“YOU HEAR HIS VOICE”
Saint John 10. 11-16
Misericordias Domini - The Second Sunday after Easter: 30 April Anno Domini 2006
Fr Watson
""I AM the Good Shepherd" says the Nazarene. "I AM the Good Shepherd" says the carpenter's son, the Galilean Rabbi, and the Son of the Blessed Virgin. Because He is indeed the great "I AM" God of God, light of light, He speaks truth and reality. Because He is the Word made flesh and the author of all inspired words reduced to paper, papyrus, scrolls and stone tablets He is also the very author of the 23rd Psalm.
"The Lord is my Shepherd therefore I shall lack nothing" writes David. That is a true statement and situation whether or not you feel it, see it, or even believe it. Sometimes you have trouble believing it. Your sinful condition makes you daily doubt the Word. Your sinful self make you love, trust and obey other things than the Lord only. Your nature does not let you love your brother and sister as God demands. You lack much, but it isn't mammon that you lack. You lack obedience to be sure, but you also lack faith. No, it isn't that you lack saving faith, at least not most of the time, it's that you lack a stronger faith. Faith needs to be constantly fed the object of that very faith; Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's what He does; that's what He's all about. He is the Shepherd and you are the sheep. Shepherds feed sheep.
Jesus your Good Pastor has lead you beside the still waters of your Holy Baptism wherein the raging torrents of the devils' deluge were silenced and you were dipped into the Blood of the Lamb; you were given to take deep draughts of pure water from His riven side. Jesus your Overseer has made you to lie down in the green pastures of His Holy Church. You feed on the grass which is His Word, His Supper, and His Absolution.
But a Shepherd Who is truly a Shepherd does more than feed the flock; He must also defend the flock. Ah, there's the rub. It's hard enough for your "old Adam" hard hearts to accept the fact that your are indeed sheep and must be fed, but it's more difficult for you to see and accept your Shepherd as a fighter. Oh, it's okay that He battled the devil 2,000 years ago; it's okay that Bishop Irenaeus fought the Gnostics, Cyprian the Donatists, Augustine the Pelagians, Leo and Cyril the Nestorians and Luther the Papist synergists. But we all shy away from conflict, strife, battle and harsh sounding words. Repent of this nonsense and read your Bibles. Saint John the Baptizer was very harsh and combative with the enemies of the Word. So was Jesus. So were Paul, Luther, Flacius, Walther, Preus, and others. As David the Shepherd had to physically fight and kill wolf and bear to protect the sheep, so too all true shepherds must fight and come to blows with the enemy. This is true whether it bothers you or not; whether it makes you uncomfortable or not.
Who is the enemy? Well, yes, Islam, and other false religions are foes of pure doctrine (and by pure doctrine we mean Pure Jesus, the purity flowing from His red wounds, from His side as well as off his pure tongue). But also the opponents are your own sinful selves. Those who attack the Word are many times well meaning and as foolish as malevolent. But it matters not their motives, their demeanor, their gentility and seeming good will. All that matters is the Pure Word of God, the faithful confession of the Christ.
Who are the "hirelings" that the Lord so severely chastises? Are the hirelings non-Christians? Are these mercenary "day-laborers" clearly labeled false teaching sects? No, you know better. Hirelings are those who pretend to be Shepherds, who wear the cloak of the Office of the Holy Ministry but shepherd their own bellies on the very flock they are unwilling to defend with their own Words, much less their own blood.
The way to tell the two apart, Shepherds from hirelings, or to tell the Good Shepherd apart from all those who are not with Him, is by His own standard, life and teachings: "The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep." If there's no Blood, no Cross, no preaching of the life, work, passion, and crucifixion of the God/Man, then that putative preacher is villain, hireling and agent of the old evil foe himself.
How can you tell if you are the sheep of His pasture and the flock of His hand? Do you hear His voice? Do you believe Him? He speaks to you in Absolution; believe Him, and know that your sins are forgiven. He speaks to you in the Eucharist; believe Him and be strengthened unto life everlasting. He speaks to you through His Word of Scripture; believe Him and His under shepherds. For when you hear His Word and when you receive Him in His ordinances (the Holy Sacraments) you receive Him who hung and hemorrhaged and died for you and your trespasses. Believe the apostles, evangelists and their successors for He said to them all: "He who hears you hears Me."
Be glad that you are a sheep. He is your Shepherd. Be strengthened and believe more fervently that you are loved; that you are special; that you matter; for He gave His life for you.
In the Name of The Father and of The Son + and of The Holy Ghost