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The Bible itself is filled with the good shepherd images. My personal favorite among the psalms is Psalm 23, \u201cThe LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.\u201d\u00a0 Prophet Isaiah who consoles the Israelites in Babylonian Exile, speaks of God who is like a shepherd who gathers back the lost sheep and brings them back home from the land of exile (Isaiah 40:11) Some great leaders of Israel are shepherds. Moses is tending to his father-in-law\u2019s flocks when he is called by God in the burning bush (Exo 3). David also is taking care of his father\u2019s sheep when Samuel comes and anoints him king (1 Sam 16).\u00a0 No wonder, Jesus takes the image of Himself and introduces Himself as the Good Shepherd.<\/p>\n
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From today\u2019s Gospel, we can learn several characteristics of a good shepherd. Firstly, Jesus distinguishes between the Good Shepherd and the bad shepherds. The good shepherd owns the flocks and is responsible for their lives. Meanwhile, those bad shepherds do not own the sheep, and they work primarily for the money, not for the sheep. That is why when danger comes from the predators\u2019 attack or the thieves\u2019 ambush; the hired workers would run and save their own lives rather than to protect their sheep. The prophet Jeremiah criticizes the corrupt and abusive leaders of Israel during his time as he prophesies, \u201cWoe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the flock of my pasture (Jer 23:1).<\/p>\n
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The second characteristic of a good shepherd is he knows well his sheep and calls them by name. I used to think that \u201ccalling sheep by name\u201d is just exaggerated, metaphorical language to show the shepherd\u2019s care for his sheep, but later on, I discovered that \u201ccalling by name\u201d actually, literally happens. The sheep in Judea are raised both for wool and for sacrifice. Especially those intended for wool production, the shepherd shall live together with his flock for years. No wonder if he knows well each sheep, its characters, and even its unique physical features. He will call them by name like \u2018small-feet\u2019 or \u2018large-ears.\u2019 Because of the intimate bond between the two, the sheep were so familiar with the voice of the shepherd and will listen whenever he calls them. It reminds me of our pet-dog in our house. Our family calls it \u201ccipluk,\u201d and my mother and young brother take good care of it. Thus, every time my mother or brother calls its name, cipluk hastens to approach them. Yet, every time I go home and try to call its name, cipluk just won\u2019t give any attention!<\/p>\n
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The third and more important characteristic is the good shepherd will lay down his life for his sheep. This seems to be an exaggeration. Why would you die for your sheep? If we recognize that the shepherd has a strong bond with his sheep and takes good care of them, he will have no second thought in defending his sheep from the attack of dangerous predators and robbers. At times, the robbers simply outnumber the shepherd and mercilessly beat the courageous shepherd to the death. The shepherd literally lays down his life for the sheep. This is not an uncommon happening in the time of Jesus in Palestine, and in fact, still happening in our time in some parts of the world.<\/p>\n
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To have the Good Shepherd as our Lord means that we belong to God intimately for better and for worse. He knows each one of us personally, and He will not abandon us when our lives face serious problems and dangers. He will not only care for us as long as we produce \u201cwool,\u201d but He continues to love us even when we have not been good sheep. In fact, Jesus lays down His life on the cross, so that we, His sheep, may have life, a life to the fullest. Have we become a good sheep? Do we recognize His voice? Do we listen to Him? Do we truly follow Him?<\/p>\n
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Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fourth Sunday of Easter April 22, 2018 Jn 10:11-18 \u201cI am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (Jn. 10:11)\u201d The Bible itself is filled with the good shepherd images. My personal favorite among the psalms is Psalm 23, \u201cThe LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.\u201d\u00a0 Prophet Isaiah who consoles the Israelites in Babylonian Exile, speaks of God who is like a shepherd who gathers back the lost sheep…<\/p>\n