Today's Reflections
The Good Shepherd
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Jn 10:11-18
11[Jesus said,] “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12A
hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a
wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches
and scatters them. 13This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These
also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one
flock, one shepherd. 17This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No
one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay
it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received
from my Father.”
I am the good shepherd. The shepherd
is the heart and soul of the flock. The true shepherd is responsible
for everything that pertains to the life and safety of the whole flock.
He leads the sheep to green pastures and, after the sheep have grazed in
the fields, he guides them to the source of water to drink. In the late
afternoon the shepherd calls and gathers the flock back to the shelter
of the sheepfold for the night. And if ever one of the sheep gets lost,
the shepherd goes in search of the lost one. He protects and shields the
flock from wolves and marauders.
A
good shepherd, says Jesus, lays down his life for the sheep. This is
the criterion for determining the authenticity of shepherds coming after
Jesus. Unlike the wicked shepherds of Israel, whom he calls hirelings,
Jesus will not leave the sheep in the face of danger; he is willing to
lay down his life for the sheep.
“I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.”
What is your attitude towards other people
who have a different culture and religion?
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