Tag Archives: Violence

I Am the Good Shepherd – Sermon on John 10:11-18 for Midweek Lent 3

The Scripture readings for tonight’s service are Psalm 100; Jeremiah 23:1-3; Hebrews 13:20-21; and John 10:11-18.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Picture a father and his daughter. The father works every day to provide food, clothes, and a house for his little girl. His daughter puts on a dress and invites him to her tea parties with all her stuffed animals. Every night, that father sings to his little princess, tucks her snugly under the covers, kisses her forehead, and whispers, “I love you.” All of those actions – his work, his play, and his care –are all ways that father tells his daughter, “I love you.”

Keep picturing that same father and daughter. Now, she’s a teenager and the father is going to meet her at the county fair. He walks through the grounds and sees a crowd standing in a circle. They’re shouting. Dust is flying in the air. The father pushes his way to the center only to find three grown men shoving his daughter to the ground. She’s scraped up and dirty. Her shirt sleeve is torn. That’s his precious girl. So, the father leaps into the fray hollering, “That’s my daughter!” He fights fiercely. He takes some punches in his gut and a few blows to the back of his head, but he begins to get the upper hand. With all his might, he shoves the first man headfirst into a trailer. He spins, winds up, and punches the second man square in the face, knocking him out cold. He locks the third in a chokehold until the man slumps face-down in the dirt.

Now, which version of that father is loving? Is it the father who provides, has tea parties, and quietly tucks the girl in with a kiss? Or is it the father who immediately jumps into a fight, even though he is outnumbered, and rescues her with violence? It’s both, isn’t it? It’s both, and equally so. Tender care and fierce defense are two sides of the same love. The daughter interprets both as her father saying, “I love you, my daughter.”

I mentioned this last week, but it needs repeating. When Jesus declares, “I Am the Good Shepherd,” here, He’s addressing the Pharisees. So, this statement isn’t initially directed to believers to comfort them. It’s judgment on false shepherds. But as Jesus’ sheep, you overhear them and are comforted by them – and rightly so. It’s like the father yelling, “That’s my daughter!” not first to her but to warn the attackers that he’s coming for them. But she hears it and recognizes the echo of him whispering, “I love you, dear girl,” as she is tucked into bed.

This metaphor of God as the Shepherd of His people is all over the Bible. Many of those passages are spoken directly to God’s people as comfort. Isaiah 40:10-11, pictures God tending His flock, gathering lambs in His arms, carrying them in His bosom, and gently leading His sheep. Psalm 78:52 recalls how God led His people like sheep out of Egypt and guided them through the wilderness. And Psalm 23, of course, is David’s song of the tender care of his Shepherd.

But a number of other passages use the same image as a stern warning. Our reading tonight from Jer. 23:1-3 thunders against the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of His pasture. God says, “I will attend to you for your evil deeds. Then I will gather My flock, bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful.”

As I prepared for these services, I had a hard time deciding between using Jer. 23 and another text – Ezk. 34. (I went with Jeremiah because you’ll hear Ezekiel on Easter 3 in about a month.) But as I wrote this sermon, I wished I’d chosen Ezekiel because it lies behind what Jesus says to here in Jn. 10. So, let me summarize it for you now. Ezekiel 34 begins with God’s woe against faithless shepherds. They weren’t caring for God’s sheep; instead, they were using the sheep for their own comfort and benefit. They didn’t strengthen the weak. They didn’t heal the sick or bind up the injured sheep. They did not bring back the strayed or seek the lost sheep. The end result was that God’s flock was scattered over the face of the earth with no one to seek after them (Ezk. 34:1-6). So, God says, “I am against the shepherds and will require My sheep at their hand” (Ezk. 34:7-10).

Then, Yahweh, the Great ‘I Am,’ promises, “I, I Myself will search for My sheep. I will rescue them. I will gather them into their own land. I will feed them in good grazing land and rich pasture.” Then in Ezk. 34:15-16, Yahweh says, “I Myself will be the shepherd of My sheep, and I Myself will make them lie down. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak.”

So, when Jesus proclaims, “I Am the Good Shepherd” (Jn. 10:11), He’s echoing that warning and promise from Yahweh back in Ezk. 34. So, hear this text in that light.

When you lie in the dust, surrounded by enemies, Jesus says, “I Am the Good Shepherd” (Jn. 10:11). He has come to rescue you because you are His. Jesus says, “The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep,”(Jn. 10:11, 17). He has counted the cost and judged you to be worth His blood. Unlike the hireling who flees when he sees the wolf, Jesus stands firm by your side and will never abandon you (Jn. 10:12-13). Jesus knows you and you know him (Jn. 10:14). And notice how intimate this knowing is. Look again at Jn. 10:15, “Just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father.”Dear flock of God, you share that same, intimate fellowship with your Good Shepherd.

