Fourth Sunday of Easter [April 22, 2018] Jn 10:11-18

“I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (Jn. 10:11)”

The Bible itself is filled with the good shepherd image. My personal favorite among the psalms is Psalm 23, “The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.”  Prophet Isaiah who consoles the Israelites in Babylonian Exile, speaks of God who is like a shepherd who gathers back the lost sheep and brings them back home from the land of exile (Isaiah 40:11) Some great leaders of Israel are shepherds. Moses is tending to his father-in-law flocks when he is called by God in the burning bush (Exo 3). David also is taking care of his father’s sheep when Samuel comes and anoints him king (1 Sam 16).  No wonder, Jesus takes the image of Himself and introduces Himself as the Good Shepherd.

 

 From today’s Gospel, we can learn several characters of a good shepherd. Firstly, Jesus distinguishes between the Good Shepherd and the bad shepherds. The good shepherd owns the flocks and is responsible for their lives. Meanwhile, those bad shepherds do not own the sheep, and they work primarily for the money, not for the sheep. That is why when the danger comes from the predators’ attack or the thieves’ ambush; the hired workers would run and save their own lives rather than to protect their sheep. The prophet Jeremiah criticizes the corrupt and abusive leaders of Israel during his time as he prophesies, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the flock of my pasture (Jer 23:1).”

The second character of a good shepherd is he knows well his sheep and call them by name. I used to think that “calling sheep by name” is just exaggerated metaphorical language to show shepherd care to his sheep, but later on, I discover “calling by name” actually literally happens. The sheep in Judea are raised both for wool and for sacrifice. Especially those intended for wool production, the shepherd shall live together with his flock for years. No wonder if he knows well each sheep, its characters, and even its unique physical features. He will call them by name like ‘small-feet’ or ‘large-ears.’ Because of the intimate bond between the two, the sheep were so familiar with the voice of the shepherd and will listen whenever he calls them. It reminds me of our pet-dog in our house. Our family calls it “cipluk,” and my mother and young brother take good care of it. Thus, every time my mother or brother calls its name, cipluk hastens to approach them. Yet, every time I go home and try to call its name, cipluk just won’t give any attention!

The third and more important character is the good shepherd will lay down his life for his sheep. This character seems to be an exaggeration. Why would you die for your sheep? If we recognize that the shepherd has a strong bond with his sheep and takes good care of them, he will have no second thought in defending his sheep from that attack of dangerous predators and robbers. At times, the robbers simply outnumber the shepherd and mercilessly beat the courageous shepherd to the death. The shepherd literally lays down his life for the sheep. This is not uncommon happening in the time of Jesus in Palestine, and in fact, still happening in our time in some parts of the world.

To have the Good Shepherd as our Lord means that we belong to God intimately for better and for worse. He knows each one of us personally, and He will not abandon us when our lives face serious problems and dangers. He will not only care for us as long as we produce “wool,” but He continues to love us even we have not been good sheep. In fact, Jesus lays down His life on the cross, so that we, His sheep, may have life, a life to the fullest. Have we become a good sheep? Do we recognize His voice? Do we listen to Him? Do we truly follow Him?

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP