The Fourth Sunday of Easter, April 25, 2021

John 10:11–18

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.”

One afternoon during my career at the restaurant, a group of waitresses and I were eating during the break between the lunch and dinner rushes, and the topic of the recent nearby robberies came up.  The restaurant next to ours was robbed the night before and we traded information about it.  We decided that there was not a red cent in our restaurant we were willing to put ourselves at risk for.  If bad guys came in at closing time, we would hold the door for them as they wheeled out the office safe.  It was not that we did not like the restaurant where we worked, or the management, or the company that owned it; we just liked living better.

It is easy to sympathize with the shepherd of whom the Lord Jesus speaks who works for pay and runs off when he sees a wolf coming.  Unless he is a very good shot with his sling, he could be killed along with a number of the sheep.  The person owning the sheep would be very distressed at the loss of his sheep, but he could always hire a new shepherd and he could gather up his remaining animals.  In the event of an emergency, there was no incentive for the shepherd to stay and try to defend the sheep.  

So who is this “good shepherd”, and why would he lay down his life for his sheep?  The Greek word translated as “good” has the meaning of “virtuous”, “noble”, and “moral”, with the implication of “inspiring” through the display of these qualities.  The “good” shepherd, then, sees the good as his duty,and is not motivated by profit.  He sees himself as representing the sheep owner and his interests, and puts this above his own interests, or identifies this as his own interests.  The “good shepherd” sells out for his sheep, holding nothing back.  He makes a continual offering of himself for his sheep.  

“I am the good shepherd.”  The Son of God tells us in these words exactly who he is and what he means to do.  Our salvation is his purpose.  He, the infinite God, does this for his erring, wandering, difficult creatures.  We could never have believed this if it had not been revealed to us.  It simply goes beyond all reason.

It would seem madness for a God or  a human being to act this way and to have this mind, but we see this “throwing away of one’s life” in the crucifix and also in the lives of men and women religious and of priests.  As closely as they can they model their lives of sacrifice after that of the Good Shepherd.  To do this they give up everything that could hold them back, including family and spouses.  They are worthy of our prayers, for they do this for us, to intercede for us.  And we pray for one another as well so that we might be good sheep of this wondrous Shepherd and that he might call our names and lead us into  eternal pastures.