Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C

No Shepherd Like Jesus!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, April 17, 2016

The fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. It is also a World Day of Prayer for Vocations. So, we are going to reflect on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. In ancient Israel, shepherds were primarily called to care and protect the sheep. If anything bad should happen to the sheep, the shepherd in-charge of the flock must produce evidence to demonstrate that it was not his fault. Meanwhile, there were two kinds of shepherds: a hired shepherd and a shepherd-owner. A hired shepherd saw looking after a flock of sheep as a job and not a vocation. He would move from one flock to another depending on the condition of pay and service. He would not risk his life for the sheep because he was only a hireling. The sight of a wolf or a human intruder was enough to make him abandon the sheep and flee, leaving the sheep at the mercy of the invader. And his relationship with the flock was not always intimate.   

On the other hand, there was the shepherd-owner who cared for the sheep more than a hireling. He was more intimate with the sheep and would naturally risk his life in defense of them. The sight of a wolf would not scare him. He would rather fight to save his flock. The sheep had good care because he had personal interest in their wellbeing. He made sure they had plenty to eat and drink because he was personally attached to them. As a good shepherd, he fed the sheep, not on the sheep. His knowledge of each of the sheep was spot on. He knew each of them personally and can identify his own sheep no matter where they were. He can narrate personal story of each of them. A shepherd-owner knew what the sheep wanted and when they wanted it. During the day of grazing, his flock of sheep can mingle with other sheep, but at sunset, he would identify his own and lead them home to safety. When he had led them to the sheep-pen, he would not go home. He would make his bed across the entrance of the sheep-pen. So, no intruder will be able to enter the sheep-pen without passing through him. 

In the Old Testament, the image of the Shepherd is often applied to God as well as to the leaders of the people. The book of Exodus severally called God a shepherd. Prophet Isaiah compared the protection and care of God for his people as follows: “Like a Shepherd he tends his flock; in his arm he will gather the lambs and carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead their young” (Isaiah 40:11). Prophet Ezekiel described God as a loving shepherd who searches meticulously for the lost sheep. And in Psalm 23, King David gave us an amazing description of the Good Shepherd: “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, and beside still waters, he refreshes my soul” (Psalm 23:1-2). In the New Testament, Jesus declared and introduced himself as The Good Shepherd: “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). He is not just a shepherd or a good shepherd, he is The Good Shepherd. Which means, he’s the Real Deal. He is the Shepherd Owner. A hired shepherd thinks primarily of his own welfare. When he sees a wolf coming, he takes off, leaving the sheep to be attacked, destroyed, killed and scattered. But as the Good Shepherd, Jesus says, “I lay down my life for my sheep.” He would not leave the sheep at the mercy of an intruder. He would fight to defend them. The Good Shepherd knows his sheep and they know him, “I know them, and they follow me.” There is a mutual bond of love and intimacy between the Shepherd and the sheep. Like I said before, the relationship between a hired shepherd and the sheep is not intimate. He does not know the personal or collective story of the sheep. But Jesus knows. He knows us individually. He knows our personal stories and struggles. As the Good Shepherd, he knows when you and I can no longer walk or do things by ourselves. He knows when to pick us up and shoulder us. He knows each of us, our needs, strengths and weaknesses. This knowledge is not a mere intellectual knowledge, but the kind of knowledge that comes from love. He loves as we are, with all our imperfections. But he also expects us to receive his love and to return his love by keeping his commands. He speaks to us through the Bible, the priests, parents, friends, family and through the events of our lives. He whispers to us through our consciences— the divine GPS. God speaks to us even when we are trapped in a mud of sin, even when our hearts are cluttered by the material things of life and when others have concluded that we are lost. To the sheep who listen to his voice, he has made a promise: “I (will) give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.” This is amazing! Under his protective wings, no one can ever take us away from him. Hidden under his shelter, we are absolutely safe and secured. No one is powerful enough to snatch us from him, unless we deliberately drop out from his sheepfold and no longer follow him.

The good news is that we are not a flock of sheep without a shepherd. We are preciously and peculiarly owned by the Good Shepherd. There is no other one like him. “Cut off or depart from me, you can do nothing” he declares in John 15:5b. What distinguishes Jesus from other shepherds is this: “I know them” (that is, the sheep). He knows his own. He knows his sheep. His sheep equally know him. In the midst of several and divergent voices and opinions in today’s world, the sheep are able to single out the voice of the shepherd and follow him. Those who want to follow other shepherds should know that they are not following the Good Shepherd. Other shepherds cannot protect them or give everlasting life. They cannot lay down their lives for them. In fact, if push comes to shove, other shepherds will sacrifice the lives of their dependents to keep theirs. Only Jesus, the Good Shepherd has laid down his life for everyone. If we accept him as Master and Lord, become a member of his flock, and maintain an ongoing relationship with him, we will experience the splendor and the magnificence of his life. No one, not even death will be able to snatch us or separate us from him. Death would not be the end of life but the beginning of it.

As we celebrate the Good Shepherd Sunday, let’s resolve to do three things: one, become good shepherds; two, become good sheep; and three, pray for vocations to married life, the priesthood and religious life.