Rev’d Mark B. Stirdivant, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yucaipa, California
✝ sdg ✝

How do you “make a name for yourself?” That is, get yourself distinguished so that you stand out from all those others who have done your job first. How do you try to compete for mother of the year, when you see there are so many good contenders? Or are you going to make a name for yourself, take a risk and make an impression that no one will ever forget?

Jesus causes quite a stir as John reports his conversation with the Jews in the Jerusalem Temple. The Evangelist specifically says that it’s the winter Feast of Dedication—they’re celebrating Hanukkah. Several decades before, brave Judas Maccabeus and his rag-tag family militia overcame the mighty occupying army and recaptured, and rededicated, the Temple—the very land on which Jesus and His hearers were standing at that moment. There was a real hero. Judas Maccabeus started humble and ended victorious and powerful. Anyone who walked in his shoes would have to be a great and noble leader, the only true hope of making Israel a dominant political power ever again.

So here it is, Hanukkah in Jerusalem, and Jesus is strolling through the courts of the temple. He is well-known by now. His teaching is repeated, His miracles are recounted again and again, and multitudes follow Him wherever He goes. Lots of eyes are on Him, because Judea finds herself in need of another hero, another deliverer. Could Jesus be the Messiah, the Christ they’ve been waiting for? He has potential-He can heal the sick and even raise the dead. But at the same time, He lacks the political zeal of a Judas Maccabeus, and shows no military aspirations against the Romans. Is He the Messiah, or isn’t He?

The suspense is overwhelming, so finally the Jews confront Him: “How long do you keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Please note Jesus’ response, for He says so much as He speaks to them.

“I told you, and you did not believe,” says Jesus. He points to the works, the miracles that He does in God the Father’s name, works which the Old Testament said would identify the Messiah. He points to the Word that He speaks with His voice, the Word that gives eternal life to His sheep. He tells them that He has such power and authority that no one can snatch His people out of His hand. He tells them that He and the Father are one.

So, this man Jesus is also fully God who fulfills the Word, works miracles and gives eternal life to all who hear His voice and believe. Is He the Christ? Without a doubt, yes; and He’s made it very clear to them by all that He has said and done. It is not that He is keeping them in doubt, but that they are keeping themselves in doubt by refusing to believe. It’s not that He hasn’t told them plainly, but that they’re looking for a different answer. They want another warrior and conqueror like Judas Maccabeus; this Jesus doesn’t call Himself a warrior, but a shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.

But if Jesus has made it so clear-and if it makes so much sense and He’s confirmed by the Word, why don’t they believe in Him? It is certainly plain to you and me that He is the Christ, so what’s the difference? It’s because they don’t have faith. The Savior stands before them, speaking His faith-giving Word, but they refuse to believe in Him. The Shepherd calls them, but they don’t want to be His sheep. To them, Jesus is no good because He’s no Judas Maccabeus. It’s true: He’s not like anyone who came before Him. In fact, He’s far superior, as superior as God is to man. Judas fought and died, and whatever freedom he won was eventually lost. Jesus will suffer and die; but then He will rise again from the dead. He gives His people eternal life, and no one will snatch them out of His hand.

Our Savior is far beyond imagination and intellect. Jesus is beyond comparison with anything this world has known. It is our joy and privilege as Christians to proclaim Jesus Christ, yet it is at the same time, our challenge to proclaim Him faithfully. We rejoice, therefore, to declare the facts that come so naturally to us. We have big celebrations here in church, year in and year out, because the Son of God took on human flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary. The holy and righteous Christ, purer than any dedicated temple building could ever be, who lived a perfectly sinless life, also suffered and died on the cross for the sins of the world. We also joyfully confess that He rose again from the dead on the third day, that He lives and reigns to all eternity, and that He continues to minister to us through His Holy Spirit, providing all that we need for this life and for eternal life.

