The Fourth Sunday of Easter is dedicated to the Good Shepherd and it shows us under this figure, an expression of Christ’s love for mankind. The Gospel reading on every “Good shepherd Sunday” is always taking from the Gospel of John chapter 10 and here Christ refers to himself as the Good Shepherd. Whenever we think of leaders as shepherds, our minds naturally turn to Psalm 23. It begins with the reassuring words, “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall lack”.
This Psalm was written by David and it opens a wide door into David’s heart and offers a penetrating glimpse into his life of faith. Psalm 23 gives us a clue into what it means to be a true shepherd and leader. The Psalm evokes feelings of intimacy and security. It reassures us that God is interested, involved and in control of our lives. No human can act in the way God does, but what is captured in these verses is David’s understanding of the blessings Shepherd offers. The Book of the Old Testament gave us a lucid image of the Good Shepherd. Ezekiel 34:22-27 says “I will save my flock and it will no longer be a prey and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
And I will raise up over them one shepherd, who will feed them my servant David. He himself will feed them, and he will be their shepherd. Also, Jer. 3:15 says “I will give you shepherds after my own heart. And they will feed you with knowledge and doctrine. In these words, from the prophet Jeremiah, God promises his people that he will never leave them without shepherds to gather them together and guide them. In Jer. 23:4 he says “I will raise up shepherds over them and they will pasture them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed. What is the role of the Good Shepherd? The Gospel reading elucidates on the role of the good shepherd, as one who watches over the sheep with jealous care, and he is the source of live and salvation: “I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one shall snatch them out of my hand” (Jn 10:28). This is a great privilege, but it exacts a responsibility on our part: “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me”.
The ones who hear the voice of Jesus are those who accept the gospel and grasp its true meaning, those who heed the voice of the Church and obey it. By listening to these voices and translating them into life and work, we follow the Lord faithfully and with growing diligence. However, belonging to Christ’s flock is not a privilege that is reserved to some, it is rather a gift that is offered to all those who are willing to accept it. By God’s design the first fruit of the gospel were reserved for the Hebrew people among whom Jesus exercised his ministry, but after the resurrection the apostles were commanded to preach it “to all nations” (Lk 24:47). Israel’s opposition then became the reason for the apostles’ turning their attention to the pagans. Paul and Barnabas in the first reading addressed the Jews saying “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you and since you thrust it from you and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the gentiles” (Acts 13:46). Christ the good shepherd who has given his life for all excludes no one from his flock, but if we knowingly reject his message, we are excluding ourselves; we are judging ourselves “unworthy of eternal life.” T
he question we need to ask ourselves on this day is, who is our shepherd? Some people have chosen human beings to be their shepherds; others have chosen money, possessions, prosperity; yet others have chosen juju, medicine men and women, babalawo, dibia, secret cults, secret societies (freemasons, ogboni, reformed or otherwise); worst of all, some people have actually chosen Satan, the devil himself to be their shepherd. They may appear to be helping us for a time; and we may be enjoying it, feeling comfortable, on top of the world. But sooner or later, they will ask us to pay a price for what they are doing for us. The price they will ask us to pay will be very costly indeed: it may be the life of someone we love, someone close to us, or it may even be our own life.
My dear friends in Christ, how can we know the voice of the Good Shepherd in the world that is plagued by false and pretentious shepherd? John 10:11- 18 teaches us that Jesus is the only true shepherd. His way, and what he teaches, is to lay down his life out of love. His sheep are those who have the courage to follow in his footsteps. Jesus is the good shepherd that knows his sheep not a hireling. The hireling does not own the sheep, and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf approaching. Jesus is the Good shepherd; the sheep belongs to him and he is ready to die for them. Christ the good shepherd made a wonderful promise to those who belong to him.
First, he promised that none of them would ever be lost. No one would succeed in snatching from his care the sheep the Father has entrusted to him. secondly, he promised to lead them to the pastures of eternal life. Today is also regarded as Vocation Sunday. The purpose of this day is to fulfil Jesus’ instruction to “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest” (Matt 9:38). While appreciating all vocations, the Church concentrates her attention on raising up shepherds for God’s people who will lead the flock according to the mind of God. On this day, we pray for young men and women that God may give them the gift to discern their service in the church and the courage to follow His call.
