Sermon on John 10:11-18
Originally given at Holy Cross Wyken, Coventry on 21 April 2024
Whenever I hear today’s Gospel passage, I’m always taken back to when my first born was 2 years old, and his favourite song in the whole world was ‘The Baa Baa Song’. For those of you who have not had the joy of hearing ‘The Baa Baa Song’, or even better seeing the video for it, it is based on today’s Gospel reading, reminding us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. The lyrics for the chorus are, ‘Baa baa, He’s the Good Shepherd, anywhere I go he knows. Baa baa, He is my Saviour, I will follow where he goes.’ It might not be on par with the likes of Charles Wesley or Matt Redman, but it has got some good theology, especially for a two-year-old.
Honestly, I think one of the best parts of today’s Gospel passage is its accessibility. So often we have to do a kind of deep dive into the parables of Jesus and even need further interpretations of his explanations. But the parable of the Good Shepherd is fairly straightforward, if you’re familiar with sheep and shepherds. And that is exactly the audience Jesus was talking to two thousand years ago, a group of people who knew very well the job of a shepherd, the status of a shepherd, and how a shepherd could do his job well.
But, on the other hand, maybe two thousand years later, living in an urban setting, we’ve become a bit too disconnected from our agrarian roots to appreciate what Jesus really means in saying he is the Good Shepherd. Furthermore, I’m not sure we can appreciate the social commentary Jesus is making by comparing himself, the King of Kings, to a shepherd, the lowest rung on the social ladder. So how could we modernise and urbanise the idea of the Good Shepherd?
What if I were to say Jesus is the Good Politician? I appreciate that politicians don’t tick the box for being of low social status, but I think they are almost universally viewed as being the lowest on the moral ladder. So going with this analogy, Jesus is the ‘Good Politician’. He knows all of his constituents by name and knows what they desire from the system. He fights for each of their best interests, even if it means an end to his political career. He puts their needs above his own.
Another thought – the Good White Van Man. The idea of ‘the white van man’ is so wrapped up in layers of stereotypes and assumptions, and regardless of how many good, hard-working men (or women) you meet who happen to drive a white van for their job, I’ve discovered that society in general seems to have a low opinion of the idea of ‘the white van man’. So let’s say Jesus is the ‘Good White Van Man’. He knows the appliances of all his clients. He ensures none of his clients ever have to wait for a call out, and he doesn’t charge extortionate rates for repairs, even if that means his business will fail. He puts the needs of his clients above his own.
I think both of these analogies, while perhaps more understandable to modern urban ears, fall short of a key aspect of the idea of the Good Shepherd that Jesus is for us. The fact that he would, and in fact did, lay down his life for his sheep, his followers. The loss of career or business is hard, but it is not comparable to willingly sacrificing your life for the people you love, so that they themselves can have an abundant life.
Now I say Jesus gave up his life for his followers, but in the Gospel Jesus also mentions other sheep not of this flock. So this makes the love of Christ even more magnificent. He freely gave everything not only for those who loved him, but also for those who didn’t know him yet. This is the awesome promise of the Kingdom of God, that we will be joined together with all of our loved ones. Because Jesus didn’t die for some of us. Jesus didn’t die for an exclusive club of people that follow strict laws. He didn’t die for an inside group of a few people. He died for every single one of us. Even the people you don’t like, or the people you don’t agree with, or the people you don’t understand. Jesus knows each of his flock by name, but he also knows the name of those outside his flock. Those who he will one day bring into his fold, so that Jesus will be one shepherd, guiding one flock.
Going back to the lyrics of the ‘Baa Baa Song’, I think we can understand the first part of ‘He’s the Good Shepherd, anywhere I go he knows’, but what about the next half – ‘He is my Saviour, I will follow where he goes.’ We know that as the Good Shepherd, Jesus went to his death on the cross in order to prepare a way for each of us, but are we willing to follow Jesus to the cross? We are fortunate to live in a country where we are free to worship and express our faith without fear of the threat of violence or death, so maybe it feels unrealistic to ask in our context whether we are willing to follow Jesus to the cross. So let me clarify that following Jesus to the cross isn’t just about a violent, physical death on a bit of wood. It’s about living a life that reflects the radical love of Christ for everyone. It’s about unlimited hospitality to your neighbour who doesn’t look like you, or think like you, or love like you, or live like you. Truly following Jesus is meant to be the most challenging experience of your life, because it is so subversive and counter-cultural. To follow Jesus, you are asked to unconditionally love everyone. Not because you’re the Good Shepherd, but because the Good Shepherd unconditionally loves you.
Reflections of a Christian 