Sermon -- 4th Sunday of Easter (April 26, 2026)

THE GOOD SHEPHERD BRINGS ABUNDANT LIFE.

JOHN 10:1-10 

In the name + of Jesus.

M:       Alleluia!  Christ is risen!

C:        He is risen indeed!  Alleluia! 

     The entire tenth chapter of St. John’s Gospel is devoted to Jesus as the Good Shepherd and we as his sheep.  Many people are insulted by the idea of being called a sheep.  Sheep are considered to be gullible, stupid, defenseless, and harmless.  The truth is, sometimes we are gullible, buying into worldly attitudes.  We are stupid in giving into sins when we know better.  We are helpless and defenseless against our foes.  None of us can erase our sins.  None of us can evade death or the judgment that follows. 

     Those who hold a high opinion of themselves would never humble themselves to be compared to a sheep.  But our Lord warned, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled” (Matthew 23:12).  There is an adage that says, “A man who has himself has a lawyer has a fool for a client.”  It is all the more true that a man who has himself as his own Savior is a fool.  Anyone who is too proud to be a sheep and to have Jesus as his or her Good Shepherd will die outside of God’s grace and mercy.  Pride may win points in this world.  People who defy God with bold assertions may impress us with their confidence.  But pride and boldness will have terrible consequences in the judgment that is coming.

     Before Jesus speaks about himself as the Good Shepherd, he introduced this image: “I am the door for the sheep.  All who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.  I am the door.  Whoever enters through me will be saved” (John 10:7-9).  The door is the only legitimate way into a home.  If someone climbs through a window, there is a problem.  Either he locked himself out or he is an intruder.  Either way, it is not normal. 

     Just as the door is the only right way to enter a house, so also Jesus is the only way to enter the kingdom of God.  That’s because Jesus is the only one who enables us to stand before the Lord without fear.  This is what the Lord says, “Who may go up to the mountain of the LORD?  Who may stand in his holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, whose soul is not set on what is false, who does not swear deceitfully” (Psalm 24:3-4).  Who is up to that?  Who can boast that his hands are clean from obscene or threatening gestures, from grabbing after what God has forbidden, or from being tight-fisted to the needy?  Who can claim that his heart is pure and free from lust, greed, anger, jealousy, falsehood, or self-worship?  If we do not have clean hands and a pure heart, we cannot stand before the Lord.

     Jesus is the door to the kingdom of God.  Jesus is the way into God’s holy place.  That’s because Jesus’ clean hands have touched and blessed the sick and dying.  Jesus’ innocent hands bear the marks of the nails which give evidence that he gave his life as the payment for our sins.  Jesus’ pure heart always had compassion for sinners.  Jesus’ pure heart moved him to take the lowest place as one convicted, condemned, and cursed for us.  And Jesus’ pure heart was pierced to produce a flow of water and blood which provide perfect cleansing from every iniquity.  Jesus’ innocence covers our guilt.  Jesus’ purity cleanses us from all filth.  The only way to stand in the Lord’s holy place is if we enter his presence through Jesus.  The only way to an abundant life is through Jesus.

     Jesus said, “I am the door.  Whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture.  A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:9-10).  The Good Shepherd brings abundant life.  He did not come to get something out of you, as if he needs anything from you.  Jesus said, “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).  There are always people who want to take advantage of you.  This is one big reason we hate telemarketers.  No one who sees “Potential Spam” show up on his cell phone thinks, “Oh, good!  Someone is calling me to make my life better and easier and give me a great deal in doing it!”  No, we consider it an invasion of our time and a threat to our finances. 

     Jesus, however, is not out to fleece the flock or rob you of anything.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and everything Jesus does is for the good of the flock.  He has come to comfort, to protect, to encourage, and to save.  If Jesus kills anything, it is your sinful nature which needs to be put to death so that you will be raised up as a new creation.  If Jesus destroys anything, it is the kingdom of the devil so that you are released from the devil’s claims and influence.  If Jesus steals anything, it is you whom he has stolen from the icy grip of death.  The Good Shepherd brings abundant life.

     What do you consider an abundant life?  Let’s reshape the question.  When you think of someone who has lived life to the full, who comes to mind?  Titans of industry like J.D. Rockefeller or Cornelius Vanderbilt?  They had enormous fortunes that allowed them to live lavish, pampered lifestyles.  Or maybe top tier celebrities whose fame gives them access to just about any place they want to go.  Or maybe world leaders whose power shapes a nation or the world.  Maybe for you, life to the full is boiled down to having a long life with lots of friends.  

