4th Sunday of Easter (Fr. Simham)

WHO IS YOUR SHEPHERD

In the gospel today, Jesus using the parable of the Good shepherd; declares that he is the true Shepherd or good shepherd and he is the gate to the sheep-fold. These are two imageries he uses to express his relationship with us and our relationship with him.

To understand these two imageries properly, we need to understand the context in which these imageries are used. Our Gospel is taken from the 10th chapter of John. In the 9th chapter of John we read, how Jesus cures a man who was born blind. But because it happened to be the Sabbath day, it did not go well with the Pharisees. They throw the blind-man who was cured out of the synagogue, because he is preaching to them. The shepherds, who are supposed to look after the sheep and care for them, do not do their job. They do not rejoice for the fact that the sheep that was blind now can see. Instead of caring for the sheep that is restored they throw it away.

In this context, Jesus remembers the words of the Lord through prophet Ezekiel 34:1-4“1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.”

Later in the same chapter God says, V.15 ‘I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD.’

Applying this prophecy to this situation, pointing out to those so called shepherds, the Pharisees who failed in their duty, Jesus declares, that he is the good shepherd and he will take care of his sheep. As the good shepherd, he knows his sheep, what they need and when they need it. He cares for his sheep, he tends to them and heals the wounded and cures the blind. And above all he is prepared to die for his sheep. He is ready to lay down his life for the sheep. In contrast to this the Pharisees do not know the sheep, what they want and they do not care for the sheep. The reason why they don’t care is because they are merely hired ones, whereas Jesus is the owner shepherd and he knows each one by name and they hear his voice and follow him. For him feeding the sheep and healing their wounds is a source of joy because he is their owner, but for hired men it is merely a duty. The relationship between him and his sheep is that they know each other and the sheep hear him and his voice alone they hear. That again is his joy.

Secondly, Jesus says, he is the gate to the sheep-fold. That means it is through him we can get into God’s fold. It is he, he alone who can lead us to God. The Pharisees in contrast cannot lead us to God because they are spiritually blind. That is how the ninth chapter of John concludes where Jesus indirectly refers to their spiritual blindness. Because they are blind and they cannot lead, Jesus says, he is the gate and it is through his we can enter into God’s fold and enjoy that relationship with God.

Now, having reflected upon the images that Jesus is the Good shepherd and he is the gate that leads us to the father, the question we need to ask ourselves is this. Who is my shepherd? Do we know who our shepherd is? The reason why I ask this question is because there is a difference between ‘Jesus as the Good shepherd’ and ‘Jesus as my shepherd’. My shepherd is the one whom I know well personally, my shepherd is the one whose voice I recognise easily even among hundreds of voices. It is him alone I follow. If any other person calls me I run away. But if my shepherd calls I follow him. My happiness and joy is in following him. It is in this context, I ask, Is Jesus really your shepherd? Or who is the shepherd who is leading you right now? Who is the shepherd whose voice you recognise and follow right now?

There is no doubt that Jesus is the good shepherd and he knows us and he laid down his life for us. But is he your shepherd? In the modern world we have many false shepherds calling us for false secularism, and blind liberalism where everything is permitted, and so on. The world is full of opinions and philosophies leading us to perdition. And there is the great danger of many people falling for these. Amidst all these false voices listening to the voice of the one who came to give life; life in abundance is the challenge for us. Through this holy word he is calling us to recognise his voice accept him as our personal shepherd

Fr. Showreelu Simham