Gospel: John 10:1-10

This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Easter called Good Shepherd Sunday. In the Gospel reading the theme of Jesus the Good Shepherd is hinted at with Jesus proclaiming: “I am the good shepherd” . The central image of the reading, in fact, is that of the door. To this image, others are added: the fence, the thieves and robbers, the guardian and strangers. Who are they? Whom do they represent? What is the meaning of the “similitude”?

Let’s assume an explanatory note about the customs of the Palestinian shepherds.

The sheepfold was a pen surrounded by stone walls on which were placed bundles of thorns. Brambles are allowed to grow on it to prevent sheep from exiting and thieves from entering. The pen could be in front of a house, built outdoors, or on the slope of a mountain. In the latter case it was typically used by most shepherds who bring their sheep at night; one of them was awake while others slept.

In fact, the shepherd “watched” meant that armed with a stick, he was positioned at the entrance of the fold—that had no door. He squatted and, in that position, blocking the access, he himself became “the door.” Typically, he dozed off, but his presence was enough to deter the raiders from approaching the fold and to prevent the wolves from getting into the enclosure. The sheep could be approached only by whoever he allowed to pass.

In the morning, when every shepherd stood at the door, the sheep immediately recognised his step and voice. They would get up and follow him, sure to be carried out in the pastures of fresh herbs and oasis with pure and abundant water. They followed him because they felt loved and protected; the shepherd had never disappointed nor betrayed them.

From this experience of his people’s life, Jesus sets a parable with the true shepherd. The feature that sets him apart is tenderness: he knows his sheep by name; and calls them “one by one.”

In the second part of the passage, Jesus appears first as “the gate of the sheep” then as “the gate.” If one keeps in mind the explanation given above, we could say that he is the guardian that is placed at the entry like “gateway.”

The door has a dual function: to let the owners pass and to prevent the entrance of outsiders. He is the one who decides who can have access to the sheep and who has to stay away from the flock. The one who has assimilated his own feelings and provisions in respect of the sheep, who is willing to give his life as he did, can pass and is recognized as a true shepherd. 

Through the door, not only shepherds pass but the sheep also enter and exit. Jesus presents himself as the gate also in this sense. Only the one who passes through him reaches fertile pastures, finds the “bread that satisfies” and “water welling up to eternal life”, therefore obtaining salvation.

Jesus is a narrow gate (Mt 7:14) because he asks for self-denial and selfless love to others. The parable of the good shepherd involves faith. The sheep hear his voice and they follow. The good shepherd promises food and security. He knows each by name. He is also the door, through which, by faith, they enter.

REFLECT: Do you hear the voice of the good shepherd? Since he knows you by name, does this make you feel good?

PRAY: The good shepherd calls you by name. Pray for the grace to listen to his voice in your daily life. Pray for people involved in great disputes, especially those in the land in which Jesus lived. May we be willing to enter into a relationship with the good shepherd, to pass through the gates that hold us back in our lives.

ACT: Pay attention to names when you meet new people. Learn people’s names and use them. 

(adapted from http://www.bibleclaret.org/celebrating-the-word-of-god)