Fourth Sunday of Easter - Year C

Meditation – 4th Sunday of Easter Year C
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
John 10:22-30

We are so familiar with the story of Jesus as the Good Shepherd that there is a danger that we will miss the deeper implications. I remember a picture on the wall at my Sunday school, showing a blond, blue-eyed Jesus with a complexion that any girl might envy. He had a droopy look on his face, and under one arm he carried a droopy-looking lamb. It gave a very false impression both of Jesus, and of the role of a shepherd. A shepherd in first century Palestine had to be a robust character, capable of tackling wild beasts and facing harsh weather. He had to be dedicated too; the story Jesus told of the shepherd who sought long and hard for a lost animal was taken from real life. Shepherds were accountable for the sheep they cared for; lost members of the flock had to be found even if this involved staying out late on the hills.  When Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd (John 10: 14) he was taking on a role that demanded sacrifice...

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