Second Sunday after Easter

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The inestimability of GOD, who can understand it? — The Old Testament prophets tried to articulate it, even though their descriptives come short – all do. For example, take Elihu, Job’s friend who thought it his duty to remind Job of the inestimability of GOD, in case he forgot it. He says, “Behold, GOD is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered. For He draws up drops of water, which distill as rain from the mist, which the clouds drop down and pour abundantly on man. Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, the thunder from His canopy?” (Job 36.26-29). 

A modern American commentator tried his hand at describing GOD’s inestimable nature and character with the following words: “GOD is the eternal, independent, and self-existent Being; the Being whose purposes and actions spring from Himself, without foreign motive or influence; He who is absolute in dominion; the most-pure, the most complete, the most spiritual of all essences; infinitely perfect, and eternally self-sufficient, needing nothing that He has made; illimitable in His immensity, inconceivable in His mode of existence, and indescribable in His essence of being; known fully only by Himself, because an infinite mind can only be fully comprehended by itself. In a word, a Being who, from His infinite wisdom, cannot err or be deceived, and from His infinite goodness, can do nothing but what is eternally just, right, and kind.”¹ 

And yet, the Collect for the Second Sunday after Easter invites us, we, the infinitely estimable, to ‘receive the infinitely inestimable benefit’ of GOD the Son’s sacrifice for sin, that we ‘might endeavor ourselves to follow in JESUS’ blessed steps of His most holy life.’ — With two masterly touches, today’s Collect summarizes the whole benefit of Divine Redemption. It consists of the provision of a sin offering and a perfect example. And not less happily, it summarizes the duty of a Christian, as consisting, first, in reception, and, secondly, in imitation.² — St. Peter picks up on this prayerful request by saying in today’s Epistle Lesson: “For even hereunto, were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, [being sacrificed for our sin], thereby leaving us an example, that we should follow in His steps – who did not sin, neither was guile found in His mouth” (I Peter 2.21-22).  

That we receive and follow; these are the tenants of Everlasting Life, according to the Bible and the Christian Faith. Yet, we cannot follow until we first believe. — In Article XVIII of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of the Anglican Church, (which hold a significant place in Anglican history as a summary of our Christian doctrine and beliefs), we read the following: “For Holy Scripture doth set unto us only the Name of JESUS Christ, whereby we might be saved”³ — For the believer, these words of the Article are a confirmation of our prayer in today’s Collect: ‘Give us grace that we may always most thankfully receive that his inestimable benefit.’ “In these words, we pray, in effect, for faith in Christ’s sacrifice for sin – the faith whereby the sacrifice may be made available to us. The great doctrine taught in this clause is that faith is reception, according to the word of the Evangelist John. ‘As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of GOD, even to them that believe on His Name.’ (St. John 1.12) To believe on Christ’s name is exactly equivalent to receiving Him. And this reception of Him and ‘His inestimable benefit’ there must be, before there can be, any sincere “endeavor to follow the blessed steps of His most holy life.” — Endeavoring to follow Him who laid down His life, willingly, for us, this is the second step in our journey towards eternal life. 

After receiving by faith, the Name of JESUS, by which, only, one secures salvation for their soul, how do we follow in the blessed steps of His most holy life? — Oddly, many think they have to work to become like JESUS. That is, by their strength and force of will, such a believer in the Name of JESUS takes upon themselves to mount up, again, Golgotha, and reimburse GOD the Father for the gift procured unto us by the Son. — Yet, this is not how one follows JESUS after receiving His Name. If you will, listen to the LORD’s words from St. John’s Gospel, and let us understand together how to follow our Savior. — “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (St. John 10.28-29).  

The way to inherit eternal life from GOD, is to follow JESUS like a sheep follows his shepherd. JESUS says He is the Good Shepherd, and “the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (St. John 10.11). This makes a great deal of sense. — If we are honest, we can agree that our capacity to purchase soul-salvation and a clear conscience from sin is as reliably possible as sheep finding green pastures without a shepherd. This is why the Psalmist, speaking about the LORD JESUS, says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness; For His name’s sake (Psalm 23.1-3). 

By nature, sheep are neither strong, smart, nor brave. They require significant care, if they are not to be snatched up, either by hunger, thirst, thieves, or wolves. This is why a trustworthy and brave shepherd will lay down his life for his sheep. Not as an exchange of the value of life for life, but because a true shepherd will fight to the death for his sheep – He will risk it all for their sakes. Thus, JESUS says He will lay down His life for His sheep. — And for this quality, He reveals Himself a the True Shepherd of our souls. And with such a Shepherd as this, the LORD rightly observes, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (St. John 10.28). — If we have received JESUS as our Shepherd, we will hear His voice, we will follow Him, and we will go where He goes, doing the things He tells us to do, so that we will be well fed with tender spiritual grass, and protected from the wiles of the devil. — If we wander away from our Good Shepherd, then we will not follow Him, nor go where He goes, nor do what He tells us to do. Thus doing, like helpless sheep, we will expose ourselves to eternal danger and spiritual hunger. 

