GO WITH US
The symbol of Jesus as good shepherd produces a certain repugnance today in some Christians. We don’t want to be treated as sheep of a fold. We don’t need anyone to govern and control our life. We want to be respected. We don’t need any shepherd.
The first Christians didn’t feel that way. The figure of Jesus as good shepherd became very quickly the most dear image of Jesus. Already in the catacombs of Rome he is represented carrying the lost sheep on his shoulders. No one is thinking of Jesus as an authoritarian shepherd, dedicated to watching over and controlling his followers, but as a good shepherd who takes care of his sheep.
The «good shepherd» is concerned about his sheep. It’s his main characteristic. He never abandons them. He doesn’t forget them. He lives watching over them. He’s always attentive to the weakest and most ill ones. He’s not like the hired shepherd who, when some danger comes along, runs away to save his own life, abandoning the flock: he’s not interested in the sheep.
Jesus has left an unforgettable impression. The Gospel accounts describe him as concerned about the sick, the marginalized, the little ones, those who are most defenseless and forgotten, the ones who are most lost. He doesn’t seem to be concerned about himself. He’s always seen thinking about others. He’s interested above all in the most needy.
But there’s something more. «The good shepherd gives his life for his sheep». This is the second characteristic. Up to 5 times the Gospel of John repeats this expression. Jesus’ love for people has no limits. He loves others more than he loves himself. He loves everyone with the love of a good shepherd, who doesn’t run away in the face of danger, but gives his life to save the flock.
That’s why the image of Jesus as «good shepherd» very quickly became a message of consolation and confidence for his followers. Christians learned to direct themselves to Jesus with words taken from Psalm 23: «The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want… though I walk through dark valleys, I fear nothing, because you go with me… Your goodness and mercy accompany me all the days of my life».
We Christians frequently live out a relationship with Jesus that is all too impoverished. We need to recognize a more living and tender experience. We don’t believe that he cares for us. We forget that we can approach him when we feel tired and powerless, or lost and confused.
A Church made up of Christians who relate to an unknown Jesus, confessed only doctrinally, a distant Jesus whose voice is no longer heard well in our communities… such a Church runs the risk of forgetting her Shepherd. But who will take care of the Church, if not her Shepherd?
José Antonio Pagola
Translator: Fr. Jay VonHandorf