There’s one more beautiful aspect to this image of Jesus being your Good Shepherd. It isn’t directly from this text, so I’ve saved it for the end. In this text, Jesus only names the wolf as the enemy of His flock. But the wolf stands in for all your enemies of sin, death, and the devil. We can easily picture two-thirds of that. When the devil comes at you, Your Good Shepherd steps between you and his claws. When death and the grave opens its mouth wide, your Good Shepherd stuffs Himself into its jaws so fully that it gags and has to spit Him out three days later. It easy to picture how your Good Shepherd shields you from the devil and the grave.

But how does Your Good Shepherd stand between you and your sin? Your sin isn’t ‘out there’ like the death and the devil. Sin is the enemy within all of us – in our hearts and minds. In fact, we are sinners. So how could Jesus stand between us and sin? Well, it turns out that the Good Shepherd is also a sheep. Rev. 7:17 says, “The Lamb who sits in the midst of the throne [is your] Shepherd,” and He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29).

Dear flock, your Good Shepherd sought you. He drew near to you. He came so close that He became one of you. He took on your flesh and blood so He could stand between you and the punishment you deserve because of your sin. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, all your enemies are utterly scattered. They flee at the sight of your Shepherd standing by your side.

Dear saints, your Good Shepherd has arrived. He will never leave or forsake you. He has died for you. He forgives all your sins. He is risen and will shepherd you through all the troubles of this life until He brings you to the joys of eternal life with Him in pastures that are forever green. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

The Clash – Sermon on Matthew 11:12-19 for Reformation Sunday

Matthew 11:12-19

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,

17 “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; 
we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Do you believe that God uses the plans and actions of violent men to accomplish His will? I hope you can answer, “Yes.”

We don’t normally think of it this way, but the cross is the greatest example of God’s will being accomplished through the actions of evil men. The very event that won your salvation was the height of mankind’s rebellion against God. The world planned, plotted, and schemed to put the Son of God to death (Mt. 12:14; Mk. 3:6; Jn. 11:47-53). Christ’s death on the cross was the most unjust act ever committed by mankind. Jesus, the only person to ever live a righteous and sinless life, was condemned and crucified. And it was through Christ’s death that death itself was undone. There, on the cross, God won your salvation.

So, if God can accomplish your salvation through the actions of violent men – which He has, He absolutely has – then you don’t ever have to fear any evil in this world. The plans and actions of evil men never stop God and His will. When we see all the violence, upheaval, and opposition in this world, it can be easy to fall into despair and think that God isn’t in control. But He is – no question He is. Christ is still ruling and reigning over all things. And God’s will is still done.

Still today, God destroys and brings to nothing every evil council and purpose of the devil, the world, and our own flesh. His Name is still hallowed. His kingdom still comes. God continues to strengthen and keep us steadfast in His Word and in faith. This is His good and gracious will that we pray would be done in the Lord’s Prayer.

So, believer, every night when you go to bed, you can close your eyes in the peace and comfort of knowing that your sins are forgiven because of what Christ has done. Even as the world constantly clashes against the kingdom of heaven, you have God’s comfort and peace that surpasses all understanding (Php. 4:7).

Ever since the Fall into sin, there has been a clash between fallen humanity and God. This clash is rightly described when theologians make a distinction between believers on earth and believers in heaven. Christian, as long as you are in this world, you are part of the “Church militant,” and when you are removed from this world – either when you die or when Christ returns – you are transferred to the “Church triumphant.”

In this text, Jesus teaches us how to live as members of the “Church militant.” And this is important and helpful instruction because the clash between this fallen world and you citizens of the kingdom of heaven, that clash can make us want to fight back against the world. But you don’t need to fight because Jesus has already won the war.

So, in this text – which is not an easy text – Christ helps you understand how to live when you face violence and opposition in this world. There are two portions of this text that I’ve always found confusing and somewhat difficult. The first deals with the violence the Church faces in this world. The second deals with the world’s opposition and ridicule of the Church. We’ll think our way through each of them; then, we’ll see how Jesus tells us to respond.

The first difficult part is right away in v. 12 where Jesus addresses the violence that faces the Church. Our Lord says, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,” no problems so far. It’s what comes next, “and the violent take it by force.” What is Jesus talking about? Do the violent seize control of the kingdom? No. There’s something else going on. But we have to wade through all of this to get the full picture.

Both John the Baptist and Jesus came preaching the exact same message “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 3:2; 4:17). And the world didn’t like that message. It turns out – surprise, surprise – that people who don’t think they’re sinners, they don’t want to be told to repent. So, they violently attacked the messengers. John’s preaching got him arrested, and soon after this text, John will be beheaded (Mt. 14:1-12). At this point in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is still a couple of years from being crucified, but it’s coming.

