Fourth Sunday of Easter (A) [Jn 10:1-10]
30.04.2023
Jesus
the Good Shepherd
1. Theme in
brief:
The characteristics of the Good
Shepherd and his faithful sheep
2. Focus Statement:
The Risen Lord who is our Good Shepherd knows us
intimately, leads us on the right path and gives us life in abundance; but in
order to remain as his faithful sheep we must listen to his voice, and not that
of strangers.
3. Explanation of the text
In this passage Jesus contrasts his role as the Good Shepherd with the misleading role of Pharisees and other false or wicked leaders of Israel (both religious and political). Though the words used for them, namely thieves and bandits sound offensive and a sweeping generalization (10:1, 8), they should be understood in the context of the prevailing incidents of stealing the sheep at night from the sheepfold by robbers in Palestine. This figure of speech refers to irresponsible and selfish leaders who are interested in feeding themselves than their flock – as if stealing from them what is their right. In the previous chapter, we see how the Pharisees stole human dignity from the man born blind (after he got healed) by excommunicating him from the synagogue due to their refusal to promote human welfare (9:34-35).
By
custom, the sheep in
This
passage has its background in the OT, in which the leaders of
The shepherding role of Jesus has the following characteristics: (1) calling the
sheep by name which implies his
intimate relationship with his followers (10:3); (2) leading them out and going
ahead
of them which implies his work of guiding and showing them the right way (10:3,
4); (3) giving them freedom to come in and go out through him so that they can be
saved; and (4) leading them to green pasture (10:9). Here again, there is a
reference to the Shepherd Psalm according to which the
Lord makes his sheep "lie down in green pastures," leads them
"beside still waters," and prepares a table for them (Ps 23:2, 5). In
John’s gospel this refers to the Risen Lord’s role of nourishing the faithful with the
Word and the Bread of Life (cf. chapter 6).
The characteristics of the faithful sheep are: (1) listening to, recognizing and
knowing the voice of the shepherd (10:3, 4-5); and (2) following the shepherd and not
the strangers because of their unfamiliar voice (10:5, 8). The sheep can discern between the
Shepherd’s voice and the stranger’s.
Jesus uses another
metaphor by calling himself as the gate for the sheep (10:7, 9). Here he applies
the custom of a shepherd sleeping in the entrance of the sheepfold to his own role
of saving
the
sheep by protecting
them from the raiding enemies (false teachers). At the end Jesus contrasts his role to give protection, freedom and
pasture to his sheep with the stealing,
killing and destroying
role of the thief. The mission for which he comes into the world is to give his ‘sheep’ (that is, those
who believe in him) a share in God’s own divine life, not in a little measure
but in abundance (10:10).
4. Application to life
Today’s
gospel text, given in the context of Easter Season, invites us in the first
place to experience the shepherding role of the Risen Lord. He is
constantly with us, leading, guiding and showing us the right way. He leads us by showing us the path of service, sacrifice,
unconditional forgiveness, acceptance of sufferings, etc. He opens the gate of
freedom or salvation from sins for us
and nourishes
us with the green pastures of his Word and the Bread of Life. The custom of naming
the sheep or cattle and calling them by their names – followed by shepherds/ herdsmen/ cattle-grazers in many cultures
even today – implies that the Risen Lord’s relationship with us is so intimate
that he knows each one of us by name. By calling himself as the gate
for the sheep, he tells us that he constantly saves us by protecting us
from the false teachers, misleading guides and bad companions.
In the midst of so many life-negating
factors in today’s world that steal, kill and destroy life, Jesus comes to
share God’s own divine life with us in abundance. Abundance of life means the abounding
and overflowing
quality of life and
grace which Jesus came to give (Rom 5:20). It connotes the qualitative change that
faith can bring in the life of a disciple. Better quality of life does not mean better food (such
as fast food and instant coffee), better facilities, latest gadgets, plenty of
fun and power. It does not mean abundance
of possessions, funds and motor vehicles either. Nowadays we are saving a lot
of time due to electronic gadgets but are less available for others than before;
hence, the quality of our life is dwindling.
Abundance of life also means the abundance
of God’s
qualities or God’s thoughts such as patience, peace, compassion,
self-sacrificing love, etc. Quite often
we neither experience emptiness of life, nor the abundance of it. We are in
between. Imagine the quality of love, service, care,
compassion, attention, time and energies we should or could have given or spent
for the needy, but did not. If this is the case, are we not guilt of a wasted
life? As believers, is life
for us a mere existence or a life full of zeal and enthusiasm for God’s values
and way of thinking? A person without enthusiasm and
zest for life merely exists, does not really live.
