"I am the good shepherd.”
What does the title “Good Shepherd” mean? It is “The title of Christ, which he gave himself, in so many words and in the Parable of the Good Shepherd (John 10:17-18; Luke 15:3-7). The theme is then taken up later in the New Testament (Hebrews 13:20; I Peter 2:25, 5:4). Implicit in the title is God’s mercy on sinners and his concern for the weak and lowly.”[i]
The image of the “Good Shepherd” is one that was not lost on the early Christians. From Abraham to David to Jesus, the image of a shepherd is very important. “The early Christians had a special affection for the image of the Good Shepherd, and have left us countless testimonies of it in the catacombs and on many well-known ancient buildings through murals, reliefs, gravestone etchings, mosaics, and sculptures.”[ii]
There is great fondness between Jesus and His sheep. He knows and calls each one by name (Jn. 10:14), and while Jesus has appointed other shepherds to tend His flock, i.e. the Pope, He is the “chief Shepherd” (1 Pt. 5:4).
Why does Jesus bring up the image of the “Good Shepherd” now? Jesus is driving home the point of what He spoke against in chapter nine of John’s Gospel when He heals the blind man. “The good shepherd discourse continues the theme of attack on the Pharisees that ends chapter 9 [of John’s Gospel]. The figure is allegorical: the hired hands are the Pharisees who excommunicated the cured blind man. It serves as a commentary on chapter 9.”[iii] In chapter nine Jesus uses the sense of sight, healing the blind, in chapter ten Jesus uses the sense of hearing when He states that He is the “Good Shepherd” whose sheep hear His voice. This voice far surpasses the voices of the world including the voice of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus takes great care to make it clear to all that He is the gate and the “Good Shepherd”. If we hear Him, we will follow only Christ, and by following Him, we will obtain salvation.
Search: The Voice of God “And a voice came from the heavens"
How do we listen to the voice of the “Good Shepherd”? Saint John Paul II, the great shepherd of the Church said, “You are children of the light (cf. Jn 12:36)! You belong to Christ, and he has called you by name. Your first responsibility is to get to know as much as you can about him, in your parishes, in religious instruction in your high schools and colleges, in your youth groups and Newman Centers. But you will get to know him truly and personally only through prayer. What is needed is that you talk to him, and listen to him. Today we are living in an age of instant communications. But do you realize what a unique form of communication prayer is? Prayer enables us to meet God at the most profound level of our being. It connects us directly to God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in a constant exchange of love. Through prayer you will learn to become the light of the world, because in prayer you become one with the source of our true light, Jesus himself.”[iv]
ACTIVITY – Listen to His Voice
Chose six (6) volunteers. One person (person A) will go to the front of the group, facing the group. Another volunteer (person B) will stand about 10 feet from person A and will be reading John 10:1-11 to person A. Person B, the one reading the scripture, represents the Voice of the “Good Shepherd”. Choose 3-4 other volunteers. These volunteers will be “other voices” in the world. Once person B begins reading to person A, have one of the “other voices” approach person A and offer them a cell phone or IPod so they can listen to a popular song. Person B continues to read the whole time despite the distractions. Have a second person from the “other voices” approach person A and begin to gossip. Person B continues to read the whole time. Have a third person from the “other voices” approach person A and begin to show them a new YouTube video, asking them if they saw it yet and then playing it for them. Person A will be bombarded with music, video and gossip and in the midst of the bombardment the “Voice of the Shepherd” will continue. Try to time the skit so that the “other voices” do there bombardment within the same amount of time that it takes person B to read John 10:1-11. After the skit ask person A if they remember or heard anything from the reading. This can lead into a discussion about John 10:1-11 as well as a discussion on why we are distracted and bombarded with so many voices, and how it can be hard to hear the Voice of the Shepherd. At the beginning of the skit, you can ask person A to try to listen to person B as person B reads the Gospel. At the end of the skit, ask person A how much they comprehended.
Where else in scripture do we see the image of a shepherd? The image or occupation of a shepherd is seen throughout the entire Bible. Abraham and David were both shepherds. The image of God as a shepherd is also seen throughout the scriptures. Here are some examples:
Ezekiel 34:1-12: “The Lord Yahweh says this: ‘Look, I am against the shepherds. I shall take my flock out of their charge and henceforth not allow them to feed my flock. And the shepherds will stop feeding themselves, because I shall rescue my sheep from their mouths to stop them from being food for them. For the Lord Yahweh says this: Look, I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it. As a shepherd looks after his flock when he is with his scattered sheep, so shall I look after my sheep.’”
Psalm 23:1: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”
Psalm 80:1: “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock!”
Psalm 100:3: “We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture”
Isaiah 40:11: “He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms”
See also: Ex. 34; Gn. 48:15; 49:24; Mi. 7:14
Why is Jesus as the “Good Shepherd” important? Jesus’ whole discourse in today’s Gospel reading and in the tenth chapter of John reveal that by accepting death and rising on the third day, He is both the shepherd and the gate (cf. Jn. 10:7). “By accepting death in order to save his flock, Jesus is at the same time both shepherd and door for his sheep. ‘I am the door’ – he said – ‘If any one enters by me he will be saved and will go in and out, and find pasture’ (Jn. 10:9). No one enters the sheepfold of Christ – the Church – without believing in him, without passing through the mystery of his death and resurrection. Baptism is precisely the sacrament which, immersing us in Christ’s Easter mystery, leads us into his sheepfold, where we shall find salvation.”[v]
VIDEO – Sheep Herding
It is easy to think, “So Jesus is a shepherd and we are sheep, who cares?” We are not familiar with sheepherders so we don’t understand the difficulty in herding sheep. This video shows the diligence of the shepherd, the usefulness of the sheep dogs, the necessity of the sheep to stay united, and the refuge and safety of the gate. The goal of this 6-mile herding is to get 250 sheep into the safety of the gate where they are protected and well fed.
ACTIVITY – PSALM 23
After watching the “Sheep Herding” video another option is to have someone read Psalm 23. Lead a discussion of how the “Good Shepherd” is similar to the video that was just shown, and how Christ brings us protection and feeds us well.
In our life who are the shepherd, the sheep dogs, the other sheep and the gate? What do these images mean to our life? The shepherd must continue to give directions to both sheep and dogs; the shepherd represents Christ and the Bishops, to whom He gave His authority. Like the shepherd in this video, the shepherds carry a crosier, or staff. The sheep dogs take the shepherd’s orders keeping the sheep on the right path and going toward their destination. The priests who are servants of the local Bishop are like the sheep dogs. The sheep are united and stay in the herd; these are the faithful that are one in liturgy, doctrine and morals. At the end of this video, the sheep are successfully led through the gate. The gate is Jesus Christ. The shepherds, priests and other faithful lead us to Christ, our destination. It is only in Christ that we find protection, rest and nourishment. Our life is hilly, winding, long, and dangerous. It is only through the guidance of the shepherds, the priests, and the faithful (The Church) that we make our way to Christ both temporally (on earth) and for all eternity (in heaven). We have the guidance not only of those who are part of the Church Militant (Pope, Bishops, Priest and Lay Faithful) but also the Angels and the Church Triumphant (The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints).
[i] The Modern Catholic Dictionary pg. 234
[ii] Fernandez, In Conversation with God 2, 68.1
[iii] NAB Jn. 10, 1-21 footnotes
[iv] Blessed John Paul II; St. Louis; January 26, 1999
[v] Divine Intimacy Volume II pg. 174