Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” We will learn today that just as a shepherd cares for his sheep, so also Jesus—the Good Shepherd—cares for you. He feeds you and He protects you.
Today, we will first look at David who was both a shepherd and a king. Then we will look at the bad shepherds of Israel—the kings and prophets—who did not care for God’s people. Next, we will look at the hireling, who also failed to care for the sheep entrusted to him. Finally, we will look at Jesus—the Good Shepherd—who cares for you by giving you daily bread and the gifts of life and salvation.
First, David. David was the youngest of eight sons of Jesse in Bethlehem. He grew up as a shepherd boy. He watched over his father’s flock. As recorded in 1 Samuel 17:34-35, David said, “When there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered [the lamb] out of his mouth. And if [the lion or a bear] arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.” From this we learn that David cared for his father’s sheep. He not only fed them, but he also risked his own life to protect them from danger.
As time when on, God made David a King over Israel. In 2 Samuel 7:8, God said to David, “I took you from the pasture and [made you] ruler over My people Israel.” So, David, who once faithfully watched over his father’s flock, was called to shepherd God’s people as their king.
Moreover, 2 Samuel 7 promises that the Savior would come from the line of David. When David wrote Psalm 23, he said, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” David identified himself as a sheep and he identified the Lord, namely the coming Savior, as his Shepherd. This coming Savior will be the true King, the true Shepherd, whom we know as Jesus.
Now let us look at the bad shepherds of Israel—the kings and prophets. God speaks through the prophet Ezekiel and declares, “Woe to the shepherds of Israel.” These leaders failed in their calling. They fed themselves instead of the flock. They did not strengthen the weak, heal the sick, or bind up the injured. They did not bring back the straying, or seek the lost. Instead, they ruled with force. They did not care for God’s people; they cared only for themselves.
And what was the result? The sheep were scattered. They became easy prey for the predator. No one sought them. No one cared. These so-called shepherds were selfish and self-centered.
Woe to us when we are unfaithful to our various vocations. Woe to us when we turn away from God in unbelief. Woe to us when we neglect the needs of our family, our neighbor or even the church. Woe to us when we fail to love one another. God cares for us, and He wants us to care for others.
Now let us look at the hireling in today’s Holy Gospel. The hired hand did not protect the sheep entrusted to him. When he sees the wolf, he runs away. The wolf, then, snatches the sheep and scatters them. Like the bad shepherds of Israel, the hireling does not care for the flock. He is only concerned about himself. He, too, was selfish and self-centered.
Jesus once said, “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matt 7:15). The false prophet does not care for the sheep. He only cares about himself. His message is not based on God’s Word, but on cultural trends. There is no preaching of sin, because he doesn’t want to offend people. He does not preach repentance, because that makes the people uncomfortable. He does not preach the cross, because that looks like weakness. Instead, he preaches what people want to hear—a message shaped by people’s feelings and emotions. Beware of such false prophets even today.
Woe to the pastor who does not protect the flock from false doctrine. Woe to the pastor who is not faithful to Holy Scripture. If you ever relocate, then seek out a church that is faithful to God’s Word and to a true confession of the faith.
After the hireling flees, the wolf comes and snatches the sheep and scatters them. The Apostle Paul warns in Acts 20:29, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” The wolf is the devil. He seeks to destroy the Church and to take your faith in Christ away. He wants you to doubt God’s Word and to follow false doctrine. He wants to scatter you away from the church. He wants to deceive you and mislead you into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Therefore, be watchful. Study God’s Word so that you are able to refute false doctrine and to defend the truth of Scripture.
The problem is not merely outside of us. It is also inside of us. The prophet Isaiah speaks the truth. He says, “All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us have turned to his own way.” Just as sheep like to wander, so also, there are times when we have listened to Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh. We have sinned in thought, word, and deed. We are all children of Adam. There are times when we, too, are selfish and self-centered.
Dearly beloved in the Lord, do not think that you can save yourself. Do not think that you have the strength to resist the devil and the world on your own. Do not think that you have no need for a Savior.
As repentant sinners we hunger for the green pastures of the Gospel. We thirst for the living water of Christ’s righteousness. We need protection from the devil. We cannot survive on our own. We need a Savior. We need a Good Shepherd.
Finally, now let us look at Jesus. Jesus’ coming was foretold by the prophet Isaiah, “Behold, the Lord God will come. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom” (40:10-11). And through Ezekiel, God declared, “Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. I will feed them with good pasture…. I will bring back the strayed, bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak” (34:11, 14, 16). These prophecies were fulfilled in Christ.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city of David. And who first heard the good news of our Savior’s birth? Shepherds. They were keeping watch over their flocks by night. When Jesus was baptized, John the Baptist identified Him as a lamb. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
Jesus became a lamb like us, yet without sin, having no spot or wrinkle. He is our Passover Lamb taking upon Himself our sin and our guilt. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, Jesus does not resist. He does not complain. Rather, He lays down His life willingly. There, on the cross, He bears your sin in His body (1 Peter 2:21-25). Every selfish act. Every moment of unbelief. He takes it all and pays for it with His holy and precious blood.
Three days later, He rose from the dead and He lives forevermore. He died as the Lamb, and yet He rose as the Good Shepherd.
And what does He do? Just as David cared for his father’s flock, so also Jesus cares for you. Just as David defeated the lion and the bear to rescue the lamb, so also Jesus has defeated Satan, crushing his power through the cross and resurrection. Jesus has rescued you from sin and death.
Jesus came to seek and to save you who were lost. He found you. He brought you into His flock; into His church. He washed you clean in the waters of Holy Baptism. He clothed you with His robe of righteousness. He heals your wounds. He forgives your sins. He protects you.
Here in His Church, you hear the voice of your Good Shepherd. He has words of eternal life. There is no other voice that gives you the certainty of forgiveness and salvation. Furthermore, He feeds you with His own body and blood.
He leads and you gladly follow Him on His path of righteousness. You live a life of repentance and faith in the forgiveness of sins. He is good and merciful to you all the days of your life and you are good and merciful to others. You gladly serve your neighbor. You help the needy and you show compassion toward the sick and dying.
So, we learned this morning that Jesus deeply cares for you. He provides all that you need. He restores your soul. He protects you from every enemy. Even in the valley of the shadow of death, He is with you. His gift of life and salvation comfort you. And in the end, you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
We just sang:
And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever! (LSB 709).
God grant this. Amen.
