Lenten Midweek Sermon: "I AM the Door and I AM the Good Shepherd"

+ Lenten midweek sermon – February 17^th, 2016 +

Redeemer Lutheran, HB

I AM the Door & I AM the Good Shepherd

John 10:1-18

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Perhaps in English grammar class you were taught this simple rule: avoid mixed metaphors.

“If he plays his cards right he might just knock it out of the park and let the cat out of the bag.”

“Don’t open Pandora’s Box, you’ll find it full of Trojan Horses…after all, even Napoleon had his Watergate.”

You see, our teachers were teaching us English as well as sparing us from sounding illogical, foolish, or being laughed at.

So what do we do when we come across a Scripture passage like we hear in John 10?

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 

At first, it might seem like Jesus has committed a grave grammatical error in his teaching. I AM the Door…I AM the Good Shepherd. Is Jesus mixing metaphors?

Perhaps, but Jesus is more than a metaphor. There’s nothing illogical or inconsistent at all. Jesus is both; he’s your Door and your Good Shepherd.

When Jesus says, “I AM the door”, he truly is. Doors are a passage way from one place to another. Jesus your Door is no different. In Jesus you leave the wilderness behind and enter the Promised Land. Jesus is your doorway from death to life. Jesus is the entry to the Father’s sheepfold. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus. This door is not, square, rectangular, or round; it is the shape of Jesus Crucified.

I AM the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

And when Jesus says, “I AM the Good Shepherd” he truly is. Jesus is more than a metaphorical, figurative, or symbolic shepherd. Jesus leads and guides us, feeds and provides for us, tends and cares for us.

I AM the Good Shepherd, Jesus declares.

What’s so “good” about Jesus the Good Shepherd?

Most of the pictures we see of Jesus the Good Shepherd portray him like a gushing hallmark valentine’s card, revealing Jesus’ goodness as his affection towards us sheep.

Now, in a way, there’s truth in those pictures. Our Lord does hold us in deep affection. God loves you as a Father loves his children. God loves you as a husband loves his wife. Jesus loves you as a brother. But the goodness of our Good Shepherd is not found only in his affection for us.

And neither is it found in his perfect goodness. Yes, it’s true and necessary for our salvation that Jesus is sinless, without spot or blemish. Jesus keeps the Law for you. Jesus does the good that we want to do but are unable to do. But that is not all that his goodness means when he declares to you, I AM the Good Shepherd.  

Jesus is your Good Shepherd because he is the right shepherd, the one you need. He is the only Shepherd that can lead us wandering sheep into the Father’s sheepfold.

If Jesus was our good shepherd only by affection or good behavior, then we could just as easily fool ourselves into thinking we could survive the wolf attack without him. “I’m my own shepherd,” we say. “I’ve been a good sheep,” we think, “better than those goats at least.”

We fool ourselves by looking to our emotions and behavior as a good shepherd. We look for other doors to enter into rather than the true Door; we turn our ears to heed other voices rather than the voice of the only Good Shepherd. Yes, all we like sheep have gone astray.

We are not good shepherds. But Jesus is for you.

I AM the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Jesus is your Good Shepherd because he lays down his life for you. It is Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that makes him good. And by his sacrifice on the cross God declares you good and righteous.

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross he is your door as well. In Jesus you pass through death to life, from the grave to resurrection, from the wilderness to the sheepfold. This is why Jesus is your Good Shepherd.

Jesus gives his life for you, his sheep. Jesus overcomes the wolf by filling the wolf’s mouth with his flesh. Jesus stole you back from the devil, destroyed the power of death, and killed the robber once and for all. By his passion he paid for our evil passions. By his death he cured our death. By his tomb he robbed the tomb. By his nail-pierced hands he builds a doorway for you that leads to eternal life.

The goodness of your Shepherd is found in the cross he bore for you. And his goodness and cross are also found in the still waters of your Baptism, where Jesus the Door opens heaven to you. The Good Shepherd spreads a table for you where his body and blood overflow for you. The Good Shepherd speaks in his Word and his absolution where you hear his voice: “You are forgiven. You are mine. Enter the sheepfold with joy and delight. My goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life.”

I AM the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

I AM the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Jesus is your Door. Jesus is your Good Shepherd. And that’s no metaphor.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.