The FOURTH Sunday of Easter is known as ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’. It is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Each year on this Sunday we reflect on the image of Jesus as the ‘Good Shepherd’.
The image of God as a shepherd is Biblical. In the OT we have references to it in the book of the Prophets Isaiah chapter 40 and Ezekiel chapter 34 who speak of Yahweh as the shepherd of Israel.
The prophets have failed to shepherd the people and therefore, God says ‘I myself will shepherd my people’. We have the beautiful psalm 23 ‘The Lord is my shepherd.’ The image of God as shepherd was dear to the people of Israel. It is in this background that Jesus declares himself as the good shepherd. The prophesy which prophet Ezekiel spoke long ago is being fulfilled in the person of Jesus.
Each of us is so personally related to Jesus. Christianity is not a philosophy. It’s not an ideology or a set of religious ideas. It’s not a religion of the book. Christianity is about a relationship to a person, Jesus himself. Jesus himself personally is the heart of Christianity. In Christianity Jesus is the centre. In Buddhism: The Buddha is not the centre of Buddhism. Buddha himself says it’s not about me. It’s about ‘the way’ that I have discovered and I want you to learn about this way. In Islam: Mohammad is not the centre of Islam. Mohammad is the prophet through whom Allah spoke. Mohammad never said I am the center of Islam. In Christianity Jesus is the centre. Being related personally to him is what it is all about.
What makes Jesus, the good shepherd …?
Well, from a modern day perspective, from a shepherd, we would at least expect that he would protect the sheep. But who among us, even the best of shepherds, would lay down his life for the sheep? Are you kidding? A pack of wolves would by chance descend but if the wolves begin to threaten the life of the shepherd? Surely we would say, well, he did all he possibly could? Well, it was time for him to take off and let wolves have the sheep…? What’s this odd claim that Jesus is making that this good shepherd will lay down his life for the sheep? A good father, a good country man will lay down his life for his children, for his country men. This is precisely what Jesus claims to do as the good shepherd. Look at the infinite difference between us and the sheep. Here God is willing to die to save us.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. To love is to will the good of the other! God dies that we might live! That’s who God is. I am the good shepherd. I know mine and my own know me. They listen to my voice…
A voice is something distinctive something personal. Listening to the voice of a person who is far away can sometimes bring tears in our eyes. I hear the voice of my sheep and they hear mine. We hear all kinds of voices around us telling us what to do. Where to go. Whom to follow. Jesus’ voice is the one that our heart is waiting to hear. More importantly He hears our voices. He hears our particular voice. When I cry out personally to Christ in my need, in my hope, in my prayer, he hears my voice. He hears me. He hears each of us.
Who is this good shepherd? This is God himself becoming one like us to save us from sin. This is what God does for us in Christ. This is the one true good shepherd. This shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. We are following the one whose love is so great that he will lay down his life for us. That’s the good shepherd. This is what God does in Christ; he lays down his life for his sheep. Jesus says, ‘I came that you may have life and have it abundantly’.