Word to the Wise
Sunday, April 21, 2013 - 4th Sunday of Easter - C
[Acts 13:14, 43-52; Rev 7:9, 14b-17; John 10:27-30]My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one.
Most of us, I dare say, know at least the first line of the 23rd psalm: "The Lord is my shepherd. There is nothing I shall want...." It is one of the most comforting prayers in the entire Bible. It might be helpful to read it before reading the gospel for this Sunday. Jesus uses this "pastoral" image from everyday life in Palestine to demonstrate not only the relationship between Him and those who believe in Him, but also, in the last lines today, the relationship between him and His Father. It is that latter relationship that he is offering to us as assurance of his care for us. Divine providence is at work in this.
The shepherding process involved some simple behavior training. The sheep of the entire village stayed overnight in a single corral. So, how did each shepherd know which sheep were his? This was done by a distinct "call" or sound made by each shepherd which would be "recognized" by the sheep of his particular flock. So, each day, each shepherd would go to the central corral and make his particular sound, and his own sheep would separate themselves and follow him! (I don't imagine this system is perfect, but it is still in use!) There is what we would call today some kind of "symbiotic relationship" at work here. The shepherd needs the sheep and the sheep need the shepherd. In the case, however, of Jesus and those who believe in him, the relationship is more than "symbiotic." He speaks of giving "eternal life," and not just good pasturing!
What I find most consoling about his words today is that the relationship is secure because God will protect both shepherd and sheep since God and the shepherd are one! No one can take my faith from me nor take away the one in whom I have placed my faith. There is only one voice to follow, despite the chorus of sounds around me in our culture. Good Shepherd Sunday is a reminder of the powerful bond that faith creates between us and Jesus. The 23rd psalm says it all, "Only goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." AMEN