LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:00	[Music]
0:11	hello today let’s talk about the Good
0:16	Shepherd the Bible passages selected for
0:19	today are very well known to you I think
0:22	Psalm
0:24	23 first John chapter 3 and the Gospel
0:28	of John chapter
0:30	10 introduction the Lord is my
0:36	shepherd now the first reading is the
0:38	23rd psalm please remember that the Old
0:42	Testament provides a shadow or a type of
0:46	what is to come through Jesus Christ in
0:48	the New Testament I’ll say again the Old
0:51	Testament shows you in types and shadows
0:55	what God will do through Jesus in the
0:57	New Testament now the 23rd
1:01	psalm the Lord is my shepherd I shall
1:05	not want he makes me to lie down in
1:08	Green Pastures he leads me beside Still
1:11	Waters he restores my soul he leads me
1:16	in the paths of righteousness for his
1:18	name’s
1:20	sake yay though I walk through the
1:22	valley of the shadow of death I will
1:25	fear no evil for thou art with me thy
1:28	rod and thy sta
1:30	they comfort me thou preparest a table
1:33	before me in the presence of mine
1:35	enemies thou anointest my head with oil
1:38	my cup runneth over surely goodness and
1:43	mercy shall follow me all the days of my
1:45	life and I will dwell in the house of
1:47	the Lord
1:50	forever point one the
1:53	shadow now let’s see if we can get a
1:55	hold of what our Lord is teaching Us in
1:58	this holy word
2:00	God revealed a truth both profound and
2:04	personal to David who wrote this Psalm
2:08	David had been a Shepherd Of course
2:10	before he was a king so God used a
2:13	Shepherd metaphor a word picture of a
2:15	Shepherd to teach David to help him to
2:19	understand God and God’s plan for us all
2:23	the Holy Spirit taught David to say the
2:26	Lord is my
2:27	shepherd the Lord is my shepherd well if
2:33	God is my shepherd then I am his sheep
2:38	David knew about sheep they are
2:41	notoriously foolish they wander and they
2:44	get themselves into trouble also sheep
2:47	are pitifully vulnerable especially to
2:50	Wolves and the like sheep have no claws
2:53	no fangs and the most frightening thing
2:56	that they can do is go
2:58	B
3:00	maybe that is a sheep praying help me
3:03	Lord and that would actually be
3:05	frightening to the devil sheep
3:08	desperately need a shepherd and we
3:11	desperately need the Lord to protect us
3:15	to provide for us and to love us that’s
3:19	the first thing that God is saying here
3:21	I am your
3:23	Shepherd therefore says David I shall
3:26	not
3:27	want that does not mean that David
3:30	doesn’t want things David wants lots of
3:33	things a lot of which is probably
3:35	selfish just like you and I are selfish
3:40	but that’s not what’s being said here I
3:42	shall not want means I shall not be in
3:45	want my heavenly father gives me all
3:49	that I truly need he provides for me and
3:52	he protects me so I can be at peace now
3:56	peace that’s a concept that is foreign
3:59	to us we talk about it but we very
4:03	rarely experience it we have practically
4:05	no way of understanding
4:08	peace if I were to tell you not to worry
4:12	if I said it in Spanish the root would
4:14	be preocupar which would mean don’t be
4:17	preoccupied now you know what it’s like
4:19	to be consumed with a thought or a worry
4:21	that you just can’t get out of your head
4:23	preoccupied right or if I said to you
4:26	don’t worry but in French the root word
4:29	would be
4:31	and that is what we might say don’t be
4:35	disquieted or alarmed in Greek if I were
4:39	to say don’t worry I might say may fobu
4:43	Don’t
4:44	Fear the heavenly father is saying these
4:47	things to you you need not be
4:50	preoccupied or alarmed or afraid why is
4:54	that because he gives you peace he makes
4:57	you to lie down in Green Pastures now if
5:00	you’re a sheep when can you relax and
5:03	rest when can you be safe when your Good
5:06	Shepherd gives you a green pasture nice
5:09	and cozy full of food he leads you
5:12	beside Still Waters now Rough Waters are
5:15	dangerous for sheep they can slip and
5:17	fall and drown but still waters they let
5:21	little lamby lips sip nice cool water no
