Shepherd and His Sheep
Fourth Sunday of Easter - Year C
Acts 13:14, 43-53; Psalm 100:1-3, 5; Revelation 7:9, 14b-17; John 10:27-30
Today's Gospel contains a fragment of Jesus' teaching about the Good Shepherd (John 10: 27-39). The sheep that obeyed His voice are seen in Heaven. They stand before the throne of God and before the Lamb (Rev. 7: 9). How did they get there? By believing the testimony of the apostles (Acts 13:48) and by persevering in their faith (Rev. 7:14). That is in a nutshell the message of the liturgy of the Word.
On one Saturday, in a synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:14), Paul faced a huge gathering of Israelites and Gentiles. The Gentiles were attracted to the Jewish faith by its monotheism and high moral standard of living. However, what prevented them from completely embracing that faith were the requirement of circumcision and the rules of the Mosaic law. To such a congregation the apostle delivers a surprising message.
Abel, Enoch (Gen. 5:24), and Noah were considered righteous in the eyes of God, yet they were not circumcised. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob believed and served God without having the law of Moses. What is the conclusion? Neither circumcision nor the law is necessary for salvation. So what is necessary for salvation? Faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 13:38-39). Today this message seems obvious, but on that Saturday it was a real 'shock'. The Gentiles were happy (Acts 13:48) but for many listeners of Jewish origin, this was unacceptable (Acts 13:45).
“All who were destined for eternal life came to believe” (Acts 13:48). Faith is the gift of God. The Father gives the sheep to Christ (John 10:29). Through faith, we become Christ’s sheep. Then, we learn to recognize His voice through listening to the Word of God and the teaching of the Church. It will protect us from following “a voice of a stranger” - teaching that contradicts our faith and morality (John 10:5). The Shepherd knows us by name (John 10:3) and leads us to the waters of life (Rev. 7:17). There, God will wipe the tears from our eyes and restores our lives (Rev. 7:17, Ps. 23:3).
Today's Gospel ends with a statement for which the listeners wanted to stone Jesus: "The Father and I are one" (John 10:30). The Church has always understood this passage as one among many passages that point to the divinity of Jesus. The catechism teaches that “only the divine identity of Jesus' person can justify” His sayings that there was in Him something greater than Jonah, than Solomon, than the Temple (Matt. 12:41-42; 12:6). This is also true of Jesus’ affirmations that "Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58), and "I and the Father are one" (see CCC 590). Jesus’ divinity is affirmed in the heavenly liturgy as well. The angels and the saints worship not only the One who sits on the throne (Rev. 4:2) - the Father but also the One who stands “in the center of the throne” (Rev. 7:17; 5:6) - the Son. “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Rev. 7:10).
For proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the apostles were expelled from Antioch. It did not bother them much. They shook off the dust from their feet and went to proclaim the Good News of salvation elsewhere (Acts 13:51). Every Christian passes through “the time of great distress” (Rev. 7:14) in this world. But, we have Jesus’ assurance that nothing and no one can snatch us from His hand and the hand of the Father (John 10:29). In the time of great tribulations, we can look at those who have gone ahead of us. They are now before the heavenly throne of God (Rev. 7:16) and there we shall also be when we endure to the end. Amen.