Jesus: Pastor

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The Gospel of John is famous for Jesus’s seven I am statements. "I am the bread of life," "I am the light of the world," "I am the door (or gate)," "I am the resurrection and the life," "I am the way, the truth, and the life," “I am the true vine,” and then there’s the one most pertinent to us this morning, “I am the good shepherd.” Or as we’ll be discussing, the good pastor.

Pastor is the Latin word for shepherd. We’ll focus on the Latin translation this morning.

Jesus’s identity as the good pastor is part of the very select “I am” statements. This alone tells us something important. Jesus as pastor is central to who Jesus is. The marks of the good pastor tell us why.

What are the marks of the good pastor?

The first mark of the good pastor, that is Jesus, is selflessness. Verse 11, 15, and 17: The pastor lays down his life for the sheep.

Here’s a second mark – the good pastor that is Jesus, seeks out those who are left behind or left alone, to lift them up.

Let’s turn to Luke 15 and the parable of the lost sheep. The lost sheep parable comes in a line of parables about lost things. Verses 1 and 2 give us the context.

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Jesus tells his 3 lost things parables to explain why he pastors the outcasts, the ritually unclean, those akin to Gentiles, the unchosen.

The first parable is the parable of the lost sheep.

“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

In other words, the good pastor’s top priority is those who are lost, those left behind, those caught in the thickets of life.

More than prophet or poet

Yes, Jesus is a prophet. Yes, Jesus is a poet. But he’s more.  Jesus is primarily the good pastor. As the good pastor, Jesus practices what he preaches as a prophet and poeticizes as a poet.

To see this, let’s turn to Jesus introducing his ministry in Luke 4. He does this by quoting the prophet Isaiah. Usually, these words are seen as prophetic in nature. But we mustn’t miss Jesus the pastor:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to set free those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Yes, Jesus says, I’m here to preach and proclaim the good news to the vulnerable, the poor, the prisoner, the blind. That’s what a good prophet does. But Jesus is more than just a prophet using words.

Look at the end of verse 18. It might get lost. Jesus doesn’t just preach and proclaim as a prophet. He acts. He practices his craft as the good pastor. He sets the oppressed, those caught in the thickets of life, free! He sends forth those who are lost and left behind into the free pasture of the kingdom!!

Shepherding all home, and making sure the most vulnerable are there especially – that is what Jesus in the end is all about. Jesus as the good pastor makes sure that no one is forgotten or left behind or lost in the thickets.

A special kind of lost in the thickets of life.

Let me say a word here about a special kind of getting lost in the thickets. Lost in the thickets, that to me is a perfect metaphor of how grief and a grave sense of loss feels.

Have you ever experienced the thickets of grief and loss? If so, you know what I mean.

Human life by nature is focused on life moving forward. But what happens when you can’t move forward? What happens when the loss of a loved one stops you cold in your tracks, and you get stuck, frozen while everyone else is racing ahead? That’s the thickets of grief.

And here’s the thing, when you are grieving, you want to hide and stay hidden. You want to be lost to the world. You can’t help yourself from purposely hiding away.

Jesus knew this, experienced this.

Matthew 14:12-13

 His disciples came and took the body and buried John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin; then they went and told Jesus…  Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself.

This makes sense. Only someone who knew the thickets of grief could meaningfully say, “Blessed are you who grieve, for you will be comforted.” To the grieving, Jesus says, I see you. In seeing you, I offer comfort, even in the thickets.

Leadership of the good pastor

Lastly, when we think of the pastor, we also might think of someone leading a community. This certainly applies to Jesus, too. Jesus leads and builds the kingdom of God, a community living out the reality of compassion and grace.

And who does Jesus bring with him and welcome first?

Last week, I watched the Bob Dylan bio-pic, A Complete Unknown. Of course, that movie included the iconic early Dylan song, “The Times, They Are-a Changin.’” That song paints the picture of a new age, a new path forward, one that overtakes the old age, an aging road.

The new age and path forward Dylan’ describes in his song, it could easily apply to the Kingdom of God Jesus preached and makes real. Here,

“The loser now, will win…
The first one now, will be last.”

In having the once losers, and the last – the least – help him lead, Jesus saw something profound. Research now suggests what Jesus knew to be true - those at the bottom are quicker to trust God’s compassion and to show compassion.

To Jesus, it is crucial to start the kingdom with those who know what it means to be lost in the thickets. Why? Those who know what it means to be lost in the thickets rely on God’s compassion and grace to get by, first of all. They are also quicker to show compassion and grace in turn, helping the struggling up and out!

Are you experiencing the thickets? Of life, of grief, of loneliness?

Remember your history book and the old print of Uncle Sam pointing out, as if at you with the words beneath reading, “I want you.”

If you know the thickets, if you know grief, if you know loneliness and the feeling of not belonging, Jesus is pointing at you and saying I want you!

Your suffering and sorrow can only help you see other’s suffering, feel compassion, and show empathy.

Christ’s compassion and grace saves us. So, it only makes sense that your compassion and grace will join Christ’s, serving as the cornerstone of the kingdom.

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