5:24	worries you see the shepherd gives peace
5:28	he restores my Soul the word Soul susuk
5:33	means the way I think or feel or want
5:36	your Good Shepherd restores the way you
5:39	think and feel and what you
5:42	want he gives you
5:45	peace point two the
5:48	Fulfillment you see how Psalm 23 teaches
5:52	you about your heavenly Shepherd but
5:54	it’s only through the lens of the cross
5:57	that you can see the fullness and the
5:59	Fulfillment of this Old Testament shadow
6:02	in John chap 10 Jesus says I am the Good
6:08	Shepherd now this is kind of technical
6:10	so please hang in there with me when
6:13	Moses asked the name of God the Lord God
6:15	said that his name was I am tell them
6:18	that I am has sent you God told
6:21	Moses when Jesus came he used the name
6:25	of God for himself it’s very clear in
6:28	the original language because Jews would
6:30	not say the Divine name for fear of
6:33	blasphemy taking the name of the Lord
6:35	thy God in vain but Jesus said I am I am
6:41	the bread of life I am the resurrection
6:44	and the life and in this scripture Jesus
6:46	said I am the Good Shepherd with those
6:51	very words I am Jesus was claiming to be
6:55	the great I am the god of the Old
6:58	Testament and Jes Jesus said it this way
7:01	I am the Good
7:03	Shepherd again it’s easy for us to miss
7:05	it in English but it’s very important in
7:08	Greek Jesus said ego me I Amo Pan the
7:14	shepherd ho Kalos the good now we don’t
7:18	talk like that we say the Good Shepherd
7:21	but this construction has a noun
7:23	shepherd and a predicate adjective good
7:26	both preceded by an article the it says
7:29	literally the shepherd The Good the
7:33	repeating of that article makes Shepherd
7:35	and Good Very emphatic and extremely
7:39	unique Jesus is not just a Shepherd he’s
7:42	the shepherd and there’s no other
7:44	Shepherd like him he’ll soon tell you
7:47	why and Jesus Is Not Just a Good
7:50	Shepherd like so many other reasonably
7:52	good Shepherds or contrasted with those
7:54	bad Shepherds no this construction makes
7:57	it clear that Jesus is unique in his
8:01	goodness his Excellence he is beyond
8:05	what any other Shepherd possibly could
8:08	be again he will tell you why he is the
8:13	Good Shepherd John
8:16	10:1 because the Good Shepherd lays down
8:20	his life for his
8:22	sheep the Sheep were going to be blood
8:26	offerings for the Jewish
8:28	sacrifices
8:30	the Sheep were used for the Passover
8:32	Lamb whose blood would be painted on the
8:34	doorpost so the angel of death would
8:36	pass over and the sacrificial sheep were
8:39	used to atone for the sins of the
8:42	priests and the people of Israel but the
8:46	Good Shepherd has other plans for his
8:49	sheep he does not give his sheep for
8:52	sacrifice indeed he himself is the
8:57	sacrifice the Good Shepherd be becomes
9:00	the sacrifice because to him his sheep
9:03	are more precious than his own
9:07	life see what the Good Shepherd does in
9:10	his substitutionary death he who was
9:14	rich becomes poor for us but through him
9:19	we poor become rich in him and he who
9:24	was righteous becomes sinful for us he
9:28	has all the sin of the world but through
9:31	him we sinful become righteous by grace
9:36	through faith in him and he who is the
9:39	Lord of life becomes dead for us but
9:43	through him we dead ones become alive
9:46	forever in him we can read the 23rd
9:50	psalm now through the lens of the
9:53	Cross he leads me in the paths of
9:57	righteousness for his name’s sake
9:59	now for the Jew the only path of
10:01	righteousness was to perfectly keep all
10:04	of The Commandments of God but no one no
10:08	not one of us can rightly keep all of
10:12	God’s Commandments his Commandments are
10:14	not just about our actions but also
10:17	about our hearts so we also are judged
10:20	for our selfish thoughts and our desires
10:24	have mercy on us and he
10:27	has our real problem is is that in each
10:30	and every thought our or action even our
10:33	most gracious and kindly thoughts and
10:35	actions there’s always some component of
10:38	selfishness in each and every case we
10:42	break the first commandment having some
10:44	other God before our heavenly father
