Fourth Sunday of Easter Year C [Jn 10:27-30]
08.05.2022
Jesus the Good
Shepherd
1. Theme in brief:
Relation of the ‘sheep’ (disciples) with the Shepherd (the Risen Lord)
2. Focus Statement:
In order to be faithful ‘sheep’ (disciples) of
our Good Shepherd (the Risen Lord) we have to listen to his voice by resisting
other contrary voices and follow him, not anybody else.
3. Explanation of the text
In the tenth chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus
claims that the promise made by
God through the prophets of OT to shepherd his people in a far excellent manner
than some of the wicked kings of
One of the important qualities of the faithful
sheep and a proof of close relationship between the shepherd and the
sheep is to listen to and recognize the voice of the shepherd by becoming familiar with
that voice. In
Secondly, according to
today’s text, imitation of the Shepherd by the ‘sheep’ (Risen Jesus) and their deeper
knowledge of
him is the
reason why they readily follow him. Instead of saying that his sheep follow him
because they know him, in the present text Jesus says that his sheep follow him
because he knows them (10:27). It is precisely because the sheep
know that the shepherd knows them intimately, they follow him. Naturally, they
will not follow a stranger whose knowledge about them is minimal. This word “to know" is used throughout the Scripture
not for knowing something intellectually or theoretically or for knowing
someone as an acquaintance, but to describe the most intimate, personal and experiential
relationship that one can have. It means an act of knowing through experience.
John in his gospel defines eternal life as this type of experiential knowledge
of the only true God gained through a personal intimacy with Jesus Christ whom he had sent
into the world (Jn 17:3).
Jesus further declares another quality of any
faithful sheep, that is, to follow him closely (10:27). Again, “following” Jesus is a common theme
in all the gospels. Following the Lord means imitating him or his model and
ideals, walking in his footsteps, accepting his way of life (including
the necessity to carry one’s cross) and submitting oneself to his Lordship or dominion. In addition, John’s gospel speaks about the sheep
following the shepherd because of their experience of his intimate knowledge of
them and also because of the familiarity of his voice. Thus, following Jesus
means entering into a life of intimacy with the Lord that results in the sheep’s
faithfulness
to the Shepherd to the point of laying down their life for his cause (Jn 10:15).
Further, Jesus promises to give eternal life
to his ‘sheep’ (10:28). As the Good Shepherd, he continues to share with his
‘sheep’ (disciples) God’s own divine life (eternal life) so that they do
not suffer from spiritual
undernourishment. The sheep’s intimacy with the shepherd results in
the flow of his divine (eternal) life into them.
Then come the two great assurances given by Jesus the Good
Shepherd: (1) his sheep will never perish, and (2) nobody can separate them or snatch
them away from his hands as well as the Father’s hands (10:28-29). Jesus gives
the assurance that his sheep are absolutely secure because they are under the protection
of both the Father and the Son. Though the sheep is entrusted to the shepherd’s
care,
the Father has not withdrawn his protective hold. Jesus wishes that just as he and the Father are one (Jn17:21), his sheep also be
united with him (the Shepherd) in a similar manner (10:30).
4. Application to life
By faith we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.
This bond of relationship established
between Jesus and us from the time of baptism is deeply personal and intimate.
Jesus compares this personal bond to the relationship between
the shepherd and the sheep in his Palestinian milieu. He says that this
intimate bond is based on the love that
unites him with the Father. Why
should we take Jesus as our Shepherd? Jesus himself answers this question in
today’s gospel: It is because he gives us (his sheep) eternal life; he promises that we shall never perish; and assures us (his sheep) that we are
securely held by two protective hands – his as well as the Father’s.
Jesus the Good Shepherd knows his
‘sheep’ very intimately, and wants that we remain as his faithful sheep.
How can we be his faithful
sheep? Jesus says that we can be his faithful sheep (1) by listening to his voice
and by resisting other contrary voices of the world; and (2) by following or imitating him closely and by
resisting our tendency to follow somebody or something else more than we follow
him. The implication is: if we really love the Lord, if we consider him as our
Good Shepherd and want to remain as his faithful sheep, we (his sheep) have to
listen to the voice of our Divine Shepherd (the Risen Lord). We have to be attuned to the sound of his voice. Only when
we are attuned to his voice, we hear an inner
voice that calls to accept the gift of salvation
he offers to anyone who comes to him and believes
in him, as Jesus insists again and again in the fourth gospel. We hear his
voice telling us that God does not want to condemn
anybody or does not wish that anybody should perish
but all those who believe in him would be saved
(Jn 3:16-17). We have to be familiar
with his voice and recognize it
amidst so many contrary voices of the
world and wrong advice of our bad companions,
or bad influence of the mass media. There is no dearth of misleading ‘friends’ or sycophants around us with
ulterior motives who influence us to
lean towards their selfish objectives or hidden
agenda and tell us to forget our life’s purpose.
One of the essential attributes of true love or a close relationship between two persons is the
ability to listen to the loved one. If two parties have to grow in a
love-relationship, they have not only to speak but also listen to each other. Therefore,
today’s gospel passage challenges us to become more and more a “listening sheep” of Jesus the Good Shepherd.
