Do you believe that Jesus is the good shepherd?
https://bible.usccb.org/Bible/readings/042521.cfm
Do you believe that Jesus is the good shepherd?
The good shepherd does not misuse or abuse or neglect or abandon his sheep. The good shepherd does not tend the flock for his own profit or benefit. The good shepherd does not flee from the wolf.
The good Shepherd lives and dies for their sheep.
Do we believe Jesus is the good shepherd?
Or, do we somehow think that Jesus is not trustworthy? Do we somehow think that Jesus is going to, as the saying goes, “fleece us?” Do we think that Jesus is going to treat us kindly and generously, or do we think that he is going to rob us?
I wonder if we really believe that Jesus is the good shepherd.
Jesus says that his sheep know his voice. Do we know his voice? Do we listen to his voice? Do we obey his voice?
My oldest and my youngest children both raised sheep when they were young. Sheep are stupid. Sheep are very, very stupid. It is not a very nice compliment to us that Jesus calls us sheep. Sheep don’t know very much. They don’t know where they should be or where it’s safe to go. They don’t know who is friendly, and who is dangerous.
But sheep do know one thing. They know who their shepherd is.
My kids’ sheep often escaped from the pen. There was no reason for the sheep to escape. They had green things to chew on, clean water, and a friend. They were safe from the neighbor and his dog. In the morning, and at night, they had fresh feed, and good attention. But, still, they often tried to escape, because sheep are stupid.
When a sheep escaped, there were two options. The first option was to try to catch the sheep. Sometimes I would try to get food and talk nicely to the sheep. This never worked. I had a little better results if I got the sheep cornered and herded it back to the open gate. Usually, this meant I would very slowly walk around the sheep to try to get the sheep between me and the gate. Then, if I moved very slowly towards the sheep, sometimes when she ran away she would accidentally run towards the gate. More often, she would run around the house, and I’d have to wait until she stopped, and try again.
The second option was to go to school and pick up one of the kids. They’d get out of the car, walk to the shed, and get a bucket, then rattle the bucket and call the sheep. “Preska!” or, “Buckle!” they would call. The sheep might be all the way around the front side of the house, or eating from our mean neighbor’s garden, but they would come trotting over to get a treat, a scratch behind the ears, and happily walk back into their pen.
I was nice, and animals usually like me, but these were not my sheep. They were my kids’ sheep, and the sheep knew their voice. They trusted their shepherd. They came when they were called.
How do we respond when Jesus calls us? Do we run away as if we are fearful he is going to give us medicine or eat us for dinner? Or do we come to him happily?
Sometimes we act like Jesus is our enemy. We act like he is trying to trick us or take something from us.
He isn’t.
Jesus wants to lead us to green pastures, and to where the water is clear and cool. Jesus wants to give us rest, and protect us.
Do you hear the voice of Jesus? What is he saying to you?
Is he calling you to work for him as a priest, a deacon, a sister, in consecrated life, or as a mom, or a dad? Is he calling you to work for justice in our community or in our nation? Is he calling you to work for peace? Maybe he is calling you to ask forgiveness from someone who thinks you’ve wronged them, or to offer forgiveness to someone who has wronged you.
Or, maybe you don’t think you hear his voice. Sometimes, that may mean that he is walking to the barn to get you a treat. Or, maybe he is trying to get your attention with his silence in order to teach you to listen better. Maybe he is calling you to just stop for a few minutes, set aside the electronic devices, and be with him and hear what he has to say.
There are many things the voice of Jesus might say, but there is one thing I know he is saying to each and every one of us:
I died for you, and I do not regret it. I love you, and you are mine.
