I Know My Sheep: Reflections on the Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Cycle A

If you haven’t already read the readings you can find them here.

Acts 2:14a, 35-41
Psalm 23
1 Peter 2:20b-25
John 4:1-10

We are sheep (you, too). Many years ago my brother-in-law, a non-denominational minister, came to visit with his family. The three boys (there would be more children later) all were wearing shirts with the logo “We Are Sheep” on them and singing a song with the same title. Already fairly well versed in the Bible, they were referring to chapter 10 of John’s gospel, the Good Shepherd Discourse. The fourth Sunday of Easter is often referred to as Good Shepherd Sunday because no matter which cycle of readings we are in, this Sunday’s gospel always comes from John 10. We see this in the gospel acclamation for today, “I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and mine know me.”

In the first reading we are still following Peter’s “sermon” on Pentecost after the apostles received the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room. Last week we heard him tell the crowd that Jesus, whom they had crucified through the works of lawless men, had been raised up and released from the throes of death. This week the crowd, hearing Peter, was “cut to the heart,” and asked him what they needed to do. Peter’s message, in this first major sermon of his, echoed Jesus at the beginning of His public ministry. Repent! "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." About three thousand accepted his message and were baptized that day.

In the beautiful familiar psalm of David we see that David, a shepherd himself, acknowledges that he is also one of God’s sheep, and God is his shepherd. As we read through it again, we see that it is a psalm of trust. Just as Jesus tells His followers that His sheep know Him and follow Him (trust Him), David trusts the Lord to supply all his needs, even in the face of his enemy. The message is the same for us, trust in the Lord and we will find comfort and courage. Even secular social surveys find that those who live their faith are happier, more stable, and more engaged in life than those without faith (maybe the “nones” should take notice).

As we pick up in the first letter of Peter from last week’s reading, he reminds us that our faith will involve suffering, but if we “suffer for doing what is good” it will be a source of grace. This again reflects trusting in the Lord. Peter reminds us that Jesus, setting the example for us, suffered despite being totally innocent. He trusted in God and “bore our sins in his body upon the cross.” Jesus’ suffering frees us from our sins and heals our wounds, allowing us to live for righteousness. He, too, refers to us as sheep, sheep that had gone astray, but through Christ’s suffering we can return to our shepherd, the guardian of our souls.

Jesus isn’t the first shepherd sent by the Father to look after His flock. Recall that David was a shepherd and had been anointed by Samuel to be king of Israel. And in Ezekiel chapter 34 we learn one of the prophecies of the coming Messiah when God says, “I will appoint one shepherd over them to pasture them, my servant David; he shall pasture them and be their shepherd.” (Ezekiel 34:23) He says this because the shepherds of that time (the leaders of Israel) had failed in their duties. They had “tended only to themselves, growing fat on what should have benefited all. They did not seek and bring back the strays, they did not tend the ill and injured, they did not strengthen them, “So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd ... but the shepherds have fed themselves and have not fed my sheep.” (Eze 34:8)

Similarly, we read in Jeremiah “Many shepherds have ravaged my vineyard, have trampled down my heritage; My delightful portion they have turned into a desert waste.” (Jeremiah 12:10) As God is the master shepherd, so He had appointed earthly leaders (as He did David) to shepherd His people Israel.

And so in the gospel reading we see the beginnings of the “Good Shepherd” discourse. Right from the beginning He talks about those who try to get into the sheepfold without following the rules. “... whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.” I’m not sure the Pope or the bishops have read this in the context of the Catechism article 2241 and the recent border crises, both here and in Europe. I’ll be willing to bet that there won’t be any homilies taking that approach, although there are many implications from this gospel reading which suggest that Christ understood immigration control.

When He says, “the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice,” in conjunction with His many exhortations about obedience, one could conclude that He identifies those who are looking out only for themselves and not following the shepherd with the thieves who do not enter by the sheepgate. In other words, they are not following Him. These words apply to us as well, even though 2000 years have passed since He said this.

The gospel says, “Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.” As He did in many other cases, Jesus is pointing out to the pharisees their failure, a situation not so different in our time as we read about bishops and cardinals who will bless same sex unions, diminish the fight against abortion, and endorse other travesties against Scripture and Church teaching.

A thief is only looking out for himself. He has no real interest in the sheep or their needs. If we read beyond today’s selection we read that Jesus, on the other hand, is the true shepherd who looks out for His sheep. He says bluntly, “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

And the purpose of His coming into the world is to give life to His flock. “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly."