Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter

Jesus the Good Shepherd

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter

St. Gerard Majella Church 

Baton Rouge, LA

April 29, 2012

Today is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, a day that we all are called to pray and to reflect on the meaning of God’s call especially that to the priesthood and the religious life. It’s the Good Shepherd Sunday. And in today’s gospel taken from John 10:11-18, Jesus made a distinction between a good shepherd and a hired one. Shepherds were primarily called to care, to serve and to protect the sheep. They were absolutely responsible for the sheep. If anything bad happens to the sheep, the shepherd in-charge of the flock must produce some kind of proof showing it was not his fault. There were two kinds of shepherds: the hired one and the shepherd-owner. The hired shepherd saw keeping the sheep as just a job. He moved from one flock to another depending on the condition of pay and service. Because he was a hired hand, he would not risk his life for the sheep. He cared less for the sheep. Seeing a wolf, a lion or a human intruder coming, he would abandon the sheep and flee leaving the sheep at the mercy of the invader. Jesus is not such a shepherd!

On the other hand, there was the shepherd-owner. He is the good shepherd. It is a natural thing for him to risk his life in the defense of his flock. The sight of a wolf, a lion or a human intruder never scared him. He would fight to save his flock.  The sheep had good care because the faithful shepherd had personal interest in their wellbeing. He saw that they find plenty to eat and drink because he was personally attached to them. As a  good and faithful shepherd, he fed the sheep, but a bad one fed on the sheep. 

The good shepherd-owner had a good knowledge of the sheep. He knew each of them. He can identify his own sheep no matter where they were. He can narrate personal story of each of his sheep. He knew each of their strengths and each of their weaknesses. He knew their mood. He knew the meaning of the sounds they made. The good shepherd knew what the sheep wanted and when they wanted it. During the day of grazing, his flock of sheep can mix and mingle with other sheep, but as the sun set, the good shepherd was able to identify one after another, all his sheep and led them home to safety. When he had led them to the sheep-pen, he would not go home. Instead, he made his bed across the entrance of the sheep-pen. That means, no intruder will be able to enter the sheep-pen without passing through him. In today’s gospel, Jesus says he is that Shepherd. 

In today’s gospel, Jesus says of himself: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” As for someone who is hired, who is not a faithful shepherd, Jesus says he “sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters the them.” You may be wondering, “Why would he do that?” The Lord answers “because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.” He has no interest in the flock of the sheep. He just wants to work and make some money. But Jesus does not work for money. He works for love. He loves his own so much that he laid down his life for them. He suffered and died to set us free. Everything he did and accomplished, he did and accomplished for us.  

Jesus says he is the Good Shepherd. Now in Greek, there are two words for good. There is agathos which simply describes the moral quality of a thing; there is kalos which means that in the goodness of a thing, there is a quality of winsomeness, attractiveness and loveliness. When Jesus is described as the Good Shepherd, the word is kalos. Jesus is more than efficiency, he is also lovely and attractive. In him, there is not only efficiency and fidelity but also loveliness. Most times, when people describe a doctor as a good doctor, they are not only describing the doctor’s efficiency and skill as a physician but also the sense of sympathy and kindness and the graciousness he/she brings which distinguishes him or her from other doctors. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who attracts people not just by the efficiency of his work, but by his love and compassion.  

Dearest beloved, the good news is that we have a Good Shepherd. We are not alone! We cannot walk alone! We have a lover that stands beside us daily. We are not like a flock of sheep without a shepherd. We have someone who has laid down his life for us and is ready to do it again and again. He cares for us so much. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your burdens on him because he cares for you.” He will not let devourers devour us. He’s with us in every step of the way. When the tempter calls us, he says to us, “Do not be afraid for I have conquered the world.”