4^th SUNDAY OF EASTER

 

Acts 13:14, 43-52

Revelation 7:9, 14-17

John 10:27-30

 

 

“My sheep hear my voice;

I know them, and they follow me.”

 

 

            One of the important points we meditated upon last Sunday was the commissioning of Peter to the hest responsibility a shepherd of the universal church. This Jesus explicitly expressed by imposing the shepherd’s role on Peter for three times: “Feed my lambs,” “Look after my sheep,” “Feed my sheep” (cf John 21:15-19). Today, as we celebrate the Good Shepherd Sunday, our liturgy has set a thematic continuity of the last Sunday’s gospel. But today’s gospel seems to focus on the sheep. Thus, let us try to meditate on the typical characteristic of the sheep and draw from it a Christian understanding of the good shepherd.

 

   1.      As Filipinos, we have no common experience of a sheep-shepherd relationship. The carabao can stand as the Filipino’s closest working animal, as the dog can be anybody’s dearest pet. But neither the carabao nor the dog can portray a “flock”, which is but so important in biblical understanding. The cows at the ranch may picture a flock. But the relationship between the cowboy and his cows certainly does not depict in anyway what Jesus is trying to say. The goats could be nearest. But then, in the bible the goats are portrayed as just the opposite of the sheep. Nothing, therefore, can replace the figuration of sheep-shepherd relationship. And from the literature that provides us with its basic understanding, we find out that there is that natural intimacy that binds the sheep and the shepherd, which no other man-animal relationship can ever compare considering all its underpinnings. Thus, from this natural intimacy, Jesus outlines some important marks and characteristics of the sheep that belongs to him.

 

   a.      “The sheep that belongs to me listen to my voice.” Because the sheep know that their shepherd is their all in all, they are always attentive to his voice. And most importantly, they listen only to their shepherd’s voice and not to other’s voice. To them, it is the voice of assurance and safety; it is the voice of life. The shepherd’s voice, therefore, becomes a melody to their ears and a song to their hearts.

 

            This runs to the lives of the faithful who are in fact the sheep of his flock. The first step towards faith, obedience and fidelity, is listening. This has been attested to by history. The good news was first given to the Jews. Jesus himself, in his time, would instruct his disciples not to visit a pagan territory nor enter a Samaritan town (cf Mt 10:5 ff), for indeed his “mission is only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt 15:24). Thus, very rarely can we see Jesus relating himself with non-Jews. But sadly, his own house did not accept him. This was initiated with one big failure. They failed to listen to his message, to his voice. They preferred instead to listen to their prejudices and biases. As a result, faith was denied to them, and was given to the gentiles who proved worthy of it. The gentiles were the ones who listened to the shepherd’s voice.

 

   b.      “They follow me.” Listening is perfected by following. The shepherd’s voice is not only a melody to listen to, but also a path to follow through. What reward would there be when after listening, one does not follow? His fate is no more than that of the young rich man who drifted away when asked to leave everything and follow the master. The real sheep do always have a positive attitude towards the shepherd. The apostles are best examples of how is it to be real sheep. As Matthew left his seat without any second thought, so did Simon and Andrew leave their nets behind, and James and John even left their father Zebedee just to answer the shepherd’s call: Come, follow me!

 

            Listening and following are fundamental marks of the sheep that belong to Christ’s flock. They are the concrete ties that bind the sheep and the shepherd into perfect unity. The reason why the Catholic Church has stood one and the same despite the tests of time is that her true sheep have always listened to and followed their shepherd. Those who separated ways have proven to have lost even the shepherd’s voice by continuing to splinter into different groups. The living expressions of obedience and fidelity consist primarily in listening and following with joy. The element of joy is important. The shepherd himself teaches no blind obedience. Joy is the sign of willful acceptance of the shepherd’s voice. Joy is the proof that the shepherd’s message has penetrated into the believer’s soul.

 

   2.      The Lord is the good shepherd. And the gospel also cites the marks of the good shepherd.

 

   a.      “I know them.” The good shepherd knows his sheep by heart. Last Sunday, we say the difference of the two questions Jesus asked Peter: head-level and hear-level. And Jesus asked the heart-level question for three times to emphasize that the head-level knowledge is not enough. It is not even an assurance that one becomes a good shepherd. Love is most important. “Do you love me…Yes Lord…Feed my sheep.” This seems to become a short formula that reminds us that the shepherd’s knowledge must be knowledge of love.

 

   b.      “I give them eternal life.” The sheep follow the shepherd’s voice because they know that the good shepherd has the word of eternal life. The word of life nourishes every follower and strengthens every believer. He feeds himself not only with the bread but with every word that comes from the shepherd’s mouth. Besides, the reward of eternal life is the ultimate fruit of the good shepherd’s love. He dies so that his beloved may live. This is the real meaning of why the shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. He does not give his life just for nothing. He gives it for something. Bu ironically, that something does not go to him, but to his beloved. Thus, the eternal life that every sheep receives from the shepherd is, in the last analysis, absolutely free.

 

   c.      “No one will ever steal from me.” The good shepherd loves his sheep so much that he cannot afford to lose even just one of them. If ever anybody takes another path, it is not because of the shepherd who drives him away nor because somebody snatches him from the shepherd. It is simply his own doing that he gets lost. But even then, will not the good shepherd leave the ninety-nine who are already safe to search for the lost one? And once he finds it, will he not carry it on his shoulders in jubilation? Certainly, the shepherd rejoices in his sheep as the sheep rejoices in him, the good shepherd.