In the Arms of the Good Shepherd
John 10:1-18
When Wally was a young boy, his first experience in church was in Sunday
School, where their art project was pasting little sheep onto a page on which Jesus
was pictured as the Shepherd, carrying one of the sheep in his arms. Wally
remembers thinking, “It would be nice to be that sheep, held in the arms of
that Gentle Shepherd. That’s where I want to be.”
In the past few weeks, Wally often retold that story, saying, “I realize that's
where I am—it's a great feeling to be in the Shepherd's arms."
Shepherding in the
First, they shepherd their sheep in the
Water is scarce, food is rare, and dangers are everywhere. To lead a flock
through the Near-Eastern desert with thieves and hungry animals is still
serious business. These shepherds were men’s men: Their job was rough,
rigorous, and often dangerous.
The desert is a desperate, dangerous place. The desert is where these poor
sheep have to try to survive. Without the shepherd to protect them, provide for
them, and save them from those who are out to get them, they’d surely
perish.
Is there a shepherd that they can trust? Is there a shepherd that will always
seek their best interest? Is there a Good Shepherd?
We live in a world that is very much like the
The 21st Century can easily be seen as a dry, parched desert, populated by
people who are thirsty for meaning in life, hungry for spiritual reality, and
surrounded by the harsh elements that threaten us at every turn. We could go on
and on naming all the things in our contemporary world that threatens our
spiritual well being.
I need a good shepherd, a perfectly caring shepherd, a providing shepherd, a
shepherd that will not only lead me to the place of sustenance, but of abundant
satisfaction! I need a shepherd who is not in it for himself, but is willing to
sacrifice it all on my behalf.
Is there such a shepherd?
Wally’s life and death is a testimony to the fact that there is such a
shepherd. There are several passages in scripture in which Christ is seen as
that Good Shepherd. Jesus loves us and cares for us—like a shepherd cares for
his sheep.
The shepherd and his sheep is more than some sappy, sentimental picture. It is
a bold statement by Jesus as to his personal relationship with his followers,
and what he is willing to do for their sake, on their behalf. It is a bold
statement of what it takes to become a true Christian—how to become a member of
his dearly loved flock of sheep.
And it all starts and ends with the love the Good Shepherd has for his sheep!
I’d like to share with you two insights from what Jesus said in the Gospel
of John, chapter 10.
First, Jesus says that the Good Shepherd has
a personal relationship with each of his sheep (10:1-6, 14-15)
We have heard that phrase referring to the Christian’s connection
with God so much that it may have lost its meaning: “personal relationship.”
Has it become just a stock phrase we use that means nothing, but sounds nice?
What does it mean to have a “personal relationship” with anyone, especially
God?
In the first 6 verses of John’s chapter 10, we see some aspects of this
personal relationship.
Jesus says,
“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate,
but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by
the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and
the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them
out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his
sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a
stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a
stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not
understand what he was telling them.
(John 10:1-6)
Notice that the sheep know the shepherd’s voice and are called by name.
Jesus talks about a common practice in the
How does he do it? Does he look for brands burnt into their skin? No...
According to verses 3 and 4, he calls his own sheep by name, they know his
voice, and they follow him out of the corral. Near Eastern shepherds call their
sheep with a sing-song way that is distinct, and the sheep come to recognize
this peculiar voice and follow it. Even if you were to exchange clothes with
the shepherd and try to call the sheep to follow you, the sheep will look at
you with that blank stare they have and do nothing. They only listen to the
voice they know.
This is how it is for those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
You come to know His voice. You are able to decipher His voice above the clamor
of all the false voices in our culture. You learn to trust that voice and
follow that voice, for when you do it always leads you to the pasture of
satisfaction.
Wally was very fond of calling himself a sheep—ever since he saw that picture
of Jesus holding that sheep in his arms, he has imagined it for himself. And as
his health began to fade over the past fifteen years, he made it clear to
everyone around him that he loved to listen to the voice of his shepherd. He
was a man of the Bible—he listened intently. And now, when the shepherd has
called him out from the rest of the sheep to take him home, he readily and
excitedly listened and followed.
When you become a member of this sheepfold, Jesus, the Good Shepherd know YOU
by name, and speaks to YOU individually by name, even while you are a part of
the entire flock of the church. Are you one of his sheep?
And notice, the sheep are not driven ahead of the shepherd, they willingly
follow the shepherd.
In western sheep herding, they use sheep dogs to drive the sheep where they want
them to go, by force. Not so, here in this picture.The shepherd calls his
sheep, he walks out in FRONT of the sheep, and they FOLLOW. Listen again to
verses 3 and 4: "He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep
follow him because they know his voice."
Jesus is not interested in forcing you to follow him. True Christianity is
never interested in forcing anybody to believe, or to force conversions.
The true Jesus is so attractive and where he leads us is so satisfying that we
sheep willingly follow Him. This is the picture of what it means to be a
disciple of Jesus. The Master leads; the disciple follows.
Wally told us on many occasions that he had learned to trust Jesus. That he
used to be a person who would worry and try to manipulate life in his own
power. But the weakness of his disease-ridden body placed him in a place where
he had to learn to listen to the voice of the shepherd and follow him wherever
he leads. And Wally made it clear to us that this was the best place to be. He
said that he wished he had learned that lesson years before.
Are you trusting Jesus enough to hear His voice and follow Him where He wants
to lead you? It is your choice to follow your loving shepherd. He is calling
you by name, and now he is walking ahead, expecting you to follow him to an
abundant life.
But you’ve got to follow Him! That is what being a Christian means!
