April 26, 2026

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Well, here we are in the middle of the Easter season and what we have is what we call Good Shepherd Sunday. It’s pretty obvious why we call it that. He’s the Good Shepherd, that’s the beautiful picture we find in scripture. And we’ve been hearing about it and singing about it all morning long. We read that 23^rd Psalm and that picture is painted so beautifully for us by King David. We sang The Lord is my Shepherd I’ll not want and we will hear the choir sing the King of Love My Shepherd is and then O Little Flock fear not the Foe (LSB 666 that’s no accident) and Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us during communion. But for all the gorgeous hymnody on a day like today, I think that comparison with us and sheep, while that might be cute, but that is not a compliment. Sheep might be lovable but they lack this independent spirit. They mooch along seeking grass. They are defenseless against all their enemies, against coyote’s or wolves. They easily lose their way, it’s because they are absolutely defenseless and dumb that they need a Shepherd.

But perhaps the worst part about being called a sheep is not about their habits or their helplessness or their vulnerability.  It’s because they follow. Ya know, we live in this world that celebrates freedom, that celebrates individuality, sometimes to the detriment of everything else. Individuality is all about me, myself and I. But when we follow someone else, our life isn’t about us, it’s about someone else. We copy and emulate that one that we follow. That’s what a sheep does. But that is not viewed very highly by most. In fact, there’s a word for someone who blindly trusts and follows someone else, do you know that word is? Sheeple.  Ever heard that word? It’s a combination of two words, the word sheep and the word people. And when ya look it up it says: derogatory, people being compared to sheep, docile, foolish or easily led. And yet that is exactly what our Savior calls His children, His disciples, His followers. We are His sheep. and to confess that, is to confess our limitations. That is, to admit our weaknesses. Our necessity is to trust in Him, to follow Him as our good shepherd and to be led by Him. -that’s who we are.

So, what do we know about this Good Shepherd? Well, throughout this passage John 10, Jesus paints this picture that we see what the Good Shepherd is by what the good shepherd is not. Jesus paints this picture of contrast, the contrast between the good shepherd and the thief. Listen to v 10, “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” Jesus sets up these two opposites, in this short little verse. These two things couldn’t get any further from one another. There’s this thief, we know who the thief is…satan, the devil. And then there is Christ Himself, the Savior, the Good Shepherd. And what does the devil do? Jesus says the devil does 3 things….he comes to 1. steal 2. kill and 3. destroy. What Does Jesus Do? Well, “I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.” He comes and does the exact opposite of the devil. The devil comes to steal…..Jesus comes that we may have. The devil comes to kill….Jesus comes to give life. The devil comes to destroy….and Jesus comes to give life abundantly. The exact opposite of destruction, to give more than enough.

Interesting devil literally means “the deceiver.” The devil is a deceiver. And he tries to get us to trade away our Christian lives for sin. And he tempts us by saying well that sin will actually give you life. It’s not true. But so often we have been foolish enough to buy the lie. We have been deceived time and time again. And we have allowed sin to enter our life thinking it’s gonna give some pleasure, that it’s gonna take away pain, but it’s all a lie. It’s a deception. Because sin does not make life better. Well, sin might look good. Sin looks good before you’re doing it, even while you’re doing it, but after wards when the guilt comes, when the consequences come you recognize the destruction and the killing sin does to our lives and our souls. And so, we can see how we’ve been deceived or better yet how we have allowed ourselves to be deceived.

Jesus wants us to be aware of this one, called the thief, and he wants to steal from you. But He doesn’t just want to steal your joy or your time, he wants to steal your soul! Elsewhere in scripture it says, “the devil is like a prowling lion looking for someone to devour.” Please understand that every second of every day the devil is trying to attack your soul! He’s trying to take you away from Christ and be with him in hell. And some would say it’s not really like that, that’s not true. That is true! And the devil would love above all else that you would ignore him, to not look and see how he is working and active, he’s active in what we watch and listen to, what we read, movies we watch, the people we are around, the attitudes we have at home or work or school. The devil is a deceiver and he’s looking to devour you and me.

But there is some very, very good news, because Jesus message doesn’t end there in John 10 with the deceiver. He says “the devil is a thief and he only comes to steal, kill and destroy.” But lemme tell ya about the One who has defeated the devil. Let me tell ya about the Good Shepherd. Let me tell you about His mission. Jesus says when you follow Me, the Good Shepherd, I will give you something. Nothing is being stolen from you, by Jesus. He’s not deceiving us out of anything. He says “I have come so that you may have life.”

You remember how Jesus said in John 14 in the upper room, He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” IOW, I am the source of real life. Life that is endless, life that is full of meaning, life that is totally satisfying, life that is joyful because it is a life lived in Christ and that is the life I give to you Jesus says. The devil comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. But I have come to give you life and not just a heart beating and air in your lungs, but life eternal. I have come that you may have life and life to the full.

Jesus wants us to know that when we are attached to Him, when we believe in Him, when we follow Him as His sheep, we have His life and we have His joy and not only do we have life but we have it abundantly, more than enough because Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has defeated the deceiver.

Ya know on that Friday before Easter Sunday, I bet that satan, was just overcome with glee, his demons were probably dancing and celebrating as they watched Jesus die on that cross on Good Friday. Because they had deceived Pontius Pilate and they had deceived the Pharisees and they had deceived the teachers of the law and even deceived Jesus own disciple, Judas, as he gave Him up as he betrayed Him to death. They thought we won, we got Him, we’re killing Him, it’s over it’s done, they must’ve been delighting in the death and destruction of Jesus. That is until the third day, when Jesus rose from the grave, and He defeated the deceiver! Because He not only rose but He said that those who believe and are baptized they will rise as well, because He lives we will live. Jesus has defeated the deceiver.

He has traded His blood for our salvation. He has traded His punishment so we can go to heaven. And so when you follow Jesus, when you are His sheep, sheeple, He will give you what He has promised to give you, He will give you what He came to give you. He came so that you may have life….and have it to the full. Amen.