     Fine; but understand this: Even if you should enjoy a lavish life and a pampered ego, these are focused on the here and now; and the here and now is soon over and gone.  And none of those things delivers forgiveness of sins or delivers you from the grave.  On her deathbed, Queen Elizabeth I cried out, “All my possessions for a moment of time.”  In the end, she got neither.  But with Jesus, you receive heavenly riches and endless time.  Jesus promises, “I am the door.  Whoever enters through me will be saved” (John 10:9). 

     The Good Shepherd brings an abundant life.  Too often, we limit that to eternal life.  On the one hand, that is what we long for because we know the benefits that await us at the resurrection.  Oh, to have a life that does not know sorrow or loss!  Oh, to have a home where there is no fighting, a workplace where there is no pettiness, a community where there is no crime or danger!  We long for bodies that are healthy and strong, for eyesight that is not blurred, for ears that no longer need us to keep asking, “Can you repeat that?”  We long for gardens without weeds, for cabinets without medication, and for seasons without allergies.  And do you know what?  Your Good Shepherd will bring you to that perfect life.  The Good Shepherd who passed through death will have you pass through the valley of the shadow of death to life eternal.  And that life is eternal, glorious, and perfect.  The Good Shepherd brings an abundant life.

     So, what does he do for you in the here and now?  Dear Christians, the Good Shepherd still brings you an abundant life!  You live in the same corrupt and cruel world as every other person on earth.  Everyone has to cope with anxiety, uncertainty, and frustration.  Many suffer through these hardships without hope or help, but the Lord Jesus is with you.  The Good Shepherd continues to speak to you.  If you want your Good Shepherd to speak to you, read the Bible.  If you want to hear your Good Shepherd’s voice audibly, read it out loud.  Your Good Shepherd speaks to you to comfort, to strengthen, to encourage, and to admonish you so that you do not drift off into sin and death again.  He guides you through your tears, through trials, and through temptations.  He repeats his promises.  He expresses his faithful love and care.  He guides you to live without fear because your eternal hope is secure.  The Good Shepherd brings an abundant life.

     What’s more, your Good Shepherd does not have you merely survive through your trials and temptations, and amid the turmoil in this turbulent world.  He invites you to feast and to celebrate in the midst of these things.  King David wrote about this in Psalm 23.  He confesses of the Lord, his shepherd, “You set a table for me in the presence of my foes.  You drench my head with oil.  My cup is overflowing” (Psalm 23:5).  This is in the midst of his enemies!  They didn’t go away, but it did not matter.  He got to feast because his Good Shepherd was there with him.

     The same is true for you.  Is the devil going to leave you alone?  No.  Is the world going to learn to behave?  Will it cease and desist trying to entice you away from the Lord?  No.  Will you ever tame your own sinful desires?  No.  All the enemies that seek to bring about your destruction are continually around you.  But Jesus remains with you.  In fact, he sets a table for you in the presence of your foes.  He summons you to come and feast and rejoice here.  He feeds you with the body which has overcome death and sustains your faith.  The cup overflows with God’s salvation.  Week after week, the Lord’s blood is poured into you, and it never runs out. 

     The Good Shepherd always prepares his heavenly feast for you, even in the midst of your foes.  So, the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh do not get to have you.  Instead, Jesus cleanses you of your sin; it cannot condemn you.  The world will pass away, but the Good Shepherd has established you in an eternal kingdom.  The devil snarls and snaps, but Jesus says, “Fear not.  All is well.  My rod and my staff guide you and beat your enemies back.  My peace rests upon you.”

     The Good Shepherd brings an abundant life.  And his gifts are not limited to spiritual gifts, either.  He cares for all your physical needs, and he does not give you the bare minimum.  He provides sunshine, daffodils, art, laughter, butterflies, kittens, strawberries, and bacon.  Even in a broken and bitter world, the Lord presents beauty and gives you reasons to enjoy your life.  The here and now may be temporary, but it can still be good. 

     The Good Shepherd brings an abundant life.  He “calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own sheep, he walks ahead of them.  The sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:3-4).  You are not some nameless, faceless person to him.  Your Good Shepherd knows you.  He likes you.  And he wants you to be his.  That is why he speaks to you, comforts you, feeds you, and protects you.  The path to the heavenly kingdom may be rocky, but the Good Shepherd knows where he is leading you.  He has walked ahead of you through death to the life of glory, perfection, and peace.  He is the one who will lead you there.  He is the only way in.  Enter through the Door.  Listen to your Savior.  Follow your Good Shepherd.  For he, and he alone, brings you abundant life. 

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