The Life-Saving Voice of the Noble Shepherd
We have spent the last three Sundays going over every detail of a single day, the Day of Resurrection. And having learned all that we can possibly learn from that world-changing event, we are now ready to move on—and learn about shepherds and sheep! Go figure!
As you may know, today is commonly referred to as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” For me, this day brings to mind the many paintings and stained-glass windows of Jesus’ cradling a snow-white lamb in his arms or carrying a poor little stray on his shoulders. These images were all I knew about sheep until I was well into my 20s. Imagine my shock when I first encountered real sheep up close and in person. They weren’t snow-white at all! In fact, they were filthy and smelly beasts. And I am told that they aren’t terribly bright! So, why on earth does Jesus compare his followers to sheep and himself to a shepherd?
I suspect that Jesus compares his followers to sheep, not because of our stupidity or our lack of hygiene, but because, like sheep, we have a tendency to stray. Jesus, as our shepherd, is there to gather us back into the fold when we stray. And he will go before us to lead us to the green pastures and still waters mentioned in Psalm 23. Note that I said “he will go before us.” In the Middle East, the shepherd goes ahead of the flock, and the sheep are trained to recognize the shepherd’s voice and to follow his lead. Likewise, Jesus, as our shepherd, is one who has gone ahead of us, and we are expected to follow in his footsteps.
Moreover, like sheep, we are at times defenseless and vulnerable. Not only do we have to deal with bodies and minds that slow down as we age, we also have to deal with people who would prey on our weaknesses. Have you ever gotten a phone call purporting to be from Microsoft or Apple and offering to help you with your computer problems? How about a message on your answering machine claiming to be from the IRS and threatening to put you in jail unless you pay up? And then there are those e-mails from a “Nigerian prince” offering you millions of dollars if only you will send him money first. Lastly, let’s not forget those TV pundits who make a very good living by trying to instill fear and hate in people like us. Well, if you have encountered any of these situations, then you know something of the wolves of this world.
Fortunately, we have someone trustworthy we can turn to, Jesus the Good Shepherd. Now, the English word “good” does not even begin to cover the range of meanings of the original Greek word kalós. In a physical sense, it means “handsome.” And many early representations of Jesus portrayed him as a handsome young man carrying a shepherd’s crook. But in a moral sense, it means something akin to our word “noble.” So, perhaps we should call today “Noble Shepherd Sunday.”
Now, when Jesus states that he is the noble shepherd, he is insinuating that others are not. This is more evident in the Greek, where the emphasis is on “I.” “I am the noble shepherd!” By implication, all other shepherds are pale imitations at best. At worst, they are wolves in shepherd’s clothing!
Admittedly, the Christian Church has long referred to its leaders as shepherds. The very word “pastor” is Latin for “shepherd.” But such terminology is misleading and downright unbiblical. As today’s Gospel makes perfectly clear, there is only one shepherd of the sheep, and that is Jesus Christ.
As evidence that he is the one and only Noble Shepherd, Jesus offers to lay down his life for his sheep. Then, in the very same breath, he makes an oblique reference to the Resurrection that will ensue. He says, “I lay down my life in order to take it up again.” I suspect that this Resurrection reference is the reason we hear this particular Gospel reading during Eastertide. It reminds us not only that Jesus died for our sake, but also that he was resurrected for our sake.
To sum up, Jesus likens himself to a noble shepherd who is willing to die for his flock, and he likens us, his followers, to sheep who are vulnerable to attack and likely to stray. While the focus of today’s Gospel reading is undoubtedly Jesus and his relationship to us, there is a moral imperative that is implicit in today’s Gospel and that will be more explicitly touched upon in the Collect of the Day; namely, we sheep are expected to listen attentively for the voice of the Noble Shepherd, to recognize it when we hear it, and to follow wherever he may lead. Admittedly, in times like these, when wolves are howling all around us, it can be hard to filter out all the howling and to discern the life-saving voice of the Noble Shepherd. But I assure you, my fellow sheep, if we but listen carefully, we can hear him calling out our names even now, bidding us to follow him to safe pastures.
© 2021 by Darren Miner. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
