (9:40-41). His parable kept outsiders in the dark and disciples in the know.

This is not the only passage where Jesus criticizes Pharisees for their lack of pastoral leadership. In Mark 6, where Jesus feeds the 5000, we read how he took his disciples to a deserted place so they could rest, but “when he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”[1]

In Luke 15, the Parable of the Lost Sheep is prefaced by the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes: “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”[2] In Matthew, Jesus warned his followers, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”[3] Later, he reminded them, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”[4] All these passages are criticisms of the Pharisees’ failure to shepherd the flock.

Now, some scholars think that there are two separate parables in verses 1-5. In the first three verses, we find that anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the door or gate is a thief and robber while the one who does is the true shepherd. From there, the focus is on the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd. The sheep respond only to the voice of their own shepherd.

Now, for one who has just read about the blind Pharisees being condemned, it is clear that one should not respond to their voices. In other words, a mature Christian will know in his heart that when a false teaching sounds eccentric or implausible, it is. That is why we keep returning to Scripture as the authentic sounding board for our minds, hearts and consciences.

The parable continues in verse 7, with Jesus stating that he is the gate or the door. As the portal, he is the only way to the sheep, the flock, His followers. The choice to use door or gate to describe Jesus is a messianic symbol taken from the Psalms. We read in Psalm 118:20, “This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.” If you prefer a more contemporary wording, you can read it, “Here is the gate of the Lord! Everyone who does right may enter this gate.”

Nevertheless, for John, Jesus is the only source of salvation. Those who came before him, a reference to the Jewish teachers and the tradition to which they appealed, are rejected as thieves. The contrast with thieves who will not bring salvation recalls the 34^th chapter of the Prophet Ezekiel. There because the shepherds did not watch over, protect and seek out the sheep, God promised to rescue His people. At the end of the chapter God declares, “You are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God.”[5]

Recasting the words of Ezekiel into his own, Jesus concludes today’s passage by declaring, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”[6]

Abundant life is reminiscent of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, where we read that Jesus descended from heaven to bring eternal life – participation in God’s life – by being lifted up on the cross.[7]

And in chapter 14, Jesus promises Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”[8] Through abundant life in Him, Christ provides (1) escape from the perils of sin, (2) freedom and (3) the spiritual abundance of bread, water and the light of life. … What else does a person need?! In short, Christ is Gospel. He is Good News!

More good news! I have come to my third and final point, pastoring. To illustrate how each of us can pastor like the Good Shepherd, let me offer a reminder of how to recall a pastor’s duties the next time you go through a security checkpoint staffed by the TSA because, pastors Teach, Sanctify and Administer.

Pastors teach the Faith in Sunday School, inquiry and confirmation classes, from the pulpit or over the internet. Pastors form Christians through correct teaching and correct misinformed Christians and catechists when false teaching appears under the guise of Christian orthodoxy.

Pastors sanctify – or make holy – when they lead worship and when Christians gather for any type of prayer. Lastly, pastors administer the daily business of the church. However successful, every pastor knows that through the Holy Spirit, Christ continues to oversee and shepherd His Church.

Yet, the ultimate responsibility of shepherding the Church falls not to the pastor or the elders, but to the parents. Parents bear responsibility for teaching their children God's Word so that the Faith may remain alive and grow. Godparents, pastors, elders and catechists assist parents in their duty to shepherd their children. Together, we ensure that everyone enters the sheepfold by the door and not in some other way. That said, I close with a story of how my mother taught me how to pastor by showing me how to grow tomatoes.

Every spring our family planted more than 100 tomato plants, which sufficiently fed our family of five. When the weather broke, we tilled the garden for tomatoes and many other vegetables.

We dug holes, planted, fertilized and watered our plants. Through the summer, we weeded and watered; checked for bugs and blight and discarded rotten tomatoes.

We harvested tomatoes for salad, sauce and juice. We buried the discarded skin and seeds which produced a later crop. Since we were 4-H members, we entered our prize tomatoes in exhibits at local fairs.

Growing tomatoes taught me three practical necessities about pastoral ministry: nourish, reserve and share. Parents, pastors, elders and all members need to nourish, reserve and share their faith.

First, nourish. By exercising our faith – by attending worship, reading God’s Word, taking Communion, seeking forgiveness and attending religious education classes – we nourish ourselves.

Second, reserve. 33 years of ministry taught me there are times when we cannot nourish ourselves adequately. There will be times when troubles and temptations attack us. … We need a reserve. There will be times when caring for sick children or frail parents exhaust us. There will be times when completing projects, cramming for exams or meeting deadlines consume us. There will be times when we do not have the luxury to bathe ourselves in God’s Word or enjoy the feast of His banquet. We can only birdbath and eat on the run. During difficult times, we need that reserved Mason jar of tomatoes in the pantry. That is why my mother taught us how to can tomatoes. That is why she taught us to memorize Scripture passages and prayers because she knew we would someday need a reserve – of spiritual food that God provides to nourish our bodies and our souls.

Third, share. When God blessed us with plentiful tomatoes, we shared them with others. We shared tomatoes with friends, neighbors, pastors and the less fortunate. Mom taught me to practice charity by sharing God’s abundant blessing with others. How do we share God’s abundant blessings with others? Or, how does this apply to you?

Well, the next time you are in church, take a moment to look around and notice who is missing. Who is not there that you normally saw? Make a list of names of people you did not see in church, and when you go home, call those individuals.

You may be thinking that I am kidding. I am not. … Do not protest by thinking, “That’s not my job. That’s my elder’s duty.” … True, it is not your job. True, it is your elder’s duty. … Being the Good Shepherd is not a duty or a job, it is a privilege, your privilege, my privilege. … Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ risen from the dead for the forgiveness of sins is not a job to be completed, but a privilege shared by all.

In this liturgy, God nourishes us so abundantly that we have enough reserved in our spiritual pantry not only for those times when life tests us and Satan tempts us, but also enough to share with others.

Lest thieves and robbers enter the sheepfold and steal souls for Satan, we – pastors, elders, parents and members – must nourish, reserve and share our faith. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God the Father and Christ His Son charge you to watch over, protect and correct one another as good shepherds.

By teaching me how to grow tomatoes, mom taught me how to be a good shepherd. She taught me to nourish, reserve and share. I am sure your mother taught you the same. Next Sunday, as you honor your mother, do it by sharing the Gospel with others. Share with others how God has blessed you today and ask them the same. And when you listen to their blessed answer, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7). Amen.

---

[1] Mark 6:34.

[2] Luke 15:2.

[3] Matthew 7:15.

[4] Matthew 10:16.

[5] Ezekiel 34:31.

[6] John 10:10.

[7] cf. John 3.

[8] John 14:6.