"...is a dead shepherd." [Easter 3; St. John 10:11-16]

Jesus truly speaks to you all today saying,

“The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Last week, when we heard about the St. Thomas incident, one thing that should pop into your mind is what the Church thought of St. Thomas. They picture him as a sort of engineer, because his “coat of arms”, so to speak, contains the image of a square. Not the 4-sided kind, but a measuring square.

Thus, the Church expects some sort of intelligence from the Apostles, especially when it comes to the resurrection, to be able to prove and disprove it. When we get to Jesus, what He does and what He says, we also expect the same sort of intelligence, but when He talks about the Good Shepherd laying down His life for the sheep, this one throws us for a loop.

What good is a dead shepherd? Just as bad as a shepherd that flees is the shepherd that dies. Both leave the sheep and both abandon their duties. Forgetting the hired hand, for the moment, we find that the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep, but what then?

Maybe he thinks that he can atone for some past sins, by dying. Maybe he thinks this is the only way. Maybe he thinks that he should fight to his very last breath, rather than regret no having fought hard enough against the wolf.

You have to admit that the hired hand has the right idea, for you have heard it said, “He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.” The shepherd is more important than the sheep. For if he lives, he can just rebuild the flock, after the attack, and care for them. The sheep can not do that on their own.

How much more good can be accomplished if one goes on living, instead of being a living sacrifice? The soldier can return home. The shepherd can continue his livelihood. The parent can continue to parent.

Repent! The twisting of Scripture continues! By this logic, Jesus made a mistake. He should not have died. He should have been exonerated and continued to live, teaching and caring for the outcasts and the unloved by society. Live, Jesus live. You are better to us alive rather than dead.

Jesus doesn’t think so and since He is God and knows what He’s doing better than you, you should stop and struggle with this. Jesus doesn’t think that the hired hand is coming back. Jesus doesn’t think that the soldier can sacrifice enough. Jesus doesn’t think that you have all the good intentions you say you do, on Sunday mornings.

Against all reason and intelligence, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, lays down His life. In other words, He dies. Death claims the victory and the Sheepfold is left undefended. At least, that is what the devil would have us think.

Rage and ruin as they might, death and the devil could not hold the Good Shepherd in their icy grasp. Jesus bursts from the tomb, having laid down His life for the sheep. Not just any life, the life of God. For it is only Jesus, true God and true man, who could offer Himself for us.

God will be the shepherd. He will not do that job through door-to-door salesmen, but Himself will come and shepherd His flock. The salesmen will have you believe that they are doing God’s will; that they know what God wants and that only you have the power to please Him or to anger Him.

The salesmen will point you to this method or that path and they will point you inside yourself asking, “What does this mean to you” or “Won’t you give everything to Jesus”.

The Good Shepherd points you to Himself and leads you to Himself. He does this with His sacraments. The promises in and with the sacraments provide an mighty bulwark as a sheep pen. The water combined with God’s Word is worked into a reinforced titanium gate. The Gospel, purely preached, creates the Shepherd’s voice to follow. Eating and drinking in Faith, not only gives strength and health to the sheep, but also a sure foundation of forgiveness.

In this wonderful, gracious way, the Church is not left to fend for itself. Jesus has left His voice behind for us to hear and to believe. Jesus has left the pen open to all who believe and keep this Word as a priceless treasure.

The Shepherd that lays down His life is the Shepherd that never leaves His flock, even in death. The Good Shepherd is the man that speaks to His flock by Moses, the prophets, and the Apostles. The Good Shepherd is the man that bursts from death to new life, dragging His sheep behind Him.

The Word and the Sacraments always point to Christ and therefore are always what the Son of God uses to forgive His people in the 21^st century. If a door-to-door salesman ever stops by to ask you to do something outside of this scope, asks him if baptism saves, as the Bible says. If it does, then you have no need for the door-to-door salesman. If he says it doesn’t save, or you must do something beyond that, then you still have no use for the salesman.

Jesus physically keeps you in the one, true faith and in the one, true Church. This is the takeaway for today. The Good Shepherd is good because He died, and lives still today. The salesman is known by his incessant talk of himself and his works. The hired hand knows nothing of the Sacraments and denies their power.

The Good Shepherd, Who died and rose again, gives His resurrection to you in baptism. He gives his Faith to you, by His Gospel. He strengthens and keeps you close to Himself by forgiving your sins in His Supper. These are His good and gracious works, done for you and these are the only works that matter.