In the midst of our busy schedule and the hustle and bustle of modern life,
well equipped with the ubiquitous electronic
media that are just a click away (such as mobile phones, TV,
computer, internet), how can we actually get time to quieten our hearts and
minds to listen to the voice of God? This is possible only if we live a life of
self-discipline, set our priorities and try to live up to our life’s
dream. Because of constant exposure to these media today, much more than bygone
days, we are hungry for a message
from God amidst our drooping spirit. When we listen to his Word in faith we
believe that he speaks to us with a word of comfort amidst our frustrations and
anxieties, a new insight, an enlightenment of the mind, a guidance to our confused state, a warning against our wrong choices and an awakening when we tend to our harden our conscience.
This is exactly what we mean by saying the Lord ‘speaks’
to us and we listen to him with obedience
of faith.
The Lord speaks to
us not only through his Word but also through the guidance
(good advice) given by our parents, good friends, teachers, spiritual guides, trustworthy
counsellors, etc. The voice of the Risen Lord can be recognized also in loving relationships with those who are close
to us because of which we share our problems/ struggles/ stress with them. They
are God’s messengers through whom God
may speak to us. If we stubbornly refuse to listen to the voice of trusted
mentors, especially when they do it purely out of love for us, indirectly we fail
to listen to the voice of our Good Shepherd himself, and become his unfaithful
sheep. What will happen when the ‘sheep’ of Jesus turn to astrology and some
dubious ‘babas’ (an Indian word for godmen) instead of listening to the
Shepherd’s voice coming through his holy Word and messengers sent by him? We
should keep in mind, if we totally harden our hearts to the voice of God and
shut our conscience to the stirring of the Holy Spirit, sin or wickedness is just “lurking at the door” (Gen
4:7) – just a click away like the electronic media.
Sin or self-centredness
also makes us deaf to the voice of
the Good Shepherd. Sin, especially when we justify
it, shuts the inner voice of our
conscience that pricks us when we do something wrong. When we deaden our conscience we tune in more and more
to the seductive voice of the world
coming from mass media, bad companions and corrupt practices. There is a lot of
pressure on us from family members, companions, colleagues at our workplaces
and neighbours to abandon our Christian principles and make compromises with
the worldly standards. If we are really the Good Shepherd’s faithful sheep no
one can drag us away from him, because the Father has entrusted us to his Son. Imitation or following of the Good Shepherd becomes a
reality when we obediently conform
our lives to his standards and resist strongly the worldly standards. Only when
we strive to imitate him by following
his ways including the way of the cross, we come to “know” who he is. We need
to be sorry for the times we allowed ourselves to be swayed by the corrupt and dishonest ways of the world. As
sheep, we have to be personally attached to him and his vision, and be highly motivated to imitate him even if it means
going against the world’s standards widely propagated by the mass media and
misleading companions.
Though the
Risen Lord knows us so intimately, is it not so unfortunate to remain far away
from him? In order to be familiar with his voice we need to know him as he knows us. Knowing him means to
be intimate or transparent with him
or to be in constant communion with
him. This is possible only through a depth-level communication
with him in prayer, meditation on the Word of God and recognition of him in all
situations and among the needy and the suffering. The most supreme gift of the
divine life (called “eternal life” in
John’s gospel) which the Good Shepherd wants to give us (his ‘sheep’) cannot
flow into us if we fail to be personally attached to him with a submission of
faith. If we do so, we can experience here and now itself some glimpses of the divine
life possessed by Jesus as God’s Son (since John’s gospel speaks of eternal
life in the present tense also).
Jesus assures us that we, as his sheep, are
absolutely secure because we are
under the protection of both the
Father and the Son. The security that our Good Shepherd offers his sheep is in fact ‘insecurity’ from the world’s point of
view, because those who follow him ardently may suffer opposition, persecution,
intimidation and even death. What is
guaranteed by Jesus is not the security of trouble-free life, but security of eternal
salvation. Are we happy with this guarantee?
5. Response to God's Word
What type of ‘sheep’ are we – faithful or
unfaithful? Do we listen to his voice or listen most often to other contrary
voices in the world? Do we recognize the voice of our Shepherd which comes
through his Word, our own conscience and through the guidance of those who love
us? Do we try to grow into intimacy with our Shepherd through prayer,
reflection on the Word of God and active participation in the Eucharist? Do we
follow our Good Shepherd or only other shepherds of the world (such as opinion
polls, T.V. ads, misleading companions, peer pressure or other pressure groups,
latest fads, etc.)? Do we feel secure under the protection of our Good Shepherd?
What are the things, or what are the worldly standards, or who are the persons
that are ready to snatch us away from the protective hand of our Good Shepherd?
6. A
Prayer
Risen
Lord, our Good Shepherd, thank you for reminding us and making us aware that we
have to be familiar with your voice and recognize it amidst so many contrary
voices of the world. Grant that we may be able to recognize your voice in the
Scriptures and in loving relationships with those who are close to us and guide
us. Even though we may walk through the darkest valley, may your outstretched
hands bring us to safety and security. Amen.
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