THE SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP
(A biblical reflection on the 4th Sunday of Easter [Year C] – 21st of April 2013)
First Reading: Acts 13:14,43-52; Psalms: Ps 100:2,3,5; Second Reading: Rev 7:9,14-17; Gospel Reading: Jn 10:27-30
“I’m a person not a sheep,” exclaimed a lady attending a Bible class. She told how the biblical passages referring to people as sheep always made her cringe. Some others who said they “hadn’t really thought about it before,” agreed that she made a good point. I tried to explain that the sheep and shepherd expressions (and many other scriptural verses) are poetic – not meant to be taken literally.
As the shepherd and sheep theme runs through today’s liturgy, please remember that there is no implication that we are dumb animals, blindly led by another. The Bible is truly a book of many literary styles. There is much poetry in it, meant to be interpreted by common poetic rule.
Take for example the verse, “I am the vine and you are the branches.” It’s not literally true, of course – but Jesus is like a vine as our source of life and strength; and we are like branches, being dependent on Him.
In another instance He called His apostles “fishers of men.” Literally this would be a crude image, especially if we are the fish dangling from a hook or entangled in a net. The expression simply means that they will bring many people to God, as a fisherman catches many fish. The analogy is not meant to be carried further.
In similar fashion, Jesus literally is not a shepherd and we are not sheep. But poetically He knows, loves and cares for us like a shepherd, and we trust and follow Him like sheep. The Hebrews to whom these words were addressed thought and spoke in very concrete images, and the message was clear and powerful.
The shepherd symbol applied to God has long been a favourite, for unlike most other animals the sheep voluntarily follow the shepherd rather than being chased from behind. It is also said that in ancient times the shepherd would break one leg of an unruly sheep which constantly strayed, lest it get lost or killed by predators. The shepherd then would carry the injured sheep whenever the flock moved. When the leg finally healed, the sheep would never stray again for it was now the shepherd’s pet.
Our Good Shepherd blesses us with guidance and discipline for our good, lest we stray and get lost. Jesus, in taking human flesh, accommodated Himself to our nature, language and ways. Whether it’s leading, feeding or healing, the analogy of the shepherd and his sheep is fittingly applied to the spiritual bond between the Savior and His people.
Note: Taken from Fr. James McKarns, GO TELL EVERYONE, Makati, Philippines: St. Paul Publications, 1985, pages 217-218.