2nd Sunday after Easter 4 May 2014 Sermon

2nd Sunday after Easter 4.5.14 The Good Shepherd

The Gospel image of the Good Shepherd portrays the Shepherd in possession of the flock and keeping the wolf at bay.

It also conveys that the Shepherd would be willing to lay down his life if necessary.

In reality the wolf was already among the flock before the Shepherd arrived. The wolf had been devouring the human race for all the years leading up to Our Lord’s arrival.

The Shepherd knew that if He was going to rescue this flock it was not just a matter of standing guard. He would have to dislodge the devil, deprive him of his power.

To do this the Shepherd had to put into practice very quickly his willingness to lay down his life.

It was in doing this he saved the sheep. When Our Lord gave up His life He set in motion another force which would prove to be stronger than anything the devil could do.

It was the force of Love, enough love to atone for every sin and sinner.

(This is why the death of martyrs, against expectation, can bear so much fruit after the event.)

Our Lord then proceeded to build up His Church (the flock) and reinforce it with His grace so that the wolf would not be able to return.

Having saved His sheep He then set about keeping them. We can recall another reference to sheep. Those who were lost He would go in search for them (Mt 18,12). He does not want to throw away what He has worked so hard for!

Jesus saves us from the wolf by enabling us to live without sin. Firstly we are forgiven for the sin we have committed. Then we are transformed such that we no longer want to sin.

We will develop a repugnance to sin such that it will have no further appeal for us.

And we will be wiser in recognising the wiles of the devil in the various ways he tempts us.

So the devil has less ways of reaching us, and enslaving us again. The closer we keep to the Shepherd the safer we will be.

This would have worked a lot better if the sheep had been more responsive and grateful for what had been done on their behalf.

But many do not think about it. They are too busy grazing – thinking about their stomachs and other pleasures, and so they let the wolf back in. They have turned back to Egypt having already been set free.

This temptation we all face, and all the time. So we draw closer to the Shepherd and decrease the likelihood of becoming lost again.

Seeing the Church as a flock, in need of protection, might seem an overly negative view. Some would call this a ‘ghetto’ mentality; as though we are all huddled together trying to keep evil out of our midst.

It is necessary to keep evil out as far as we can, but we are not a ghetto. We interact with the surrounding world, but we do not take in its false values. We do not need to hide behind a wall to be safe from sin. We are safe because we have learned to think and act as Christ has taught us.

And we are always outwards-directed insofar as we seek to go out and baptize all nations, winning new converts and reclaiming those who have strayed.

The Saviour is still saving us, still keeping us safe. It has to be an ongoing work as long as there is still the possibility of being lost.

He cannot save us, however, if we do not cooperate with Him. If we do cooperate we will see, as the Old Testament prophecies foresaw, His salvation reaching the ends of the earth (Ps 98,3).