Exhortation, Second Sunday of Advent

As we’ll see in the sermon this morning, in the Bible a “shepherd” is a king. Shepherds lead, guide, rule, control, feed, discipline, and judge their sheep. To say that Jesus is the Good Shepherd is to say He’s king of His people, king of all.

Jesus’ kingship is not of this world. When Jesus speaks of Himself as the Good Shepherd, He declares that all who came before were thieves and robbers. The world’s shepherds dominate and oppress. Instead of feeding their sheep, they eat them; instead of seeking the best for their sheep, the shepherds exploit them for their own benefit.

The Good Shepherd isn’t surrounded by servants; instead, He serves. He doesn’t flee self-protectively when wolves come, but remains at his post to protect the sheep. He doesn’t sacrifice the sheep for His own convenience, but sacrifices Himself. He doesn’t kill; He lays down His life for the sheep.

This is the form that kingship always takes in the Bible. You know a king because he’s the one who’s willing to die for His people. You know a king because he’s the one bearing a cross.

So: You want to be a king? You want to be a king in your home, with your wife and children cheerfully submitting to you? You want to be a ruler in your vocation, recognized for your talent and accomplishments? You aspire to be a shepherd in the church? Jesus’ gives this simple formula for kingship: If you want to be a king, prepare to die.