The Second insight from this passage is this:
The
Good Shepherd is willing to die for his sheep’s salvation (
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the
Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I
have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They
too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up
again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have
authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I
received from my Father.”
Jesus says that the shepherd laid down his life to provide us salvation. In
this passage, Jesus repeats the refrain (“I lay down my life”) three times, in
verses 11, 15, and 17.This must be pretty important! We should not miss this!
According to Jesus, Salvation takes Sacrifice! The shepherd has decided to
sacrifice his life on our behalf in order for us to be saved!
The picture is this: the sheep are in mortal danger; they need to be saved! The
shepherd is willing to give up his life in their defense so that the sheep can
be saved! That is what makes him the good shepherd.”
When we choose to enter through the gate, we are part of the flock under the shepherd’s
protection (v. 9, 16; Matt
Jesus says in John 10:9,
"I am the gate; whoever
enters through me will be saved."
Jesus is the gate.
The esteemed Old Testament scholar, Sir George Adam Smith was traveling
throughout the holy land when he came across a shepherd and his sheep. This is
how G. Campbell Morgan relates the story:
The man showed him the fold into which the sheep were led at night. It
consisted of four walls, with a way in. Sir George said to him, “That is where
they go in at night? “Yes,” said the shepherd, “and when they are in there,
they are perfectly safe.” “But there is no gate,” said Sir George. “I am the
gate,” said the shepherd. He was not a Christian man, he was not speaking the
language of the New Testament. He was speaking from the Arab shepherd’s
standpoint.
Sir George looked at him and said, “What do you mean by the gate?” The shepherd
said, “When the light has gone, and all the sheep are inside, I lie in the open
space, and no sheep gets it or out unless they cross my body; I am the gate.”
This reminds us of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road
that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and
narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
(Matt. 7:13-14)
Jesus says that we need to decide to enter the gate. If we never decide to
enter into the sheepfold, we are outside and are still lost in the desert. Today
is the day to enter through the gate and be saved.
If you want to know what Wally was all about, what he was most passionate
about, it is this! His passion was to let people know about the shepherd in
whom he had entrusted his soul! He wanted others to experience the peace and
the hope that he experienced on a daily basis.
I witnessed it first-hand, as many of you here have. Wally’s faith was not
pie-in-the-sky naiveté—his faith was concrete and real. In the last week of
Wally’s life, when the doctor had the “End of Life Talk” with Wally, you would
have thought that Wally had been given a million dollars! His spirits were the
highest during his entire hospital stay when he realized that he would soon be
in heaven with his shepherd. He said to me that he was sad, however, for so
many of the others in the Critical Care Unit—for they must be so frightened! He
wished that they all had the sure hope that he had. He shared this joy and hope
with the nurses and doctors and dieticians—anyone he came in contact with. I
witnessed his family during this time—they were deeply sad and were grieving
for the fact that they were going to lose their loved one. But here is the
amazing thing about what I witnessed: That grief, as real and as gut-wrenching
as it was, was mixed with the same amount of joy—for they all knew and believed
as well what Wally believed—that Wally has trusted the Shepherd with his soul.
That he was listening to his shepherd’s voice calling him out from the rest of
the sheep. That the Great Shepherd was picking Wally up into his arms to be
with Him forever. We are told in Isaiah 40:11 that the Lord “tends his flock
like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his
heart” And Wally was ready.
Wally would have been the first one to point out that there was nothing in him
that made him deserving of this great privilege and pleasure. One of his famous
lines was “I’m just a dumb sheep!” What he meant was this: The Shepherd, Jesus
Christ, is the one who laid his life down for the sake of the sheep. Because
Jesus died on the cross, simple sheep like Wally, and me, and you (if you put
your trust in the shepherd) can hear his voice and enter into the green
pastures of heaven one day.
In John 10, verse 16, Jesus says,
"I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them
also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one
shepherd."
Did you know that you are in the Bible? There you are, right there in John
10:16!
Everybody today who hears this
message can be a part of the sheepfold through faith in the Great
Shepherd!
Everyone who will enter through the
narrow gate and accept Jesus Christ as Savior today is in that verse.
That is what Wally wants you to
hear on this day!
Wallace D. “Wally” Musch, age 60, of North
Canton, went to be in the arms of his Shepherd on Sunday evening, January 11,
2004 in Aultman Hospital.
He was a beloved husband, dad and papa. He is survived by his wife of 35 years,
Cherry (Warstler) Musch of North Canton, son Eric (Pam) Musch of Canton,
daughter Wendy (Steve) Nowak of Louisville and grandchildren Jacob, Luke and
Adam Nowak; three brothers, Greg (Ramona) Musch of Georgia and Gary (Tina) and
Ronnie (Leslyn) Musch of California; two sisters, Cathy (Jerry) Fox and Janet
(Marty) Valencia of California; sisters-in-law Glyn (Gary) Anderson of Indiana,
Shelley (Mike) Hale of North Canton; “adopted” family, Jay and Susan Edurese of
Wadsworth, and many precious nieces, nephews, family members and friends.
Wally was born
Wally loved baseball, fishing, building model airplanes, bowling, woodworking,
cooking, eating out, telling Army stories and laughing. No matter what he did,
he sought one thing: to “abide in my Shepherd”—to seek more of God. He directed
Sunday evening children’s church, served on boards, led Bible studies and an
Adult Bible Fellowship, and took Bible and Greek correspondence courses from
Moody Bible Institute. He was a member of The Chapel in
Funeral services will be conducted on Friday, Jan. 16 at
Arrangements under the direction of Karlo & Sons Funeral Home in