Sunday
05/07/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s
Sermon Title: “I Am the gate for the sheep”
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 23
New Testament
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:19-25
Gospel Lesson:
John 10:1-10
Welcome
again my friends, my sisters and brothers in Christ, on this our Fourth Sunday
after Easter. This season of resurrection, of new life, and of hope. This season
that reaffirms our faith and trust in the risen Christ. We will remain in this
Season of Easter, until Pentecost Sunday, on Sunday June 4th.
On
the past two Sundays, we have been given gospels readings that provide us with two
examples of Jesus Christ’s “post-mortem,” or “post-resurrection appearances”.
First, we had one of the “Doubting Thomas” narratives, where the risen Christ
appeared to Thomas, and then assured him that we was indeed the risen Lord.
Last
week, Jesus appeared to, walked with, and talked with Cleopas and another
disciple on the road to Emmaus. In this narrative, Jesus walked and talked with
Cleopas and other disciple, and then revealed himself to them at the end of the
narrative.
While
we have had two examples in the last two weeks of Jesus’ “post-mortem,” or “post-resurrection”
appearances, this morning we have Jesus teaching us in the gospel of John.
Specifically, this morning we get into the category of what are commonly called
Jesus’ “I Am” statements. Jesus’ “I Am” statements are found in the gospel of
John, and in these statements, Jesus Christ makes strong claims about who he
is.
Since
Jesus Christ was born, since he walked this earth, since he taught, since he loved,
since he healed, and since he forgave, there have always been some who have
continued to debate over who he was and is. Yet, the “I Am” statements that
Jesus Christ made are quite compelling.
So
what are the “I Am” statements anyway? Well first off, they are only found, as
I said, in the gospel of John, and depending on your list, there are seven or
more of these statements.
So
what are Jesus’s “I Am” statements in the gospel of John? Here are a list of
eight that I have:
1. John 6:35: “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever
comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be
thirsty” (Jn. 6:35, NRSV).
2.
John 8:12: “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
(Jn. 8:12, NRSV)
3. John
8:58: Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am”
(Jn. 8:58, NRSV).
4. John
10:9, from this morning: “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture” (Jn. 10:9, NRSV).
5. John
10:11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the
sheep” (Jn. 10:11, NRSV).
6. John
11:25: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who
believe in me, even though they die, will live,” (Jn. 10:11, NRSV).
7. John
14:6, for next Sunday: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6, NRSV).
8. John
15:1: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower” (Jn. 15:1, NRSV).
In hearing this list of “I Am” statements from Jesus Christ
in the gospel John, it is very clear that Jesus is making strong claims about
who he is. Jesus is saying that he is truly the Messiah, the chosen one, God in
the flesh, the savior of the world, and our Lord and redeemer.
It isn’t my intention this morning though to “unpack” all
of these “I Am” statements from Jesus Christ. From my list of eight statements this morning,
I am going to touch on number four and five. Once again, four and five are:
4. John
10:9: “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and
go out and find pasture” (Jn. 10:9, NRSV).
5. John
10:11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the
sheep” (Jn. 10:11, NRSV).
Next week on Mother’s Day, the gospel of
John reading will touch on the seventh “I Am” statement from this list, which
is John 14:6. John 14:6 once again says:
7. John
14:6: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6, NRSV).
What we are given this Sunday is
powerful imagery of God, of Jesus being a shepherd. In the time period in which
Jesus lived in, and even in some places today, there are shepherds that raise
and guide flocks of sheep. It is the job of a shepherd to guide, feed, protect,
and love their sheep. The shepherd is usually with the sheep at all times, and
it is their duty, their job to serve and love their sheep.
As a pastor, I serve in “pastoral
ministry,” and the word pastoral is generally connected to pasture land on a
farm. A pasture is where animals graze, and it is protected today by the
farmer. In Jesus’ day however, and sometimes even to this day, the shepherd, or
the “pastor” shepherds the sheep on the pasture land.
In being in “pastoral ministry” then,
I am called to be a shepherd or a pastor for God’s people here and all over.
Our pasture land then, is the whole word.
This imagery is important, as this
morning we heard one of, if not the most famous of all the Psalms. This Psalm,
Psalm 23, is read as just about every funeral. Some of us can quote this Psalm
with our eyes closed.
