JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD


MONDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF EASTERTIDE   

Acts 11:1-18; Ps 42:2-3,43:3-4; Jn 10:11-18

I Am the Good Shepherd

The Son of Man, in his discourse on the Good Shepherd, presents himself as the Shepherd of mankind and not just of the Jewish race. Hence, he called himself the gate of the sheepfold. He gives life to all men and enlightens every man that comes to existence, as Saint John informs us in the prologue to the Gospel. He is the gate of the sheepfold, for he is the model of our human nature. He is acclaimed as the perfect image of the Father. As the model, no one can understand human nature without passing through the Son of Man, for in him our nature is perfect. The perfection of human nature, which is found in him, and the pure illumination of our nature in him, make him the Shepherd of all. So, all men are contained in his fold by the default of their nature. Whoever is found to be outside of the fold puts himself outside by his disobedience of the Shepherd’s voice. By making us in his image as human persons, the Father placed us in the fold of his Only Begotten Son. By choosing not to listen to the voice of the Shepherd, a soul removes himself from among the fold of the Son of Man and places himself in the fold or camp of the son of perdition. Therefore, the Son of Man says that the sheep that belong to him listen to his voice. He is called the Lamb of God because of his faithful obedience to the Father. Therefore, his sheep are characterised by the same faithful obedience.

As we noted in the previous reflection, the Son of Man is our good Shepherd because he owns the sheep, and he knows what benefits the sheep the most, and contains in himself the pasture of eternal life. His loving care for the well-being of the flock, which stems from his love for the Father who entrusted the sheep to him, makes him the Good Shepherd. Our Lord presented himself in these words: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep.” The Son of Man knows us completely and understands our plight away from our heavenly homeland. He comes to save, succour, provide, and lead us back to the Father’s house and presence. His love for his sheep reflects the Father’s love for us, for he does not care for the flock as belonging to another, but as his; all that belongs to the Father belongs to the Son. “I am the good shepherd; I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep.” Thus, the knowledge and love between our Shepherd and us is modelled on that between the Father and the Son. This is because the Son, the good shepherd, gives us himself with the Holy Spirit, who is the love of the Father and the Son.

Peter confirms that these gifts are not limited to Jews. Though they had the precedence of the vocation to this eternal inheritance in God, the fullness of the promise made to them is open to all peoples and nations. Our Lord himself confirms this when he says: “And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and these I have to lead as well. They, too will listen to my voice, and there will be only one flock, and one shepherd.” The apostles and disciples did not initially understand God's providential care for all people. Peter was the first to witness God giving the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles when he was sent to the house of Cornelius, the Roman centurion. “I realised then that God was giving them the identical thing he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; and who was I to stand in God’s way?” In Jesus Christ, God has expressed his love and choice of all men, and has called all to everlasting inheritance through His Son, such that he constituted our Good Shepherd in his human nature. The Good Shepherd is not only our eternal pasture; he is also our fountain of living water that quenches the thirst of all who long for God.

Let us pray: O God, perfect light of the blessed, by whose gift we celebrate the paschal mysteries on earth, bring us, we pray, to rejoice in the full measure of your grace for ages unending. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. 

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