I once heard of a man who inherited a flock of sheep. He did not know how to care for them, for he was a rancher and owned cattle. This rancher was grateful for his inheritance, and wanted to care for the sheep as he was entrusted to do. Knowing at least that the sheep needed to be led out to pasture, since they knew not how to find fresh green grass for themselves, he drove them to an area of his farm that he knew was blossoming with healthy, green grass. Before the sheep could enter this pasture, they had to cross a bridge with a running stream underneath it. Being terrified of water, the sheep would not cross the bridge. It is to them like ‘the valley of the shadow of death.’– No matter how hard the rancher tried to entice and herd the sheep across the bridge by whooping and hollering, the sheep bleated and bleated for hunger, but would not go across the bridge. Though very hungry, the fear of the sheep kept them from obeying the rancher, and they would not cross the bridge and be fed. Discouraged and desperate to make sure the sheep had enough fresh grass to survive, the rancher set himself to praying for GOD’s help.  

That night, after herding the sheep back to their pen to give them water, the rancher retired for the evening and opened his Bible after supper. He turned to St. John 10 and began to read these words of JESUS: I am the Good Shepherd, ‘and when I bring out my own sheep, I go before them; and the sheep follow me, for they know my voice. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.’ (cf. St. John 10,1,4, & 28) — These words gave the rancher an idea. The next day, once he herded the sheep to the same bridge spanning the stream, he spoke to them and told them his intent to feed them tender grass in a field across the bridge in a very calm, kind, and confident voice. Then, doing what ranchers never do, he walked in front of the sheep onto the bridge. He then turned and spoke kindly again to the sheep and assured them of the luscious, green grass that awaited them on the other side of the bridge. He turned and continued to walk, and the sheep, one by one, began to follow him – they trusted him because of his good and kindly words. Desiring to be led, the sheep found confidence in the rancher’s voice, and followed him over their fears, abiding by his example, and found the green pasture they so needed and desired, just as he said.  

JESUS did not claim to be ‘a shepherd’, but ‘The Shepherd’. He was the Shepherd of the faithful remnant in Israel, and He is the faithful Shepherd of the Church today. JESUS gives us this illustration of His spiritual guidance and care for us, because it is very apt and accurate. On this Second Sunday after Easter, the Anglican Divines have pointed out to us that now that we are moving away from Resurrection Day, we must continue to put our trust in the work that JESUS did on the Cross against sin, and the victory over death He accomplished at the Empty Tomb. We are encouraged to put our trust in His Name as sheep put their trust in their good shepherd who leads them to green pastures and still waters. And when we trust Him, we receive all His inestimable, divine, and cosmic gifts of love, faith, and hope. Now … we must simply follow His lead.  

“Do we recognize our Shepherd’s voice in our daily lives, in our praises and thanksgivings, in His Holy Word, in the Eucharistic Feast? Have we felt that we personally and individually, and not merely in the mass of individuals that make up the Church, addressed by Him, – that we are known and called by Him – ‘by name’? If we are, then are we following Him, endeavouring to walk in His ways and obey His words, setting our feet upon the tracks which He has left behind Him all along the sands of human life?”⁵ If we care to have life everlasting, then we must continue in His steps. If we will hear His voice and follow Him, He will lead us from the sheepfold to green pastures; He will not drive us or yell at us, but He goes before us, to prevent any mischief or danger that might meet us, so that we might grow comfortably used to following Him safely unto life. — Life and sustenance, this is what the Good Shepherd JESUS provides for His sheep. — If we would have these, and be led in all Truth, we must receive Him, hear Him, and follow Him. For JESUS says: “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God” (Ezekiel 34.31).  

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given thine only Son to be unto us both a sacrifice for sin, and also an ensample of godly life; Give us grace that we may always most thankfully receive His inestimable benefit, and also daily endeavor ourselves to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen! 

1 Willard, Dallas, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering our Hidden Life in GOD, (Peabody: Harper Collins Publishing, 1998), 168.  

2 Goulburn, D.D., D.C.L., Edward Meyrick, The Collects of the Day an Exposition Critical and Devotional of the Collects Appointed at the Communion, vol. 1, (London: Longmans, Green, & Co., 1874), 224. 

3 Anglican Divines, 1928 Book of Common Prayer, (New York: Anglican Parish Association, 1928), 607. 

4 Goulburn, 226.