Shepherd and Gate

Today's Reflections

Shepherd and Gate

 

Jn 10:1-10

[Jesus said to the Pharisees,] ¹“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. ²But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. ⁵But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” ⁶Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

⁷So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

 

Reflection:
 

The shepherd of the sheep. A good shepherd provides for the needs of his sheep, leading them out to pasture. 

He keeps them safe and healthy; he does not want them to be lost or get hurt. He protects them to the point of risking his life for them. A good shepherd thinks of the sheep’s well-being before his own.

Jesus is our good Shepherd. He shows the true way to the Father. He gives and leads us to the fullness of life. He saves us from sin and death. He opens for us the gate of heaven and offers us a life of fellowship with the Father. Jesus shepherds us personally. He attends to our needs individually and intimately. He knows and calls us by name.

We, too, are shepherds to those who are entrusted to our love and care—our spouse, our children, our employees, our students, and those under our supervision. What kind of shepherds are we? Are we good shepherds after the example of Jesus the good Shepherd?

Are you a “gate for the sheep,” like Jesus?Are you a channel through which God’s blessingspass on to his children?