John 10:11-18
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Commitment and Reciprocity
We are used to hearing Jesus' teach with parables. This time He is using an allegory.
Parables may have some details which are not real. They have one aim, to offer a morality to be used as wisdom for life. The allegory intends to offer the same aim with the distinction that all the details are realistic and refer to a living reality.
All the verses in the story of the Good Shepherd describe a reality that people know.
Shepherds were already known in the Old Testament. Abraham, “by whom all nations shall be blessed," Moses, chosen by God as the prophet, and David the King, were among these shepherds. The shepherd’s name and reputation are respected among the people in the environment where Jesus lived. People expected shepherds to have the following characteristics:
Trustworthy to entrust their sheep to
Know where to lead the flock to green pastures and fresh water.
Acts as the owner of the herd and not as a hired worker.
Able to create a kind of intimacy with the sheep, giving a name to each of them.
Ready and qualified to protect the sheep from danger.
Waits on the sheep in hard times and dark nights.
Willing to sacrifice himself to ensure the safety of every sheep in the flock.
This kind of shepherd will gain the full trust of his flock. The sheep will obey him in return and follow him when they hear his voice.
Today's Gospel invites us to think about our "Good Shepherd.” We are very dear to Him. He would like to lead us into hopeful ways and provide us with all we need for a happy life.
Let us trust Him, follow Him, and hear His voice. Consider Him our model of love and life, becoming ourselves shepherds who care for others as Jesus does.
