Coffee With God

Reflection: John 10:27-30

The fourth Sunday of Easter, known as Good Shepherd Sunday, is the “World Day of Prayer for Vocations.” Each year on this Sunday, we reflect on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who willingly sacrifices himself for the care of his flock. A shepherd leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects, and protects his flock. In today’s Gospel, John presents Jesus as the fulfilment of the prophecies where Jesus presents himself as the true shepherd. John wants to help his community and us deepen our understanding of this biblical image. This image of the Good Shepherd is to be understood in the light of the Old Testament, where God was the shepherd of Israel, and their kings were expected to be shepherds to the people. David was the great Shepherd-King, and the Jewish people awaited the coming of a king like David. John Introduces Jesus as that shepherd-king for whom Israel had been waiting for. This explains the reasons for Jesus describing himself as the shepherd who gets killed for the life of his sheep. In today’s text, the emphasis is on the relationship between Jesus and the members of his flock. “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Jesus presents himself as a tough, strong and decisive shepherd who fights against the enemies to save his sheep. He takes the image of David, the shepherd who chased the lion and the bear that took away a sheep from his flock, knocked them down and snatched the prey from their mouths (1 Sam 17:34-35). Now, Jesus presents himself as the New Shepherd who is not afraid to fight to the point of giving his life for the life of the flock he loves (Jn 10:11). Jesus guarantees that his sheep will never be lost and that no one will take them from his hand (v.28). Our salvation is guaranteed not because of the good behaviour of us, the sheep, but because of the initiative of the shepherd. This is the good news of Easter and that we must share with every person. Even to those who have done everything wrong in life, the shepherd guarantees his protection and care: our miseries, our shortcomings, our choices of death instead of life will not succeed in defeating the love of Christ. Through today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches one of the central aspects of our vocation: Every one of us who is entrusted with the care of others is a shepherd. Hence, pastors, parents, teachers, doctors, nurses, government officials, etc., are all shepherds. We become good shepherds by loving those entrusted to us, praying for them, spending our time and talents for their welfare, and guarding them against physical and spiritual dangers.