Chrystus Zmartwychwstał
Prawdziwie zmartwychwstał!

Christ is risen
Truly He is risen! Alleluia

—My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.

I was walking through Wal-Mart the other day… Yes, I know, but at least it was the upscale Wal-Mart over on Route 9 in Halfmoon.

Anyway, I was walking around looking for a household item and I passed through their excuse for a jewelry department. There, right in front of me, was Jesus.

It was a statue of Jesus washing Peter’s feet, probably leftover from the Easter rush. Got to get to Wal-Mart honey and get a statue of Jesus washing Peter’s feet. Grandma will love it.

What stood out for me, however, was the statue’s box. In great big bold green letters it said: —Ceramic Jesus.— In much smaller letters it said, —…washing Peter’s feet.—

Ah yes, ceramic Jesus. The Jesus we all know and love. The clean Jesus, the Jesus that doesn’t talk back, the Jesus that looks like us, the Jesus that fits in with the décor.

Not exactly the Jesus of Good Shepherd Sunday.

Paul and Barnabas had a different Jesus. They were close to Jesus, proximate to Him, and they had met Him. They knew the Jesus that gave them the power and authority to bring the Jews to the fullness of faith, to convert the gentiles, and to rejoice in suffering.

This is the Jesus that prompted jealousy:

When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.

The Jesus that made men bold:

Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly

The Jesus that brings joy to the lost:

The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this
and glorified the word of the Lord.

The Jesus who came to die, and in rising brought eternal life:

All who were destined for eternal life came to believe,
and the word of the Lord continued to spread
through the whole region.

This is the Jesus, the true Word of God, whose rejection equates to evil in the hearts of those who hate Him, both then and now:

The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers
and the leading men of the city,
stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and expelled them from their territory.

Indeed, we, as Christians, know no ceramic Jesus, and if any such ideas creep into our heads we need to reject them.

We need to connect to the very same Jesus who worked through Paul and Barnabas. The Jesus the enables us to speak boldly of our faith, and to suffer if need be. The Jesus Who is the reality of our Easter joy.

We rejoice because the Lamb Who was slain is risen.

We rejoice, not because of our earthly possessions or our good fortune, or our excellent Easter kielbasa. We rejoice because the Lamb, who is the Good Shepherd, is seated on the throne of glory.

We rejoice because we too will stand before Him.

When the sufferings come, and they will; when the persecutions come, and they will; when we are slandered, hated, despised, called names, and called evil all because of His name, because of His teachings, because of our membership in His Church, then the elders will say of us:

“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

For this reason they stand before God’s throne
and worship him day and night in his temple.”

…and Jesus, the Good Shepherd will care for us:

“The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
They will not hunger or thirst anymore,
nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne
will shepherd them
and lead them to springs of life-giving water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

My friends,

This day it is fitting to remember and recall Jesus’ words. Words spoken to every generation, including ours:

“My sheep hear my voice”

Amen Lord, we hear you.

“I know them, and they follow me.”

Lord Jesus, we acknowledge You, proclaim You, and follow You.

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.”

Amen, amen.