Fourth Sunday of Easter(B) 2018

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: John 10:14-15
Theme: Shepherd and Sacrifice

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

Christ is risen!
He is risen, indeed. Alleluia!

God is the most important reality. Even lesser realities cannot be comprehended by a few simplistic descriptives. God is in His own category. Imagine trying to grasp the nuances of medical science or the complexities of theoretical physics by learning only a few basic concepts. It’s not surprising, then, that the Holy Scriptures use an impressive array of words and illustrations to communicate to us the God who reveals Himself in the person of Jesus through the power of the Spirit. We can never exhaust the Holy Spirit’s well of divine wisdom by but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t drink from it deeply.

Today our Lord identifies Himself as the good shepherd. His care of the sheep is intimate, powerful, authentic; and completely unique. He says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”1 By implication, there are others who present themselves as shepherds; but they are imposters. The Good Shepherd does what no one else can do? The hired hand is, in fact, no shepherd at all. He does not care for the sheep, but for his own interests. In the time of danger, he abandons the sheep. The Bible warns extensively against following phony messiahs. “Such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”2 Again, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”3 And again, “False Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect- if that were possible.”4

Now, we’re foolish of we think this advice is no longer relevant. Just consider how pervasive ideologies are currently deconstructing biblical measures of truth and falsehood even among Christians? Are we so brain-washed by politically-correct definitions of sin that we have virtually forgotten God’s divine law? Do we have greater fear and take more notice of the appraisals of social media than we do of the almighty God? Do we listen to the voices of the cultural elites more attentively than those of the Holy Scriptures and the Good Shepherd? Do we worry about being “on the wrong side of history”, more than the right side eternal truth? When our mortality is reached, there is only one judgment that matters. There’s no room for compromise here, only repentance.

Dear friends, we shouldn’t be so naïve as to think that assault on the truth only comes from without, either. Every believer must resolve the inborn inclination to seek the favour of God by somehow satisfying His expectations of obedience. Sheep are devious. You cannot satisfy the demands of the law by lowering the bar. The law of God cannot be manipulated. It is good and righteous and holy. Nor can the conscience be pacified by attempting to “raise the bar” in relation to the expectations of society. If you rise above the righteousness of ten thousand people before you, are you therefore holy before God? The Scripture says, “Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.”5

If you seek to stack up a pile of good deeds which look impressive before God and others, be warned, that in the time of trial, Satan, your accuser will knock them down like a house of cards. Jesus says, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."6 Instead, we take refuge in His mercy as our “mighty fortress” and our desire to obey flows from that organically. Faith resolves the conundrum of the law by trusting in Christ as the One who has already perfectly fulfilled it.

We really can’t understand this too well because the deception that we gain God’s approval through our own efforts is logical to us. After all, Christ is an example of godliness. He is the example, par excellence. None can surpass Him. No one is more moral. No one is more ethical. No one is more righteous. We all understand the phrase. “Lead by example.” But, when we reach this understanding, we have by no means arrived at the primary work of our Saviour.

Christ is an example in a way in which it is impossible for Him to be a prototype. It’s better to understand Him as a substitute. He is the means. Jesus does not set the example of how to climb the ladder to heaven. He is the ladder. He does not initiate a process that others can then follow. None can do what He did. Salvation is not accomplished through a master and apprentice type of paradigm. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus cannot be imitated. It cannot be repeated. Certainly, it was foreshadowed in the regular temple sacrifices in which animal blood prefigured the pouring out of Christ’s blood. But you cannot be a substitute for the sins of others. You cannot even atone for your own sins.

Yet, that’s not a reason to despair, but to rejoice. A cross was raised on a rubbish heap outside a city where a long-suffering God regularly met with His wayward people. A crucifixion took place there. It was an unjust, ignoble execution. It is there that perfect love drove out fear. There the divine wrath was appeased. As the Scripture says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.”7 This Jesus rose from the dead under His own authority. In Him we are already raised in faith and look forward to the bodily resurrection.

The challenges that confront us from without and within certainly underscore the need for faithful Christians to support one another. Encouragement is one of the great blessings of gathering together as God’s people. The Divine Service is not an event in which disconnected individuals enjoy private exchanges with the Saviour. We have fellowship together in the sacred things by which God sustains His people. We are a specific community of the baptized. We attend a holy meal together at the Bridegroom’s table. We mutually build up each other by our presence in this place. The apostle says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body…one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, Who is over all and through all and in all.”8

Christianity is neither a time-bound religion made obsolete by the progression of the centuries, nor a mythical paradigm that involves an alternative reality. Jesus Christ is the Master and Lord of time and space, of heaven, earth, and hell; of the past, present and future. The resurrection was not an imaginary occurrence that merely served to consolidate the resolve of those who only shared certain ideals with Jesus of Nazareth. As the apostle says bluntly, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”9
The atoning sacrifice of Jesus is not the basis for a philosophical dogma of social justice or a psychological tool for the alleviation of guilt. The Son of God, in the sacrifice of His body, gained the victory over the very real threats of death and hell. He showers us with grace and forgiveness.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. His care is hands on, but His work is cosmic. He is the only shepherd who was also the Lamb sacrificed on behalf of the flock. Only He can defend the flock against Satan, the preeminent false shepherd, the thief, the wolf, the dragon. Only He can lead the flock to eternal pastures. He fails in none of these tasks. Rejoice, sisters and brothers, we are His lambs. In Him we have life and we have it abundantly. Amen.

Christ is risen!
He is risen, indeed. Alleluia!

+ In nomine Jesu +

Fourth Sunday of Easter
22 April 2018
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt


1 John 10:11 2 2 Corinthians 11:13-14
3 Matthew 7:15 4 Mark 13:22
5 James 2:10 6 Matthew 7:26-27
7 1 John 3:16 8 Ephesians 4:3-6
91 Corinthians 15:17