10:47	that other God is
10:49	ourselves so how can we ever be
10:52	righteous how can we ever be
10:55	saved Jesus the Good Shepherd lays down
11:00	his life for his sheep he is our
11:03	substitute indeed he is our perfectly
11:07	obedient
11:09	substitute doing what we could not do to
11:12	give to us what we could not earn
11:16	righteousness now he has placed upon you
11:20	a robe of righteousness you are
11:23	righteous spiritually born again and not
11:26	only does God see you as righteous but
11:28	you actually are able to do acts of
11:31	righteousness by grace through faith in
11:34	Jesus Christ God births in you a new
11:40	spirit and God restores your soul the
11:44	way you think and feel and want it is
11:49	incredible so yay though I walk through
11:52	the valley of the shadow of death I will
11:54	fear no evil for thou art with me thy
11:58	rod and thy staff they comfort
12:02	me the Good Shepherd not only lays down
12:06	his life for his sheep but he alone is
12:08	able to take it up again a human
12:11	Shepherd may lay down his life but then
12:14	the Sheep are alone without a protector
12:17	or a provider Jesus has the power to lay
12:20	down his life and he has the power to
12:24	take it up again no human being can do
12:27	that when Jesus
12:29	takes up his life again it is to destroy
12:34	the wolf to defeat the enemies of the
12:37	sheep Jesus the Good Shepherd who
12:42	carries the ultimate rod and staff oh
12:47	the rod was a club a weapon and Christ’s
12:51	weapon is his blood which he shed on the
12:54	cross through it he cleanses his sheep
12:57	and he destroys the enemy enemies of the
13:00	sheep our sin is washed away we’re
13:02	covered with a new robe of righteousness
13:04	and we’re able to stand before God in
13:07	Christ and the staff that was a stick
13:11	with a crook on the end that rescued
13:14	Wayward sheep and helpless Lambs
13:17	Christ’s staff is the cross with
13:21	outstretched arms he gathers all who
13:24	believe and receive his mercy and his
13:27	love we will walk through the valley of
13:30	the shadow of death but we will fear no
13:32	evil for he is with us and we shall not
13:37	die but live and declare the works of
13:39	the Lord Jesus Christ and what he has
13:42	done for
13:44	us thou preparest a table before me in
13:47	the presence of mine enemies thou
13:49	anointest my head with oil my cup
13:51	runneth over the Jew thought that this
13:54	was a part about being welcomed a
13:57	greeting as a visitor
14:00	a guest in a
14:02	household their custom was to put
14:04	scented oil on the head and a to provide
14:07	a mixture of water and wine for drink
14:10	but you see this is just a shadow of the
14:13	true Hospitality of the Good Shepherd
14:16	you and I were brought into his family
14:21	we were made members of the Divine
14:24	Trinity you are given their name at the
14:27	moment of your baptism baptized in the
14:30	name of the father and the Son and the
14:33	Holy Spirit you didn’t earn it it was a
14:35	gift that he gave to you and your head
14:38	was anointed with the sign of the cross
14:41	Jesus made you a member of his Heavenly
14:44	family and as such you are invited to
14:46	his table the holy table where Jesus
14:50	himself is the heavenly host and Jesus
14:53	himself is the holy Feast today Heaven
14:57	comes down to us and we are joined to
14:59	God and to the entire one holy Christian
15:03	and Apostolic Church through the Divine
15:05	supper of the body and blood of Jesus
15:09	the miraculous bread of life and the cup
15:12	of his blood that runneth over and yet
15:16	is ever filled with the Forgiveness of
15:19	our sins and the promise of eternal
15:23	life
15:26	conclusion because Jesus is the good
15:29	Shepherd your Good Shepherd he has a
15:33	promise for you surely goodness and
15:37	mercy shall follow you all the days of
15:40	your life and you will dwell in the
15:43	house of the Lord
15:46	forever beloved This Promise is not
15:50	because you and I are such great Sheep
15:54	No but it is because we call upon the
15:57	one who loves us and saves us because he
16:03	truly is the Good
16:07	Shepherd thanks be to
16:09	God
16:18	[Music]
16:27	Amen