Have you ever seen a shepherd with his sheep? If you live in the city, you probably don’t see many animals, much less a herd of sheep. If you have, it might have brought to mind some stories from the Bible.
Sheep Herding
Through my travels, I have been able to witness shepherds out on in the mountains herding their sheep. Once was in the countryside of Romania while on a mission trip in college. These men really looked like true Shepherds. The other time was when Jonathan and I lived in China.
We hope to be adding sheep to our homestead in the coming weeks and have been preparing for them. Thanks to the copious amounts of rain we had last week, our grass is prime for the grazing.
Watching shepherds lead their flock, you can’t help but think of the “Good Shepherd” passages in scripture. The paths these sheep were travelling on were not always easy ones. In China, we watched as the sheep were being led on a very narrow and rocky path all while cars were passing by on the windy mountain road. It was a difficult journey, but they followed the guidance of their shepherd – the one who called out to them.
The path was long and windy.
By following their shepherd, they were led to a beautiful place to rest even if the journey was rough.
The Good Shepherd
The Gospel reading for this Sunday, the Second Sunday in Easter for the Catholic Church, is the story of the Good Shepherd in the Gospel of John. While the reading highlights the later verses talking about the shepherd laying down his life for the sheep, many of us are familiar with the whole analogy. Chapter 10 verses 3-4 reads, “To him [the shepherd] the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice.”
Three things stick out to me from these verses. First, he calls his own sheep by name. Names matter. They identify us. When someone calls us by name it makes us feel special and known. It draws us into what is being said. Secondly, it says he leads them out. This implies they are going somewhere. The shepherd’s intention is not for them to stay inside the gate forever. He wants to lead them somewhere on a journey, a journey where he will be their guide. Lastly, it says the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. They follow him because they know him. His voice brings them comfort and security.
The Resurrection Account from the Gospel of John
We just celebrated Easter and still are since Eastertide lasts fifty days! Throughout the week of Easter, the Church reads the different resurrection accounts from the Gospels. Thursday of Easter week the Gospel reading in Mass was from John. In chapter 20 verses 1-18, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. Mary goes to the tomb and sees the stone has been rolled away. She runs to the disciples to tell them that someone has taken Jesus from the tomb, and she does not know where to find him. The disciples return and find the tomb empty. Though Jesus had mentioned his resurrection before, they still did not quite understand.
As the other disciples leave the tomb, Mary stays. She is weeping over the loss of her Lord – a person she has followed, learned from, and grown to love. Mary looks in the tomb and sees two angels sitting where Jesus had been. She explains to them that someone has taken Jesus, and she does not know where they have put him. Someone from behind her starts to ask her questions and she is distraught and assumes it is the gardener. She starts to tell him what has happened and begs him to tell her where Jesus is. Then, something changes.
He Calls Her by Name
In verse 16 it reads, “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.” Jesus calls Mary by name. She turns in recognition of his voice and calls him, “Rabboni,” the Hebrew word for teacher. He called her by name, and she recognized his voice. She was distracted by her sadness at first, but she knew what it sounded like when he said her name.
Joy for Mary
I am sure there was no more comforting sound that Mary could have heard at that moment than her Lord calling her. Not only did he call her name, but he called her out of her sadness and grief to go on a journey – a journey to share the good news with others.
What a beautiful thing Scripture is and how, through the work of the Holy Spirit, so many beautiful elements are woven together. Mary recognizes the voice of her Shepherd and what comfort it brings her.
Recognizing the Shepherd
How was it that she could recognize his voice? It is like with anyone whose voice we recognize through crowds of people talking or when a million thoughts are running through our minds. We recognize the voices of those close to us because of the time spent with them. Mary had followed Jesus soaking up all that he had to teach. She gave up other things to be around him. She sat in his presence and listened. That is how she recognized him. May we be like Mary and love and adore the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for us. Where he leads, may we follow.
“He is risen; He is not here.”
Happy Eastertide!
Leave a Reply