26 April 2020
Text: John 10:11-16
In the name of +
Jesus. Amen.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
As
much as a hired hand may be a good worker, nobody really takes care of a
business the way the owner does. A good
owner opens in the morning and stays late. Good owners may not even collect a paycheck
for many years, and often don’t take a day off or even a vacation. The owner knows that if the business fails, he
fails. The owner bears the burden of
knowing that people depend on him.
A
hired hand – even a really reliable worker – just doesn’t have to think about
such things.
Jesus
describes Himself as “the Good Shepherd” who “lays down His life for the sheep.” Jesus is so invested in us, His creatures, His
beloved people, that is not just willing to die for us in a theoretical way,
but Jesus specifically comes to our fallen world for that very purpose, knowing
that this, His destiny, is a cross, upon which He will die, but by which the
devil will be conquered and creation redeemed.
He
is the Good Shepherd! He is no hired
hand who “sees the wolf coming” and runs away. No indeed!
The Good Shepherd sees the wolf coming, and He engages the wolf in
mortal combat. And the Good Shepherd knows that He wins – He protects the
sheep, He slaughters the wolf – by dying.
That,
dear friends, is the love that God has for us, and He is not a mere hireling. Jesus is God in the flesh: the Creator, the Word
who dwells among us, the Bridegroom who sheds His blood for the sake of His
beloved bride.
By
His stripes, we are healed. By His
blood, we are forgiven. By His Word, we
are made new. By His will, we are
redeemed. By His love, we are given
everlasting life!
Jesus
is no hired hand. He will never flee in
the face of evil. He fights for you,
dies for you, rises for you, and is now present in the Sacrament for you!
Let
us indeed listen to His voice. Let us, His
one flock, joyfully listen to our one Shepherd: our Good Shepherd. Amen.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
In the name of the Father
and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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