The image of Jesus as the good shepherd is one of the oldest images in Christianity. I remember seeing it in the catacombs of Rome…painted on the walls of an ancient cavern by a people from long ago. What is it about this image that has captivated the minds and hearts of Christians for centuries? Surely for the postmodern mostly urban culture of the West, this image may well seem a bit arcane and less accessible than it was to our ancestors in the faith.
It is quite interesting to note that Jesus is depicted, through the use of this image, as a shepherd, one who was, in that time and in that culture, relatively unimportant and certainly not a powerful figure in his culture. The disciples and all those who followed him around experienced Jesus as kind and gentle, like the “good” shepherd who watches over the sheep with great care and concern and even risks his/her own safety for the sake of the sheep.
This image of a kind and gentle god was somewhat unique, but then so was the idea of a god who would be willing to suffer and die for us. I believe that this image of the Good Shepherd has endured precisely because of its radical departure from many common images of deities in general as distant and disinterested, and sometimes even vengeful gods.
This image tells us that our God loves us and cares for us and journeys with us as we travel through the valleys and hills of our lives. But too, it may well speak to us of what we are called to be…in Christ’s image…to be ”good shepherds” of the lost and vulnerable, the poor and the forsaken. That we are called to go after them, to reach out to the marginalized and the ones our society dismisses or demeans or outright abuses. Good shepherds actively work for true racial justice and an end to white supremacy. Good shepherds seek to be allies to the oppressed and the marginalized, to the immigrant and the refugee. They seek to build harmony and peace in their families, schools, places of work and their neighborhoods and their nation.
And as we prepare to celebrate Earth Day on Monday, we recognize that truly “good shepherds” also recognize the importance of creation and the environment, for their sheep depend on a healthy ecosystem. So as “good shepherds” we are also called to care for creation -- to be aware of how the way we live impacts the earth and the lives of all other creatures, and the very planet itself.
How am I being called to be a “good shepherd” in my family, in my school, my place of work, in my community, in my nation, in the wider world? What am I willing to do, to risk “as a good shepherd” for the sake of “the flock”…for the sake of creation…for the sake of building up of the Reign of God?
Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim
It is quite interesting to note that Jesus is depicted, through the use of this image, as a shepherd, one who was, in that time and in that culture, relatively unimportant and certainly not a powerful figure in his culture. The disciples and all those who followed him around experienced Jesus as kind and gentle, like the “good” shepherd who watches over the sheep with great care and concern and even risks his/her own safety for the sake of the sheep.
This image of a kind and gentle god was somewhat unique, but then so was the idea of a god who would be willing to suffer and die for us. I believe that this image of the Good Shepherd has endured precisely because of its radical departure from many common images of deities in general as distant and disinterested, and sometimes even vengeful gods.
This image tells us that our God loves us and cares for us and journeys with us as we travel through the valleys and hills of our lives. But too, it may well speak to us of what we are called to be…in Christ’s image…to be ”good shepherds” of the lost and vulnerable, the poor and the forsaken. That we are called to go after them, to reach out to the marginalized and the ones our society dismisses or demeans or outright abuses. Good shepherds actively work for true racial justice and an end to white supremacy. Good shepherds seek to be allies to the oppressed and the marginalized, to the immigrant and the refugee. They seek to build harmony and peace in their families, schools, places of work and their neighborhoods and their nation.
And as we prepare to celebrate Earth Day on Monday, we recognize that truly “good shepherds” also recognize the importance of creation and the environment, for their sheep depend on a healthy ecosystem. So as “good shepherds” we are also called to care for creation -- to be aware of how the way we live impacts the earth and the lives of all other creatures, and the very planet itself.
How am I being called to be a “good shepherd” in my family, in my school, my place of work, in my community, in my nation, in the wider world? What am I willing to do, to risk “as a good shepherd” for the sake of “the flock”…for the sake of creation…for the sake of building up of the Reign of God?
Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim
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