April 17, 2005: Following the Good Shepherd

+THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

In the gospel today, we hear the well-known parable of the Good Shepherd. Of course, we’ve all heard it many times—and we’re quite familiar with the visual picture of the Good Shepherd and the sheep… and the meaning seems pretty obvious to us.

Did you ever stop to wonder what it must have been like for Christ’s listeners to hear his parables for the very first time? Evidently the message wasn’t as clear, because the gospel says: Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

That’s kind of surprising, I think. It seems fairly easy to understand the imagery of the Good Shepherd, especially since shepherds would have been a common sight for everyone Jesus talked to. What’s more, in the Middle East, the custom is for the shepherd to walk ahead of his sheep, expecting them to follow—rather than being driven from behind as is the custom in western countries.

When you think about it, you can appreciate how beautifully this parable fits in with Jesus’ attitude of allowing people to choose. He never tried to manipulate or pressure people to follow him. He just laid his cards on the table and gave folks the option of following or not as they chose. Yes, he was always concerned about the “lost sheep”—and went out of his way to rescue them—but sheep that deliberately chose against him were able to freely make that choice. He even went to the cross because that was what his enemies wanted.

But back to the parable. Maybe what the Pharisees didn’t get was the part where Jesus says that the sheep follow the shepherd because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger . . . because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.

I wonder if our Lord was just being kind here. He says the sheep will know that they shouldn’t follow a stranger… but so often we sheep do exactly that. We’ll jump on a new bandwagon if it looks like the popular thing to do. Especially when things are too rough and rocky in our own particular pasture, we’ll look for the quickest and easiest way over the fence!

Often the grass we haven’t walked in—or messed in!—seems greener. And, as Jesus says, there’s no shortage of folks who would say, “Hey, come on over here!” It makes them feel good to think that we’d like to be like them. Maybe you can say that this is a kind of stealing—stroking their own egos at our expense.

On the other hand, maybe we steal from ourselves by giving up on our own lives too quickly. Sometimes the way to the gate that God provides is difficult. Sometimes we don’t know where our next meal or our next dollar is going to come from. But leaping over the fence in fear when the going gets tough doesn’t seem like the wisest choice we could make.

I like the way that the 23rd Psalm is paired with the gospel of the Good Shepherd. The old traditional translation said: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.

Some people don’t just walk through the valley of the shadow of death; they set up camp there! Isn’t it true? Some people seem to be camping out for a lifetime in the valley, always complaining that they can’t see their way over the mountain. And I’m not talking about people facing death. Real problems seem to sometimes motivate us to get a move on… probably because we turn those problems over to God.

It’s interesting that this psalm is so often read at funerals. Most of it does talk about how the Lord provides and gets us through life. It’s nice to think about this after a person has passed through to the other side, but wouldn’t it be more productive and more helpful to use it as a guide along the way?

We Catholics love to think of the rewards that await us in eternity—and to think of heaven as “a better place.” But the psalmist describes everything that the Lord provides in this life: green pastures to rest in… still waters to calm our spirits… protection… abundance… even anointing. My cup overflows. Indeed! How could any place be better? Goodness and kindness are ours for the taking every day of our lives—yes, the lives we are living right here and now.

Today’s message of the Good Shepherd should help us realize that each of us has a life to live… time and space in which to live it… and an endless supply of God’s grace to fill us with fruitfulness and blessedness. God wants us to have life and have it abundantly—our life, not somebody else’s… his great gift to us—for our happiness, for the service of others, and to give honor and glory back to God.

During this holy Easter season, may we truly experience this abundance… and the grace to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow him with joy.


Today’s Readings:
Acts of the Apostles 2: 14, 36­–41
Psalm 23
1 Peter 2: 20–25
John 10: 1–10