Jesus as the Good Shepherd is the fulfillment of a promise that God made to his people through the prophet Ezekiel, “For thus says the Lord God: I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark…I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest, says the Lord God.” (Ez 34,11f.15) As the Good Shepherd, Jesus is the image of the personal love, care and guidance that God the Father has for each of his sheep. The sheep of the flock of God the Father are those who believe in the Son. Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (Jn 10,27) To believe in the love of God and to follow the “right path” (Ps 23,3) of the Son is to recognize the voice of truth and love that speaks to the heart of every sheep. Jesus knows us and calls each of us by name in a very personal relationship of friendship with us. Like a Good Shepherd, he knows our strengths and he is well acquainted with our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. The voice of the Good Shepherd speaks to the heart of his sheep and they are able to hear this voice and follow in his way because they trust in him. All of us need to be able to hear the still, small voice of God, speaking to us through our Good Shepherd who is one with the Father in the love of the Spirit.
Jesus is both Shepherd and Lamb. As both Shepherd and Lamb, he lays down his life for his sheep. (Jn 10,11) He keeps them from the harm of the wolves and he offers himself as a sacrificial lamb in their place for their sins. No lambs need to die for sin because Christ, the Lamb of God, has died once and for all for sin. Now, “the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Rev 7,17) Jesus, the Lamb of God, is meek and humble of heart and lives in obedience to the Father. We need to imitate the love of the Shepherd and the Lamb.
On the Fourth Sunday of Easter we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday and we remember the Lamb that was slain who dies no more but lives now eternally with the Father, having been raised up to glory and seated on the throne of glory. We remember the Good Shepherd who came among us so that we might “have life and have it more abundantly.” (Jn 10,10) We listen for the voice of the Shepherd who is calling us to new life and leading us to streams of life-giving waters. We remember that we are part of a flock that all listen to the voice of the Shepherd and who follow in his ways but who also are personally known to the Lord and called by name, and forever safe in his gentle hands.