This Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday because this day honors
Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd, reflecting on the Sunday Gospel reading
(John 10:27-30).
Though in this segment of the Gospel reading for Sunday Mass
itself did not say that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, he identifies himself so in
a relevant scene to this Sunday’s reading scene.
To better appreciate what Good Shepherd Sunday is about –
what this Sunday’s Gospel reading is about, I suggest that we read the entire
chapter 10 of John. In particular, it is very helpful to read John 10:1-21 to
get a better picture of the background of today’s Gospel reading.
Jesus began to reveal his identity as the Good Shepherd in
response to accusation against him for giving sight to a man, who was born
blind (John 9). Jesus got in trouble with the Pharisees, whose fat ego always
prevents them from believing in and understanding Jesus’ supernatural abilities
as they are.
Jesus’ identity as the Good Shepherd actually makes a smooth
connection from last Sunday’s Gospel reading (John 21:1-19).
In the last Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus asked Peter to
take care of his sheep in his three-fold command (John 21:15-17). In doing
this, Jesus was entrusting Peter to lead his mission of salvation. Taking care
of Jesus’ sheep is the mission given to Peter as the leader of the Apostles. No
to mention, Jesus’ sheep are us. Who followed the Way of Jesus as his sheep,
who hears and follow him (i.e. John 10:3-5).
Because Jesus has sheep, he is a shepherd. By the time Jesus
asked Peter to take care of his sheep in chapter 21, he had already made his
Shepherd-identity known in chapter 10 in John’s Gospel.
As Easter season is when we get to know more about Jesus,
the one who has resurrected, through John’s Gospel (every year) and Book of
Revelation (Year C), while learning about how the Apostles had changed through
their encounters with the resurrected Jesus, through the Acts of the Apostles.
In this Sunday’s Second and Gospel readings, we see further
revelation about Jesus’s identity: the Lamb at the throne (second reading:
Revelation 7:9, 14b-17) and the Shepherd (Gospel reading: John 10:27-30). This
Sunday’s readings help us understand this dual identity of Jesus: both the Lamb
and the Shepherd.
To understand better about Jesus as the Lamb and as the
Shepherd, it is important to read Revelation from chapter 5 on to today’s
Second reading.
A mighty angel asks who is worthy to open the scroll.
Opening the scroll symbolically means engaging in God’s mission of salvation.
Because no one can do it, John, who saw this vision, was in despair. But, he
was comforted by the fact, the Lion of Judah, from the root of David, can complete
this difficult salvific mission of God as the Lamb of God. Thus, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and
blessing.”(Revelation 5:12). This also invokes John 10:11, 15, Jesus stating,
as the Good Shepherd, to lay his life for his sheep, a metaphor of his
Crucifixion to save us (his sheep).
Revelation chapter 6 describes how this mighty Lion of
Judah, as the Lamb to be slain, broke the first six seals of the seven seals in
order to open the scroll. Opening the scroll means to execute God’s salvific
plan. Today’s Second Reading
(Revelations 7:9, 14b-17) follows this and is followed by the Lamb breaking the
7th seal in chapter 8.
Breaking 6 seals, meaning opening the scroll more, Jesus reveals
God’s plan of salvation, the scroll, that those who have endured the great
distress will be cleansed by the blood of the slain Lamb (Christ) and will be
shepherded by the Lamb to springs of life-giving water, where there is no more
tears and suffering. Therefore, our
life, as Christians, sure comes with sufferings and tribulations.
Because it is a great multitude that no one could count
(Revelation 7:9), the object of God’s salvation plan are not limited to the
twelve tribes of Jacob (Israel), the Jews. It means that the Gentles are also
included in God’s salvific plan. Today’s First Reading (Acts 13:14, 43-52) also
indicates this.
Citing Isaiah 49:6, Paul and Barnabas declared, “It was
necessary that the word of God be spoken to you (Jews) first, but since you
rejected and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the
Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you a light to the
Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the end of the earth”(Acts
13:46-47), as the Jews in Antioch persecuted Paul and Barnabas for speaking
God’s salvific plan of Christ, the Lamb and the Shepherd.
It was jealousy that made the Jews in Antioch angry at Paul
and Barnabas to attack them. The Jews became jealous of Paul and Barnabas
because their preaching on Christ grew so popular in Antioch, especially among
the Gentles there. Perhaps, the Jews in Antioch felt threatened by Paul and
Barnabas. While jealous Jews did not appreciate the Word of God on God’s saving
plan to lead to eternal life, the spiritually hungry Gentiles became so
delighted to learn that they are worthy of eternal life, which Jesus has
revealed to lead to as the Lamb of God (Revelation 7:17) and to give as the
Shepherd (John 10:28).
After all, this Sunday’s readings is about these words of
Jesus, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the
sheep.”(John 10:11). This is perhaps the
most important thing in the scroll that the Lamb of God opened to save us.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who came to give his sheep life
abundantly (John 10:10).
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who lays his own life for his
sheep (John 10:11, 15).
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who never leaves his sheep,
expose them to danger and let them scatter out of fear (John 10:12).
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who knows his sheep, and his
sheep know him (John 10: 14).
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who knows his Father and is
known by his Father (John 10: 15)。
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, whose sheep hear his voice and
form one flock with their one shepherd (John 10:16).
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, whom Father loves, because he
lays his life to take it up again (because he dies and resurrect) …for his
sheep (John 10: 17).
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, whose life cannot be taken by
anyone but be laid down by him, because he has power to take it again,
according to a command he has received from his Father (John 10:18).
So, to put these aspects of Jesus’ identity as the Good
Shepherd to this Sunday’s readings, it goes as follows:
Because Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who lays his own life
(John 10: 11, 15, 18), he is the Lamb of God, whose blood saves his sheep,
those who believe in him and follow him, by cleansing them with his own blood
(Revelations 7:9).
Not to mention, John 10:27, echoes John 10:16; John 10:28 and
Revelation 7:17 echo John 10:10; John 10:29 echoes John 10:12; John 10:30
echoes John 10:17, further revealing the respective qualities, which were
expressed earlier.
Now we know more about our Good Shepherd. Do we know him? Do
we hear his voice? Do we follow him?
Ever since Jesus ascended 40 days after his resurrection,
Peter and his successors, Pope, have been shepherding us, commissioned by
Jesus, as his Father had commissioned him to take care of his sheep.
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