4th Sunday Easter - Year B

Today’s readings grace us with the assurance that we are God’s very dear and beloved children (1Jn 3:1-2) and that Jesus, by whose name we are being saved (Acts 4:7-12) is our good and caring shepherd.  Though the images of shepherds and sheep may not immediately appeal to us, they are deeply ingrained in our biblical tradition.  The ancient Israelites practiced a herding economy.  Abel was a shepherd, as were Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rachel, Moses and David.  Sheep and other herded animals provided the nomadic tribe with its staple foods and with raw materials for clothing and shelter.  When the nomadic tribes got settled and as they evolved into monarchies the image of the shepherd was appropriated as the model for a good ruler.

Given the intimate and lifelong relationship that the ancient shepherds and their sheep shared, this image is an apt one for describing the bond between Christ and the Christian.  However, it is this very provident, protective, selfless and enduring intimacy that challenges contemporary  ministers who are called to shepherd or pastor God’s people.  Jesus in today’s gospel  (Jn 10:11-18) alludes to this challenge when he compares the shepherding style of the good shepherd with that of the hired hand.  Whereas the good shepherd would lay down his life for the sheep, hired hand runs away at the first sign of danger.

Neither is a mere administrator a true pastor.  Today’s gospel also offers a challenge in this regard.  Whereas an administrator may be able to take charge, to manage, and organize things in the most efficient way, it is the pastor who realizes that all those skills are to be understood as secondary and subordinate to personal piety and selfless service to the needs of others, particularly the lost, the sick and the needy.  Those who would serve God and others as shepherds and pastors should, suggests Roland Faley,  mirror Christ in his availability and sense of service even when it is inconvenient.