THE UNBOUNDED LOVE & PROVIDENCE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Each year on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, we hear readings from the Gospel of John in which Christ identifies himself as the “Good Shepherd.” Of course, the sight of sheep and shepherds was extraordinarily commonplace for 1st century Judeans, but maybe not so much for 21st century inhabits of the Twin Cities Metro area.

Nevertheless, the analogy remains effective for us, because the underlying content is just as true in our own day. Even if we are not living in an age in which we routinely pass herds of sheep on the countryside on our way to work, our everyday experiences tell us that, despite the presence of some good shepherds, there are a lot of “thieves and robbers” who use people as disposable means to some end. This is why Church documents of the 20th century—particularly those written by Pope John Paul II—speak extensively about the inherent, God-given dignity of each human person and the importance of viewing people as ends rather than as means.

Perhaps one of the most perplexing dimensions of the account of Christ as Good Shepherd is one that we do not hear in this year’s rendering of the Gospel; namely, that Christ will leave the 99 sheep in a herd in order to pursue the one sheep that has wandered and been lost. Initially, this might strike us as rather rash or irresponsible: after all, if a pack of wolves were to enter, would it not be a greater risk that ninety-nine sheep might be devoured than that one might be devoured?

The short answer to this question, to me, might seem like an obvious “yes,” but that is only because I am thinking from the mindset of a hireling who would rather explain to the owner of the flock that he has lost one sheep than to tell him that my foolishness cost him the price of ninety -nine sheep. But to Christ, the lost sheep isn’t merely a statistic, the lost sheep is a soul to be pursued.

I cannot help but recall the Parable of the Prodigal Son in connection with this passage about the Good Shepherd. The elder son, who can be said to represent the majority of sheep who remained in the fold, cannot possibly understand why the father is “wasting” such fuss on the younger son who foolishly wandered off.

In taking on this attitude, the elder son is not only spurning his brother’s request for reconciliation, but he is grossly underestimating the resourcefulness of his father, whose wealth cannot be exhausted merely by slaying one fatted calf in celebration of the prodigal son’s return. In like manner, God’s providence is more than capable of protecting the large herd of sheep from perdition while simultaneously retrieving the lost sheep.

At times, the providence of the Father can feel very distant. Sometimes any of us can be tempted feel as though the Lord is fastidiously attending to those around us while the angst and yearning of our own hearts seem to fall only on deaf ears. However, the virtues of faith and hope serve to remind us that Christ’s providence, though it feel distant, will not fail us— already, he has willingly laid down his life for us. We are the “lost sheep” whom he sought out and for whom he shed his blood.

Even if we suffer some hard losses in life, or even if many aspects of life don’t pan out as we hoped, we must never lose sight of the fact that our Lord pursued—and continues to pursue—us to the point of laying down his own life. Though there may be days where, as the Psalm says, it seems as though we are “walking through the valley of the shadow of death,” let us recall that we were only baptized into Christ’s Death in order that we might also be baptized in the glories of his Resurrection.

~Samuel Backman, Director of Sacred Music