“The sheep
hears his voice .......” Jn 10:3
My ministry began as a missionary in hilly regions of
Himalayas in India. The place was poor with
rocky soil, better suited for grazing than cultivation, so shepherding
was a common occupation. The collection of wool was important, so
shepherds sometimes worked with the same sheep for a number of years,
developing a strong relationship. The sacrificial life of the shepherds
opened my eyes to the deeper understanding of the truths of the Gospel
especially the love of Christ Jesus who called himself a Good Shepherd and
later bestowed this great task on the church (John 21:15-19). Who is a good
shepherd? The one who has a complete devotion to the sheep assigned to him and
whose actions is considered to be the consummate manifestation of his love (Jn
15:13).
John 10: 1 – 18 speaks about the
qualities of this Good Shepherd.
Here Christ portrays himself as the
door (vs7). The shepherdic community with whom I worked was not rich enough
to have a strong sheepfold with a well-made door but they had sheepfold with a
small entrance. In that event, the shepherd makes his bed in the opening thus
blocks it with his body and protects the sheep with his life. The
shepherds thus not only protects the sheep from the predators but also saves
them from their own foolishness. Barclay says
"In the most literal sense the shepherd was the door; there was no
access to the sheep-fold except through him." The Good Shepherd is not a
stumbling block but a stepping-stone for the sheep to come in and go out (vs9).
Self-sacrificial love of the
shepherd: In vs 17&18 we see the initiative from the shepherd in giving
his life for the sheep. This giving of self is not only sacrifice but also a
willingness to put all of who we are in our commitments. And the call to
risk, sacrificing, is not only with one's life but also with the years and days
that make up our lives. Jesus death was a free act of sacrifice, not one done
by the Jews. This is the call for each of us as children of God.
Intimacy - ‘I know my own and my own know me’(vs 14).
This is not a superficial knowledge but the one that portrays intimate
relationship. Christ compares his relation with us in terms of his relation
with his father (vs 15). This relationship involves experience. ‘The shepherd
(Jesus) knows the sheep (people) because he became flesh and lived among us’
(Jn 1:14). In my mission field I witnessed this intimate relationship of the
shepherd with his sheep. Few shepherds shared the sheepfold at one night but in
the morning they got up and at the sound of each shepherd’s whistle his sheep
and goats came to him. Above all the shepherds went into the other and picked
up few sheep who fail to listen to their voice. When enquired from one of them,
how he identified his sheep he said “in the same way as your parents are able
to identify you as their son even if the whole world gathers before them”. This
does not occur in a moment but the relationship grows into intimacy as the days
pass by. Jesus shows us this all- encompassing intimacy that begins with his
relationship with his Father and extends to his followers. Only when we have
that intimate relation with our Father can our relationship with others become
meaningful.
This passage reaches its climax
with the concern of the shepherd for the sheep outside his fold. Not only
shepherd of Israel but also outside for the whole world. The cross event widens
the horizon for the Gentile world. Leo Tolstoy said, "The only certain happiness
in life is to live for others." It is when we see the world with a larger
level than self. It is when we become concerned for others that we find the
depth of God's love for our lives. ‘In Christ’ experience leads us to a
universal mission.
Do we hear our Masters voice
as he calls us by name?
Does our intimacy with our
Master widen our horizon of influence in the places where we are placed?