That violence against the kingdom of heaven that John and Jesus faced continues to this day. It’s happening all over the world – even here in our country. The shootings at Annunciation School in Minneapolis, the Christian school in Nashville, Charlie Kirk’s martyrdom, and many other events are part of this clash. Today, in North Korea, China, Egypt, and all around the world, Christians are being violently persecuted. Just this week, I saw horrifying statistics from Nigeria. Since the year 2000, 62,000 Christians have been martyred there, and already in 2025, 7,000 have been martyred. Yes, the kingdom of heaven still suffers violence. Lord, have mercy.

So, what does Jesus mean with that last phrase, “the violent take it by force”? Again, it isn’t that the violent gain possession or ownership or control of the kingdom of heaven by force. Instead, they try to take it away by force. In other words, this world actively tries to prevent the coming of God’s kingdom. But they will never succeed.

The second part of the text that can be confusing starts in v. 16 where Jesus is trying to figure out how to describe ‘this generation.’ “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance. We sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’”

In a way, this is a little parable. The generation Jesus is speaking about isn’t just the generation of His time. The children in the marketplace are the same violent people Jesus talked about in v. 12 – it’s the generation of sinners. Sinners aren’t happy with anything. Basically, they say, “We were happy, but you weren’t happy with us. We were sad, and you didn’t get sad with us.” And Jesus goes on to explain that little poem to illustrate how the world reacts to the kingdom of heaven. The explanation is seen in how this generation reacted to John the Baptizer and to Jesus Himself.

In short, neither John nor Jesus followed the world. John wouldn’t dance when the world wanted him to. He came eating locusts and honey, and he wasn’t feasting with them because he was too busy calling them to repentance. They thought John’s preaching was too pessimistic. They figured things weren’t as bad as John said they were. So, they tried to dismiss John saying, “You won’t dance to our flute? You must have a demon.”

But then Jesus came, and He did eat and drink. He went to many feasts throughout His ministry. He went to dinners at Pharisees’ houses (Lk. 7:36ff; 14:1ff). Jesus feasted with tax collectors and sinners (Mk. 2:15-17; Mt. 9:10-13; Lk. 15:1), and the world didn’t like that either. Christ wouldn’t mourn during their dirges and funeral songs. So, just like they did with John, they tried to dismiss Jesus saying, “You’re a glutton, a drunkard,” (both of which are ridiculous accusations), “a friend of tax collectors and sinners.”

In other words, dear saints, you can live a life of fasting that avoids all of the pleasures this world seeks because you know this world is not all there is. And people will respond by calling you evil and demonic. You can also live a life where you participate and eat and drink, and people will say that you are a glutton and a drunkard.

So, Jesus is saying you can’t win with the world. Yes, there is a time for fasting and saying that the things of this world don’t matter. And there is also a time for feasting and enjoying the fullness of the gifts God has given. But it doesn’t matter to the world if you fast or feast, the world is going to hate you – not because of your eating and drinking or your abstaining. The world is going to hate you, dear saints, simply because you are a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.

So, what should our response be? How do we live in a generation that violently attacks and opposes the Gospel?

Well, first, recognize that the kingdom of heaven advances through the simple, unimpressive Word of God that can be attacked and resisted. The kingdom of God advances through the preaching of the Gospel because faith comes by hearing (Ro. 10:17). In other words, listen. Jesus puts it this way, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mt. 11:15).

One of the most important lessons from the Reformation is that we don’t need to talk as much as we need to listen. Christians are first and foremost hearers. You hear the Law which stops your mouth and makes you silently accountable to God (Ro. 3:19). Stop making excuses for your sin and be silent before God. Then, hear the Gospel, which forgives all your sin.

The other response to the violence and opposition from this generation is to patiently wait. Jesus says, “Wisdom is justified by her deeds” (Mt. 11:19). That means that the day is coming when your faith and your identity as a member of the kingdom will be proven true. No one will be able to deny the wisdom you had in confessing your sin and believing in Jesus. That right fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Pr. 9:10).

Christian, you do not need to try to make God’s kingdom come. God is, and He will, bring about the coming of His kingdom. In the meantime, He arms you with the sword of His Word (Eph. 6:17). The sword of God’s Word doesn’t function like any other sword because it is the sword that makes the wounded whole. Use that sword to heal this broken generation. And pray. Pray, “Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word.”

When this world is filled with wickedness, when violence surrounds you, when the evil people oppose you, and when all of this is clashing down around you, remember what Jesus says to you. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk. 12:32). Alleluia! Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.