Whose Sheep Are You?
“Jesus says: I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.”John 10:9
The Fourth Sunday of Easter is commonly known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” because we here about the Good Shepherd in John’s Gospel. Jesus seems to be giving a lesson on the nature of the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep and those who try to steal them. Later on, Jesus tells them that He in fact is the “gate” through which the sheep enter and that He is the Good Shepherd (we will hear this in tomorrow’s Gospel reading). Only those who go through the gate belong to the Lord, we are told, and whoever climbs over it are thieves. It is only by going through Jesus are we able to find true and lasting peace, joy, and more importantly, salvation.
There are many voices and “shepherds” out there promising “happiness” or “security” if people follow them. But, we know that whatever happiness or security the worldly shepherds claim to promise are false and are temporary at best. What the shepherds of the world offer are quick fixes and bandaids, treating only the surface without rooting out whatever it is that is causing the pain. We see this in the usage of drugs, alcohol, and other substances, numbing the pain and allowing us to forget the problems we might be facing for a while; but with repeated usage, we see the devastating effects of substance abuse and addiction. What are the things we turn to when problems arise or anxiety sets it? Do we turn to things that offer us only a temporary escape or do we turn to the One who offers to treat the wound? Do we desire simply to hop the fence or do we wish to walk through the gate? When we settle for hopping over the fence we rob ourselves of an encounter with Christ.
When we treat the wound, there is often pain, such as when the antiseptic solution or alcohol wipe burns or stings, so too is there pain when we seek to treat our spiritual wounds. But this pain is the first and most important step of recovery. Jesus never promised His followers an easy life without pain or problems. I mean look at the Lord Himself and the pain He endured for our sake. To follow Christ is to follow the Good Shepherd and to walk through the gate. It might be more demanding, more difficult, and might even be a source of persecution, but do not be discouraged because what we seek is eternal, much more than our bodies and our earthly existence. Yes, we want to be happy in this life and the next, but the shepherds of the world only cares about happiness in this life, leaving our souls at risk. Whose voice do we listen to today? To whose fold do we belong? Let us listen carefully to the voice of the Good Shepherd who calls out to us today, and may we ask for the grace and courage to follow Him today.
