The Sheep and the Shepherd

The Sheep and the Shepherd

Misericordias Domini – 4/19/2026

John 10:11-16

Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our reading from the holy Gospel according to St. John in the tenth chapter with special emphasis on verse eleven which reads as follows:

                [Jesus said], “ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

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

There is a deep and persistent longing in the human heart to be known, to be protected, and to be led. We feel it most clearly when life becomes unstable. That is, it becomes very apparent when plans unravel, when sickness comes, when guilt presses in, or when death draws near. In those moments, we are forced to reckon with something we often try to ignore: we are not as strong, as self-sufficient, or as secure as we would like to believe.

Scripture describes us in a way that cuts against our pride. It calls us sheep. Not lions. Not independent wanderers forging our own path. Sheep. Creatures that are prone to stray, easily frightened, and unable to defend themselves against real danger. Left alone, sheep do not thrive. They become lost and they perish.

But the Word of God does not stop there. In Ezekiel 34, the Lord speaks a powerful promise into that reality: “Behold, I, I Myself will search for My sheep and will seek them out.” This is not the promise of a distant God. This is the promise of a God who sees the condition of His people and resolves to act. In the Gospel of John, Jesus stands before the people and declares, “I am the Good Shepherd.”

This is not a gentle metaphor meant to comfort sentimentally. It is a claim of divine identity. The Lord who promised in Ezekiel to shepherd His people is now standing among them in the flesh.

But what makes Him the Good Shepherd is not merely that He guides. It is that He lays down His life. And this brings us to the heart of the Gospel: the Shepherd becomes the Lamb. The One who seeks the sheep becomes the sacrifice for them.

Jesus the True Lamb

When Jesus says, “The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep,” He is speaking with deliberate clarity. This is not accidental. This is not tragic misfortune; it is His purpose. From the beginning, the Scriptures prepared us for this. The entire sacrificial system of the Old Testament, every lamb offered on the altar, every Passover meal, every drop of blood shed in the temple, was pointing forward to a greater reality.

The prophet Isaiah described it in unmistakable terms: “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.” And now St. Peter, in our Epistle, declares its fulfillment: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree.” This is what it means that Jesus the true Lamb. Not simply that He is meek or gentle, but that He is given over to death as a substitute. Peter says, “He Himself bore our sins.” That means your sins. Your specific failures. Your hidden guilt. Your wandering heart. Your pride. Your lovelessness. Your neglect of God’s Word. Your indifference to your neighbor. All of it is laid upon Him.

This is the great exchange at the center of the Christian faith. He takes what is yours, sin, guilt, death, and gives you what is His: righteousness, forgiveness, life. This happens through  His suffering. “By His wounds you have been healed.” The healing of your soul, your standing before God, your eternal life is accomplished through His wounds.

This stands in stark contrast to how we often think about overcoming our problems. We imagine that healing comes through effort, through improvement, through becoming better versions of ourselves. But Scripture says something far more radical: your healing comes from outside of you. It comes through the suffering and death of another. That is why John the Baptist points to Jesus and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Not covers it temporarily. Not overlooks it. Takes it away. So when you hear that Christ is the Lamb, you are hearing the assurance that your sin has been dealt with fully and finally. There is no remainder left for you to carry. There is no debt left for you to pay.

Jesus the True Shepherd

But Jesus is not only the Lamb. He is also the Shepherd. And this is where the Gospel moves from atonement to care, from sacrifice to ongoing life under His guidance. In Ezekiel 34, the Lord condemns the shepherds of Israel, the leaders who failed in their duty. Instead of strengthening the weak, they exploited them. Instead of seeking the lost, they allowed them to scatter. Instead of protecting the flock, they abandoned it. And into that failure, God speaks a promise: “I Myself will be the shepherd of My sheep.”

In John 10, Jesus declares that this promise is fulfilled in Him. He is not a hired hand. He is not a temporary caretaker. He is the Shepherd who belongs to the sheep—and the sheep belong to Him.

And what does He do as the true Shepherd? He knows His sheep. “I know My own and

My own know Me.” This knowledge is not superficial. It is not the knowledge of a distant observer. It is intimate, personal, and complete. He knows your life in its entirety. He knows your struggles, your doubts, your fears, your sins, and yet He claims you as His own.

This is a source of profound comfort. You are not one among many in an anonymous crowd. You are known individually by the Shepherd. He calls His sheep. Earlier in John 10, Jesus says that the sheep hear His voice. This is how He gathers and sustains His flock, through His Word. Not through coercion, not through manipulation, but through the voice of the Gospel. This is why the preaching of Christ crucified is central to the life of the Church. It is the Shepherd speaking. And through that Word, He creates faith, strengthens it, and preserves it.

He gathers His sheep. “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also.” This points to the expansion of the Church beyond Israel, to the Gentiles, to the ends of the earth.

But it also reminds us that the Church is not a human organization built by our efforts. It is the work of Christ. He gathers. He brings. He unites. “So there will be one flock, one Shepherd.”

He protects His sheep. Jesus contrasts Himself with the hired hand, who sees the wolf coming and flees. The hired hand is concerned for himself. The Shepherd is concerned for the sheep. And here again, we see the connection to His death. The way He protects the sheep is by confronting the wolves of sin, death, and the devil, and defeating them through His own sacrifice.

This means that the greatest threats to your life have already been overcome. Death has lost its sting. Sin has lost its condemnation. The devil has lost his claim. He restores His sheep. Peter says, “You were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” Notice that this return is not something you accomplish on your own. It is the result of His seeking, His calling, His bringing you back. This is ongoing. The Christian life is not a one-time return, but a continual being brought back by the Shepherd’s voice again and again, through repentance and forgiveness.

Conclusion

So who is Jesus? He is the Lamb who is sacrificed for sinners. He is the Shepherd who seeks, gathers, protects, and restores His flock. These are not separate identities, but they are the same Person. They are one unified work of salvation. The Shepherd lays down His life as the Lamb. And the Lamb who was slain rises again to shepherd His people forever. This means your sins are truly forgiven, not because you have improved, but because Christ has died. It means you are not alone or abandoned, not because life is easy, but because the Shepherd is with you. It means your future is secure, not because you can control it, but because the One who holds you has already overcome death. Even now, He is actively shepherding you.

Through His Word, He speaks. Through His Sacraments, He gives. Through His Church, He gathers and sustains. When you feel lost, He seeks you. When you are burdened by sin, He absolves you. When you are weak, He strengthens you. When you face death, He leads you through it into life. “The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” And having laid it down, He has taken it up again. He lives. And because He lives, you are safe in His care. You are His sheep. He is your Shepherd. And He will not lose you.

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

 The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] John 10:11 English Standard Version. All further quotations from the Holy Scriptures are from the ESV.