Jesus Knows Allan
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
I must confess that I did not get the opportunity to know Allan too well, as he recently joined St. Paul’s. Now, this begs the question; how am I able to stand in this pulpit and preach a sermon at Allan’s funeral? In other words, how am I able to preach today without knowing Allan the way that you have known him? I don’t have all the memories that you have, and I don’t know all the funny stories that you share about Allan. So, again, how am I able to stand in this pulpit and preach when I did not get the opportunity to know Allan? The answer is quite simple: Jesus knows Allan. Yes, I didn’t get to know Allan; however, Jesus knows Allan and knows Him well.
In our reading from the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus say,
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them….”
These are beautiful words, aren’t they? As God’s people, we take great comfort in knowing that by faith in Jesus, we are among the Lord’s flock.
Furthermore, it is a great comfort for you and me this day to know that as we prepare to lay Allan to rest today, that Allan is one of Jesus’ sheep. As a sheep of Jesus, not only did Jesus know Allan, but all the promises of Jesus belong to Allan. For example, in Holy Baptism, Jesus branded Allan as One of His own – marking Allan as one of the redeemed. Indeed, on the day when Allan was baptized, Jesus reached out his hands and took hold of Allan, marking him with the sign of His cross, and said:
“This one is mine. I will not let go of him. For his whole life and for all of eternity, this one belongs to me.”
And so, today, I can share with you that Jesus knows Allan better than I do. And get this, Jesus knows Allan better than you too.
Jesus knows that Allan had his share of struggles, doubts, and fears. You see, Jesus knows the real Allan – the Allan who was a sinner just like you and me. And yet, that is the one that Jesus Loves. None other.
It is the same with all His baptized children. He knows you and me for who and what we really are. He knows and sees our rebellions, our wanderings, and our searching. He sees our tilted halos, our scuffed-up resumes, and our list of failures. Furthermore, He puts up with all the facades that we project – the ways in which we try and pretend that we are righteous and good, the ways we like to pretend that we are unafraid, strong, and invincible. Jesus not only puts up with our silly little games, but He knows that they are silly games, and still loves us the same.
Jesus also says that His sheep know Him, and they follow Him. But follow Jesus where?
Dear friends and family of Allan, when Jesus spoke these words long ago, He was on His way to suffer, die on a cross, and resurrect from a tomb. And so, just as Jesus went to the grave in death, His sheep, like Allan, will follow Jesus into the grave of death.
But dear friends, do not become shortsighted. Yes, Allan has followed Jesus into death, and shortly, Allan will follow Jesus into the grave. However, that is not the only place where Allan will follow Jesus. Allan will also follow Jesus into the resurrection and into eternal joy. And the reason why? Jesus made a promise to Allan long ago. He said,
“I give [my sheep] eternal life; they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
Dear friends, Jesus made that promise of life and resurrection to Allan in His Word, and He keeps it even now.
And so, your dear Allan rests in the hands of Jesus. The hands that are scarred by the nails – the scars that proclaim forever that the Shepherd Himself walked the very path of death that He bids His sheep to walk as well. Do not forget that Jesus has suffered; He entered into death, and He has risen again, which means that Jesus is strong enough to hold His sheep – like Allan - through suffering and death. On the last day, Jesus’ hand is strong enough to pull Allan out of the grave into the resurrection with a renewed body without the effects of sin and death.
Dear friends, even though we will all walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil. The Lord Jesus Christ gave Allan and gives you the promise that when we walk through our sufferings and journey through our grief and breath our last dying breath, we do not do this alone. Jesus gives you, me, and Allan the promise that, as the Good Shepherd, He has the final Word.
Take heart, dear family and friends of Allan. Jesus knows Allan better than we do. And Jesus knows you better than you know yourself. May Jesus’ words of promise grant you comfort in this world of fear. May His words of truth grant you clarity in death's dark shadows. And may His resurrection from the dead grant you hope in the midst of your tears and heartache this day.
Jesus knows Allan; He knows you.
You will follow Him, and He will never forsake you.
Now, the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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