Christ, the Good Shepherd

Reflection on Today's Readings, 4th Sunday of Easter, Year B, April 25th, 2021
Texts: Acts 4:8-12; Ps. 118: 1.8-9.21-23.26.28-29; 1John 3:1-2; John 10:11-13

Every fourth Sunday of Easter presents the theme of "Good Shepherd". Jesus, in today's gospel reading, says, “I am the good shepherd." He is the Good Shepherd, not a good shepherd, because He is not one of the good shepherds but the real Good Shepherd from which every other good shepherd takes their source. Every other good shepherd is like Him; He is like no other. This also identifies Him as God, for God is the real Shepherd  of His people, and of the whole world; every other person is a hireling, whose own the sheep are not. Prophet Ezekiel says, “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some of his sheep have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness" (34:11-12). Jesus Christ fulfills the prophecy of Ezekiel; in Him God has come to shepherd us and to care for us. In Jesus Christ, the Lord is our shepherd, we shall not be in want; we shall fear no evil, even when we walk in the  valley  of shadow of death; in the presence of our enemies we are anointed and His blessings upon us run over (Ps. 23). The words of psalm 23 become ours because we are in Christ; they are for all who are in Christ.

Jesus goes further to tell us the qualities of the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." Jesus laid down His life to gather the children of God from every corner of the earth; He laid down  His life to make us a holy nation, a royal priesthood who offers spiritual sacrifice to God (1Pet. 2:4-5,9); He laid down His life to save us from the power of sin and death: at baptism and confession, He delivers us from power of sin and death; He laid His life for us because He loves and cares for us. He lays down His life for us because He lived and died for our sake.
Jesus Christ laid down His life to make us the children of God. St. John, in the second reading, says, "Beloved: See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." Here St. John would not have been talking of our being children of God by creation but by Jesus Christ. St. Peter says, "Once you were no people but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy" (1Pet. 2:10). St. Paul says, "in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith" (Gal. 3:26). The point made by St. John is that our being the children of God is a gift of love from God, it is an evidence of His love for us; it is the gift of love pour on us in Jesus Christ. Hence, before a good shepherd there is no slave, all are sons and daughters; we all have the same dignity and are treated equally irrespective of our social status, background, colour, race,  ethnic or tribe.  
Jesus Christ is also the good shepherd because He knows His sheep. He knows His sheep the way a father knows his son. He says, " I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep." Jesus knows His sheep the way the Father knows Him and He knows the Father. This knowledge is deep; it is a kind of knowledge that arises from love of one another, from communion with one another. Without love and  life of communion, such knowledge is not possible; for it is not a knowledge from a distance but from a communion of life: the Father is in the Son as the Son is in the Father. He knows us and He lays down His life for us. He knows our weakness and strength. He knows we are wretched and in need of salvation.

God our Father, thanks you for giving us your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to be our shepherd, grant that we may learn to be shepherd like Him. Amen

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke