In Sacred Scripture, Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd. What is Jesus’ experience of shepherds? Wasn’t Jesus a carpenter and the son of a carpenter? Have you wondered why he calls himself a shepherd? I have and I can only imagine that he had admiration for the simplicity of life of this humble yet essential profession. Also, Jesus would have been familiar with the prophet of old who promised a messianic shepherd to the people in the new Israel. (See Ezekiel 34)
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We know from Luke’s Gospel that the shepherds were the first to witness the message of the angels and that they would find “in a manger an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes.” These shepherds were also the first to be abused for spreading the good news in and around Bethlehem.(Luke 2) They suffered because the good news they spread resulted in the deaths of their own babies in Bethlehem, at the command of Herod. (Matt.2)
““I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep””
I can imagine Jesus listening to his mother Mary telling him about the place of his birth and of the shepherds who brought them assistance in their time of great need in Bethlehem. Maria Valtorta, a modern day mystic, records in her visions that Jesus returned to the place of his birth as a young man where he met some of the shepherds who were still living and who remembered his mother and the unforgettable message of the angels. Maria Valtorta also wrote of seeing these same faithful shepherds mingling helplessly among the crowds in Jerusalem on the day of the crucifixion. They knew Jesus was the Messiah but were as confused as the apostles at what was taking place in Jerusalem.
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Jesus loved the faithful shepherds who thought only of their flocks and of keeping them well fed and safe from harm. Sheep being defenseless and in need of a shepherd is a beautiful image we have inherited of the relationship between God and God’s people. We, like sheep, are free to stay with the shepherd and graze on good food or are free to wander off, losing ourselves in the brambles of selfish endeavours. It’s all about choosing to have a relationship with a Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd says,
“. . .love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12, 15:17)
-Sister Elaine Cole, CSJ
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