THE VOICE OF THE SHEPHERD

READINGS: FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

In the gospel reading of this 4th Sunday of Easter, Christ calls Himself the Good Shepherd, that His sheep know Him and He knows them, that they follow His voice, and that no one can snatch them away from His hands (cf. John 10). There is the story of this woman from southern Nigeria who had two cows she left grazing in a nearby field. A herd of cows got into the area for grazing. The herd owner enticed the two cows to follow his herd, and they did. When the woman returned, she discovered that her cows were gone. She reported to the police and said her suspicion was that the man with a big herd of cows was the culprit. The police questioned her if she had any marks to identify them, to which she said no. The police told her they could not help her with her suspicion because she had no objective evidence. She insisted they take her to the man’s herd and see what would happen. After some hesitation, they agreed to take her to the man’s ranch. When she got there, she called out, “Maroohaa”. Instantly, a big cow stood up from the ground and started walking, with a pace, toward the direction of the voice. Then, she called out again, “Anahoo,” and a second cow stood up and headed toward the direction of the voice. The woman turned around and started walking away from the barn, and the two cows followed her. The police arrested the man, and, during interrogation, confessed that he had stolen the cows. As you can see, these cows knew the voice of their owner, the one who knew them by name, the one they had come to trust to feed them, care for them, and protect them. 

My friends, who we follow, can make all the difference in life here and hereafter. These days, we follow many celebrities and influencers on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. The question is, how much life can these people give? How much help can they render? In what ways can they save? Do they even know who you are? The voice of the one we follow must be one that can give life and give it in abundance, one who has been around, knows you personally, and can deliver from the consequences of sin. We can only find such a voice in the Shepherd, Christ Jesus. Why?

In the first place, He has been around forever and knows it all. The Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God… and nothing was created without the Word… and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1-14), and “Nothing in all creation is hidden from His sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before His eyes” (Heb. 4:13). This Shepherd knows it all, has seen it all, and nothing surprises Him. As Scripture says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not fall” (Heb. 4:15). Simply put, this Shepherd understands the pains and joys of humanity, the pains of betrayal and abandonment, what makes people cry and what makes them lose it, what poverty and loss feel like, and what fear, anger, wrath, and hatred can do. He knows the liberating power of compassion, love, and forgiveness. Scripture refers to Him as an ever-present help in times of great need. Secondly, we are never lost to His presence. Most celebrities we follow on social media don’t even know who we are. Not so with Jesus the Shepherd. He knows us by name, He knows what hurts us and what helps us, He knows what we are good at and what we are struggling with, He knows where we have been and where we are going, He knows our thoughts even before we speak, and can change mourning into dancing, sorrow into joy, and weeping into songs. This is the Person we do not need to impress and, in whose presence, we do not need to pretend or be who we are not. 

Above all, this influencer wants the best outcome for us. As Scripture says, “I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future full of hope” (Jer. 29:11), and as He says, “I have come that they may have life and have it in its fullness” (John 10:10). Christ wants the best for us and wants to turn everyday mundane actions into meaningful experiences. Let us, therefore, take Him on His word and make Him our Lord and personal Savior. It is worth the try, and I say this with the most profound conviction.