We believe this to be true because the Lord declares it true in His Word. However, all of this is beyond man’s imagination, intellect and comprehension. It’s so good, that human reason thinks of it as out of reach. A perfect God who becomes flesh may be nice as an abstract concept; but in this world where nothing is flawless, it sounds too perfect. A God who is holy and demands obedience, that is logical; but the same God offering His Son as the Sacrifice for the sins of the world just does not make sense. The human mind wants a god that it can grasp and fully comprehend. A God who is greater than that is too unbelievable in our so-called real world.

Now, let’s be clear. The problem is not that Jesus is too great to be believed in, too good to be true; people often use that conclusion as a cop-out, but the problem does not lie with the Lord. Neither is the problem with the limited powers of our human mind- even if it were true that we simply weren’t created in such a way that we can comprehend all things, for we are the creature, not the Creator. The true problem is sin. It’s that original sin that blinds us to God’s Word. It’s that Old Adam in us that has no intention of letting us believe in a God who is greater than that which we can grasp or control.

The problem does not lie with Jesus and who He is. The problem lies with us; and the problem is sin and lack of faith. It is not merely a matter of misunderstanding, nor is it that the Gospel is just too complex for people. The problem with us sinners is that sin prevents us from believing. We want a personal Savior, a Judas Maccabeus hero to come to our rescue and help us out of our everyday jams. It’s easy to find preachers who will portray our Lord as the one to satisfy all our needs; He’s that good buddy

who can scratch all our itches. We’re all too willing to fit Jesus into the mold of our favorite hero. It may draw people into church if we should identify needs that people think they have and then meet them with a modified, more attractive Gospel package. But in our Godly urge and push to save the lost for Christ, have we drowned out the one thing that truly will save them? For that is the still, small voice of our Good Shepherd.

Hear the words of Jesus, your Good Shepherd, He says: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Our Christian task, our evangelism is centered on hearing that voice of our Lord, the Good Shepherd. God in our daily life in this world calls us to faithfulness: Faithfully preserving the Word of God in its truth and purity, and faithfully proclaiming that Word to all who will hear. And remember most especially, the Good Shepherd’s voice is not just comfort and salvation for people who are out there. He is your comfort and salvation, too. Sometimes, a church can become so wrapped up in missions fervor that as she seeks to evangelize others, she fails to evangelize, that is, preach the Gospel to, herself.

Because this is true: Gathered here as the people of God, you are constantly in need of His grace and presence, too. The joyful truth that God has made you His own in Christ does not mean that you do not face all sorts of trial and difficulty. You may be plagued with guilt. You may be frustrated with where your life seems to be headed. Motherhood is not as easy as you imagined. You may face unfair oppression on the job or at school. You may be sick. You may be dying. And with such troubles, you don’t need a Judas Maccabaeus to set you free for only a little while. In this place, and from this pulpit, you don’t need to hear of a moral example or a counselor or a crusader for social justice. You need a Savior, the likes of which have never been in this world, nor ever will be; a Savior who actually saves you for all eternity. So as we have the privilege of proclaiming Jesus Christ to others, so I proclaim Him to you now. He is your Good Shepherd, who has laid down His life on the cross to redeem you, and who has taken up His life again for you. He has suffered the guilt of your sin, and so He declares you forgiven. He preserves you despite the plots of others and the setbacks, for He has promised faithfully to deliver you to heaven. He has borne your infirmities to the cross so that He might deliver you from spiritual illness.

And where no one else can deliver you from death, He declares to you, His sheep, “I give you eternal life, and you will never perish; neither shall anyone snatch you out of My hand.” The promise is sure, for your Good Shepherd is no less than the risen Son of God who speaks to you in the Scriptures today. Therefore, we rejoice this day to hear the Word of our Shepherd, for by that Word He gives us faith to believe in Him. We proudly confess Christ with one another. We give thanks for the privilege of proclaiming His Word to others, for by that Word He freely gives faith so that they might believe. Jesus our Lord made a name for Himself, so He could place that name upon you forever.

In the Name of the Father and of the ✝ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Readings:
Acts 20:17–35 I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
Psalm 23 The LORD is my shepherd
Rev. 7:9–17 a great multitude which no one could number
John 10:22–30 My sheep hear My voice…I and My Father are one.