Jesus
warns us that there are many ‘thieves and bandits’ who “steal, kill and destroy” life (10:10) in our life’s journey. Human life is precious but fragile; full of promises but constantly threatened by anti-life forces, such as sorrow, suffering, massive
poverty, hunger, disease and death. In modern times, human life is constantly
threatened by wars and riots (religious, ethnic, political), abortion,
euthanasia, international terrorism, religious fundamentalism and fanaticism,
racism, threat of nuclear wars, horrible accidents, environmental destruction
or degradation, etc. First of all, these can be considered as the ‘thieves and bandits’
that “steal, kill and destroy” life. Hence, "abundance of life" promised by
Jesus the Good Shepherd directly contradicts the fragility and vulnerability of life or the scarcity of life, since it is everywhere
plagued by countless misdeeds and acts of cruelty by humans. Sad
enough, many people experience the emptiness of life rather than
its abundance. In the midst of these life-stealing and life-destroying forces,
we are called to uphold the supreme value and preciousness of human life and instil
hope in the minds of people even in hopeless situations. We are called to be
life-givers after Christ’s own heart by our compassion, care, concern,
developmental work, eradication of evils, value education, etc.
Secondly, there are persons and forces in our world that ‘steal the sheep,’ that is, steal our life. In today’s context, they could be irresponsible and selfish leaders who are interested in feeding themselves than their flock. There are some misleading leaders (both in civil society and the Church) who steal what belongs to the sheep. There are forces in the world that steal human dignity and rights and try to prevent welfare of the downtrodden. There are forces (such as biased and untruthful mass media) and bad companions who steal character, truth and moral values from us, especially from the youth and the children. Who will become a shepherd to protect these powerless sheep? Those of us who are called to be parents, religious and civil society’s leaders, council and committee members, have to examine ourselves and see whether we are shepherds after God’s own heart, or false shepherds/ leaders/ guides about whom prophet Ezekiel laments thus: they do not do anything to strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the injured, bring back the strayed, seek after the lost, or to prevent their flock from getting scattered and becoming a prey to ‘wild animals’ such as bad companions, criminals and corrupt forces (Ez 34:4-6).
Traditionally, in the Church, the shepherd image of the Bible is applied to the shepherding role of Church leaders, such as bishops and priests. But in a broader sense, the shepherd-sheep metaphor can be applied to all those who are in a position of leadership in families, society and the Church, such as parents in the family, teachers in educational institutions, the members of religious institutes (especially their Superiors), and the lay leaders are like shepherds to their people. In this sense we can say that a good shepherd is a father in the family who spends time with his children to guide and direct them; a mother who nurses, cares and supports a sick/ disobedient/ mischievous child; a teacher who teaches not only secular sciences but also human, moral and spiritual values to students; a student who goes out to visit his/her classmate who is absent in the class for many days due to illness; a friend who protects his/her friend from danger, wrong path and evil habits; a lay leader in the parish who goes out to visit those who don’t come for meetings or those who are sick and troubled… As shepherds we are called to promote the life-giving mission (10:10) of our Good Shepherd by nursing, caring, nurturing, respecting, saving, protecting and defending life, especially of the defenceless and the voiceless. In a world where sometimes human life is so devalued, today’s gospel-message motivates us to proclaim the preciousness and dignity of life, and uphold its true value.
Final question is: What type of ‘sheep’ are we – faithful
or unfaithful? The qualities of faithful sheep mentioned in today’s gospel are
– listening to and recognizing the voice of the shepherd by
becoming familiar with that voice, and following him rather than the
strangers. In John’s gospel, Mary Magdalene is
depicted as a faithful sheep (disciple) who recognizes the voice of the
Shepherd ((Risen Lord) immediately, as she hears him calling her by her proper name,
“Mary” (20:16).The sheep can discern between the Shepherd’s voice
and the stranger’s. There are so many other voices and
‘false shepherds’ (misguiding or misleading masters and leaders/ bad
companions) calling us. They are the strangers whose voices are ‘familiar’ to
us in our social life, but are contrary to our Good Shepherd’s. Of course,
those voices become more familiar and attractive if we are not bothering to
familiarize ourselves with the voice of our Good Shepherd by prayer and
reflection on God’s Word. Following him means refusing to be easily swayed by the false
shepherds of the world.
5.
Response to God's Word
Do we feel that we are constantly under the protection of Jesus our Good Shepherd who saves us from the clutches of false teachers, misleading guides and bad companions? Do we ask for that protection and follow the guidance of our Good Shepherd?? Are we guilty of living a wasted life by not trying to improve its quality? As believers, is life for us a mere existence, or full of zeal and enthusiasm for God’s values and way of thinking? What type of shepherds are we: good or bad, true or false? Do we steal life or promote it; lead or mislead; guide or misguide others? What kind of ‘sheep’ are we – faithful or unfaithful? Whose voice do we listen to and obey? Are we easily swayed by the false shepherds of the world?
6. A Prayer
Risen
Lord, our Good Shepherd, thank you for reminding us that we have to be familiar
with your voice and recognize it amidst so many contrary voices of the world.
We are sorry for the times we allowed ourselves to be swayed by false and evil
shepherds due to our failure to get familiar with your voice through prayer and
refection on your Word. Protect us from all false, misguiding and misleading
shepherds. We decide today to remain as your faithful sheep by promoting your
vision and life-giving mission. In the midst of so many life-negating factors in today’s world that
steal, kill and destroy life, give us
the courage and strength to uphold the true value and preciousness of life,
especially of the poor and the lowly. Amen.
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