Jesus the Good Shepherd - Rector's Rambling for April 26, 2020

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

The Second Sunday after Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday because of the Gospel lesson. The Bible is full of shepherds and shepherd imagery because shepherds were plentiful and well known to those living in those biblical times. To know what a shepherd was was to just look around your family or town and you were sure to know a shepherd or two.

For those of us living in Metro Detroit, encountering a shepherd in real life is probably unlikely. My only encounter with a shepherd in my lifetime (and granted I am a city-mouse through and through), was when I was living in Jerusalem in 1993 while taking a course at St. George’s Anglican College. But even if shepherds are uncommon to us here and now, the imagery is still powerful for Jesus, whose life and ministry, and even his mission, has some commonality.

From year to year, on Good Shepherd Sunday I have tried to focus on one or two points of how the image works for Jesus, and our relationship with him – we follow, he leads us, we know his voice, he seeks the lost sheep. These are a few examples of ways that this example works for us today even living in a major metropolitan area.

But the opening lines of the Gospel lesson for today is our deep theological reflection in Eastertide! The good shepherd is one that is welling to die for the sheep. Jesus even says it twice in the same pericope, both in verses 11 and 15.

And in light of what we have celebrated in the last 2.5 weeks, Jesus has done just that! He went to the cross on Good Friday to die for our sins. As the second person of the Holy Trinity he could have stopped his execution. But instead he knew it was the will of the Father to complete the work that he was given to do. He laid down his life on the cross for us. He died for our sins to conquer sin AND rose again to conquer death. By this we are led to the green pasture of Eternal Life with him forever

(photo of the tower door entrance of The Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont, PA, where I served as curate 1994-1996)