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In today's world of
superlative advertising, we're not used to hearing about just the good,
nor even the better; it has to be the best.
When Jesus described himself as the good shepherd it is hard to be all
that impressed. But Jesus was not using the word "good" as in "that was
a pretty good play," or "good going." He was not describing himself as
someone who was “ok” at watching sheep. He was trying to tell us that he
is the perfect or impeccable shepherd, then and now, willing to lay down
his life for his sheep.
In Jesus' day being a shepherd was no status job. Yet they appeared in
the scriptures at some interesting moments: King David was a shepherd,
it was to shepherds that the birth of the Messiah was first proclaimed,
our Lord sometimes spoke of them in the parables. They were a strange
lot.
It was a very solitary life.
In Biblical times sheep were not grazed on great ranches. They
were herded to isolated grassy fields, sometimes up in the mountains,
sometimes down in the plains. They could not be kept in any one place
too long because they ate the plants right down to the ground. Nobody
wants a herd of sheep nearby. They do not smell very good.
In Jesus' day the shepherds
smelled almost as bad as the sheep. You never heard people say,
"Rejoice, the shepherds are in town!" That might also result in part
from the fact that shepherds didn't talk much, other than to the sheep
and other shepherds. Maybe they didn't like people, maybe that is why
they became shepherds in the first place. Mostly, they would make up
songs to keep themselves amused and to keep the sheep peaceful. It
probably didn’t help with the
neighbors.
So why did Jesus want us to know that he is the good shepherd? No matter
what else you might say about them, good shepherds are ridiculously
devoted to their sheep. They watch over their sheep from birth to death,
keeping the flock together and searching for the lost. They eat
with their sheep, sleep with them, take care of them when they are sick,
and most importantly, protect them from their natural enemies. Whether
it is a wolf, a bear, a lion, or rustlers, a good shepherd protects his
sheep, even to the point of giving up his or her life for them. That is
just what a good shepherd must do!
Back in the days of the Old Testament Yahweh used to call himself the
shepherd of Israel. He sent many people to tend the flock for him. There
was Moses, the judges, the prophets, even the kings of Israel and Judah
have been described as shepherds. Most often God was not pleased with
the way these shepherds cared for his people. Finally, He sent his Son,
emptied of his divinity, in order to become a man — Jesus Christ, the
true shepherd of God's people.
Jesus described himself as
the very-most-perfect shepherd. In his earthly life he was the good
shepherd, even to the point of laying down his life. But unlike any
other shepherd he remains always and forever with his flock, through his
Church. Through the sacrament of Holy Orders he sends his disciples to
search out and care for his sheep to the very ends of the earth. He
brings us into his flock through Baptism. He watches over us from birth
to death.
He searches for the lost and welcomes them in the sacrament of
Reconciliation. He feeds us with the Eucharist and strengthens us with
Confirmation. He binds us to one another in love through Matrimony. He
heals us with Anointing of the Sick.
The sacramental life of the Church is just one of the ways in which the
Lord continues to shepherd us. He is also present to us in the
structures of the Church from the leadership of the Holy Father to the
fellowship of the parishes. From the Congregations of the Curia in Rome
to the Religious Education classes in our school, Jesus the good
shepherd watches over us still.
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