Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2015
John 10:11-18
“I
am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me (Jn 10:14)”
One of the most beautiful images
that Jesus chooses to describe Himself is a shepherd. Not only any ordinary
shepherd, He is the good shepherd. Yet, the truth we often overlook is that
Jesus is also the owner of the entire sheepherder. Therefore, more than any
shepherd or any hired workers, He holds the greatest responsibility for the
lives of His every sheep. Every sheep of His is precious. Then, we may ask ‘why
does Jesus call Himself the good shepherd and we, His sheep?’
Today’s Gospel does not
particularly mention the reason, but if we attempt to go back Jesus’ time, we
may discover a more profound reality about a shepherd and his sheep. There were
several groups of shepherd just outside of Jerusalem, taking care of a huge
number of sheep. They were basically the ones who supplied the needs of young
sheep or lambs for the sacrificial rites of the Temple of Jerusalem. The
demands for the lambs reached its peak especially on the Passover Festival,
when many Jewish families went up to Jerusalem, offered sacrifice in the Temple
and also prepared a roasted lamb as their essential part of the Passover meal
ritual. Sheep-tending was indeed one of lucrative business in first-century
Israel.
Now, if we learn that Jesus is
both the chief Shepherd and the owner, we may discover the reason why Jesus
calls Himself a good shepherd and us, His sheep. It is because He is preparing us,
His lambs, to become an unblemished sacrifice to God. Certainly, Jesus has no
commercial motive in running the entire fold, but His sole intention is to come
up with the healthy lambs as worthy offerings before the Lord. Thus, the Gospel
would describe Him as one who puts His life in the line for the sake of the
sheep, fighting all dangers and guarding them day and night. By risking His
life, He will make sure that His sheep is ready to face God in His Temple. Now,
we know that why our lives are very precious in His eyes.
When we call Jesus as our Good
Shepherd and believe we are His sheep, we must come to the bigger picture of
Jesus being the Shepherd-owner. He gives Himself up for us so that we may be
empowered to give up also our lives for God and for others. The story is not
only about Christ, but essentially it is about us, His lambs as a pleasing
burnt offering. Thus, our lives have to conform to our deepest calling as perfect
holocaust. To be Christ’s sheep means we readily surrender our lives for our
families, being a faithful and good spouse until death, and making necessary
sacrifice for the upbringing of our children. To be Jesus’ lamb means we fully
commit ourselves to the service of the people of God, to work for justice and
to promote peace among us tirelessly. When we are faithful to the end, we
indeed are consumed wholly by the fire of love and made a sacrifice that is
acceptable in the eyes of God.
Surely, to become total offering
is difficult because it is against our selfish tendency, self-oriented profit
making, our reluctance to endure pain and hurdles. Thus, at times, we are
running away from Him and become the lost sheep. Yet, we must not lose hope
because we have no less than Christ as our shepherd. When we are lost, we
assured that He will look for us, carry us on His shoulders and bring us home
to our true calling. We keep praying that Christ continues caring for us and
preparing us to be the most pleasing lambs for our God.
Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno,
OP
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