WHAT MAKES A SHEPHERD “GOOD”? May 11, 2025

     In the Gospel of the Fourth Sunday of Eastertide each year we hear a passage from the tenth chapter of St. John’s Gospel in which Our Lord speaks to us about Himself as the Good Shepherd.

     In using this imagery, Our Lord helps us to think about the relationship between a shepherd and this sheep. The owner of a flock of sheep in Our Lord’s Day might well hire in a man to look after the sheep in return for pay. Such a man would be called a “hireling” and would not be likely to establish a special rapport with the sheep he looked after. Yet, even if he did so, he would not necessarily be prepared to face major danger to himself on account of the sheep, should some danger threaten them.

     Our Lord tells us to think about it in this way - can you imagine a shepherd prepared to face danger to himself simply to save one or two sheep from a marauding enemy like a wolf? Surely not!

     A shepherd might be prepared to look after all the sheep up to a point, but not to the point of allowing some dreadful fate to befall himself on account of even a few of them. Yet this is exactly what Our Lord invites us to think about Him! He says that He is prepared not simply to face danger on our behalf but to lay down His life for us! He is fully prepared to die, in order to save us, His flock of sheep, from death.

     The wolf from whom He protects us is the Devil. The death He Himself accepts is in our place. By being killed in our stead He protects us from the danger of death. A hireling would not do that for us. He would, quite understandably, run away to save his own skin.

     Our Lord will not do that because He has concern for His sheep.

          Together with all the parish clergy and staff, I wish you and your loved ones every blessing this Paschaltide. ~ Fr. Paul Dobson