Jesus, Our Sacrificial Shepherd.

Homily for May 8, 2017.

Today’s Gospel passage is not so different from that of yesterday. We continue to reflect on Jesus, our excellent shepherd and today, Jesus tells us why he is the best – He is that shepherd that willingly offers his very life for the sake of the sheep.

The Good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. This is really worth pondering upon. The shepherd and the sheep are never equals. By every standards, the shepherd is more important than the sheep because in the end, the purpose of guarding the sheep is not for the sheep to live forever but simply to grow to a point they could then be sold or be killed and used as meat.

So, for the shepherd to be willing to die for the sake of the seemingly “worthless” sheep is nothing short of love; true love – perfect love. Yet, this is exactly what happened on the Cross of Calvary. We were of no worth to God, he could have decided to let us perish but out of love, he chose to die for us.

Unless you are willing to die for those under your care, you cannot say you are a good shepherd. Whether you like it or not, there would be moments when you have to make very tough choices either to preserve your own life or sacrifice for the sake of the people under you.

In our first reading, Peter recounts his experience of how he visited the house of a Gentile to administer the word of God and the sacrament of baptism. It must have been very inconveniencing for him but God prepared him ahead with a vision concerning clean and unclean food.

The encounter of Peter paved the way for the spread of the Gospel message to the Gentile (pagan) world and this is the reason why those of us who did not belong to the Jewish race have come to hear the message of Christ. We are the sheep Jesus was referring to when he said:

“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice.” The other sheep represent the Gentile world and you and I who did not belong initially.

The bottom line my dear friends is that leadership requires sacrifice. It is not about the leader himself but about the people being led. Nelson Mandela will always be remembered by South Africans as one great leader; he was willing to sacrifice for the sake of his people even to the point of spending 27years in prison.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, teach me to be a good shepherd like you. Amen

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Monday of the 4^th Week of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 11:1-18 and John 10:11-18).