The image of the youthful, long haired, well-manicured Jesus carrying a sheep across his shoulders and looking reflectively into the middle distance is probably one of the oldest and best remembered images we have of Jesus. It is found again and again in the catacombs, the underground tunnels where the early Christians hid from persecution and buried their dead. Even before the Cross became the symbol of the Christian, it seems that the image of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, represented the memory of Jesus the earliest Christians wished to carry with them.

And why not? It is not only a tender and gentle image of God’s relationship with his people, but also an image steeped in Old Testament tradition.

If I wanted to be brief this week (something I rarely succeed in doing!), I might say that the opening verses of Psalm 23 say everything that needs to be said about the richness and depth of the relationship represented by the Good Shepherd:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
     he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
     he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
    thy rod and thy staff,
    they comfort me.

(Psalm 23:1-4)”

If, then, I wanted to add a conclusion to these words of reflection on the Good Shepherd I could do no better than quote directly from the prophet Ezekiel:

“As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered… I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak.”

(Ezekiel 34:12,16).

I may joke about being long-winded or brief, but the truth is that if we truly ponder these words of Psalm 23 or Ezekiel, and properly experience them as the relationship God wishes to have, and indeed does have, with us, we will find a peace, contentment, hope and confidence which can never be shaken.

This is why the Good Shepherd walks the walls of the catacombs, where early Christian men and women lived in real fear for their lives and the lives of those they loved.

It is also why, today, Psalm 23 is the most frequently chosen psalm in funeral liturgies. Then, and now, the image of the Good Shepherd touches something deep within us, echoes, maybe, of the Spirit living within us, praying to God on our behalf when we cannot pray ourselves. (Romans 8:26)

Lastly, it is why the Good Shepherd imagery is chosen as an Easter text, even though it does not relate directly to anything Jesus said or did after his Resurrection. It resonates so strongly with hope and confidence, with gentleness and love, that it fits naturally with our experience of the Risen Lord.

Following the Resurrection all of Jesus’ followers spend time (long or short) wondering and questioning, doubting and simply not believing what had happened; that God did indeed “love the world so much that he gave his Son” (John 3:16); that the “new and eternal covenant” promised in Jeremiah 32:40 or Ezekiel 37:26 had been fulfilled, or that the Messiah, the Promised One who would finally bring his people out of exile and usher in the Kingdom of God, had come in the person of Jesus.

The dawning of belief was a gradual one, becoming clearer as more and more of his disciples encountered him and spoke of their encounters; he was the same Jesus (he spoke and ate and touched them), yet different (they didn’t immediately recognise him, he could ‘appear’ among them in locked rooms, on a beach, etc.)

The imagery of a Shepherd searching for, seeking out, the lost and strayed; gathering them, carrying the most vulnerable, calling to them gently but persistently, bringing them to the safety of the flock, and then watching over them, protecting them no matter what the cost; all of these images offered a place of refuge for those with questions or doubts or unbelief.

And they offer the same to us. No matter where we are in our journey to belief; strayed a little way or become lost, able to hear the voice of God calling to us or not yet close enough to hear it; able to walk ourselves or broken and needing to be carried; no matter where we are we have no need to fear. The Good shepherd is there, looking for us until he finds us; calling to us until we hear his voice; leading us or carrying us to safety and peace. No matter where we are, the Good Shepherd will never stop searching until we are found and returned to the peace, hope and joy for which we were created.

This peace, this hope, this joy, is what the Resurrection promises and the imagery of the Good Shepherd beautifully, gently and with infinite tenderness finds us where we are, and then leads us gently, even carries us tenderly, home.

Whether we are in “green pastures” or walking “in the valley of the shadow of death”; whether we are “beside still waters” or buffeted by raging torrents, we need not fear, for “thou art with me”, always bringing me “comfort”.

The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is one we can truly lose ourselves in, permitting ourselves to be absorbed into the extraordinary peace, joy, gentleness and hope offered to us by this Gospel.

…And what of that last line of the Gospel; “The father and I are one.”

Oh, to know what Jesus meant by these words! An understanding of God as ‘Trinity’ came long after the Gospels were written, so it would be wrong to think that Jesus had a nice ‘Father, Son, Spirit’ package in mind.

We can never know what Jesus understand by those words, but, in prayer before God, we can invite the Risen Lord to lead us and guide us to truly accept them, and in doing that, find the peace and joy Easter offers us.Many thanks,

Brian.

If you have any comments, questions or thoughts on this scripture reflection you would like to share, I would be delighted to hear from you – please feel free to email me at b.maher@oblates.ie 

I know my sheep and they follow me