In this Psalm we hear how God is our “shepherd,”
and how makes us to “lie down in green pastures” (Ps. 23:1-2, NRSV). We hear
how God “restores my soul,” and how “he leads me in right paths for his name’s
sake” (Ps. 23:1-3, NRSV).
We then hear how God, our great shepherd, will be with us in
the darkest valleys, and this shepherd God, has a rod and staff (Ps. 23:4,
NRSV). Real shepherds used and use rods and staffs to corral and keep the sheep
where they needed to be going.
The
rest of the Psalm then gets into the promises of God to be with us, and that we
will be with him forever, if we believe (Ps. 23:5-6, NRSV).
In the reading from 1 Peter for this morning,
it discusses how Christ suffered for us, so if we suffer injustices for Christ,
then God will honor and be with us in our sufferings (1 Pet. 2:19-21, NRSV).
While Christ suffered and died for us, sometimes we are called to suffer for
being follower of Christ, the great “I Am”.
This reading from 1 Peter 2:19-25 ends
with, “For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the
shepherd and guardian of your souls” (1 Pet. 2:25, NRSV). So God is our
Shepherd, Jesus the second person of God is our Shepherd, and the Holy Spirit,
the third person of God, is also our Shepherd. God is our Shepherd.
Since the historical Jewish and
Christian view of humanity is that we are broken and sinful by nature, we must
be reconciled to our brokenness. When God came to earth in the form of Jesus
Christ, we were offered hope, reconciliation, and newness of life.
Jesus even went as far in the gospel
of John to specifically give us various “I Am” statements about who was and is,
and why he came.
In this morning’s gospel reading from
John 10:10, we have the continued theme of God, of Jesus, being our shepherd,
leader, savior, and guide.
As Jesus was speaking with the Pharisees
in the reading he said, “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does enter the
sheepfold by the gate climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit” (Jn. 10:1,
NRSV). What Jesus is doing here is not only bearing the title shepherd, like
God did in Psalm 23, or as Peter referred to this morning, but Jesus is also saying
that he is the way for us to follow. Since he is our shepherd, we must follow
him to safely live and to live in eternity.
Not only this, a good shepherd is
willing to die to protect his sheep. The gospel lesson this morning gets cut
off after John 10:10, as it says one of his “I Am” statements in John 10:11.
This statement “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life
for the sheep” (Jn. 10:11, NRSV).
This morning however, Jesus uses this
analogy or this imagery of entering a “sheepfold,” with whom he is claiming
himself to be (Jn. 10:1, NRSV). Jesus is saying that he is the gate, the
entrance to the “sheepfold’ (Jn. 10:1, NRSV). Jesus then tells us that “The one
who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the
gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He call his own sheep by name and
leads them out” (Jn. 10:2-3, NRSV).
Jesus then tells us that as the sheep,
we should follow him and his voice, and not that of strangers (Jn. 10:4-6,
NRSV). Next Jesus gives us another “I Am” statement that is connect with the “I
Am” statement of Jesus telling us that he is the “good shepherd” (Jn. 10:11,
NRSV). Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All
who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to
them. I am they gate” (Jn. 10:7-9a, NRSV).
Jesus then says, “Whoever enters by me
will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture” (Jn. 10:9b, NRSV).
Jesus then ends this gospel reading with, “I came that they may have life, and
have it abundantly” (Jn. 10:10, NRSV).
Jesus then, in this and in all of his “I
Am” statements is telling us about his authority, about his Lordship, and the
salvation offered only through him. That being reconciled and forgiven occurs
through Jesus, who this day said, “I am the gate for the sheep” (Jn. 10:7b,
NRSV).
Certainly Jesus Christ’s “I Am”
statements are powerful and make high claims. Yet if Jesus Christ truly came to
die for us, and to transform us, imagine what would happen if we truly did
follow Jesus like follow a shepherd? Imagine if we had childlike faith that
follow and sought after Christ, believing in his power and his love.
As a person in pastoral ministry, I am
far from Jesus, but I call upon him, so that I might be a shepherd in his name.
That in and through him, I might lead people, so that those people might seek
the “good shepherd” and live. In doing this, we are changed, the community is
changed, and the world is changed. This is all done in name of the great “I Am,”
Jesus Christ. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment