[As we reflect on this week’s Gospel reading, let us keep in mind that Jesus is addressing the Pharisees who refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. (John 10:1)]
In the Middle East, a shepherd will go into a crowded sheepfold and call out his own sheep one by one, naming them. They will recognise his voice and
come to him.
The shepherd spends most hours of most days in the company of his sheep. He knows their unique characters, markings, likes and dislikes. What’s more, they know him. They know his voice. Someone else can come to the sheepfold, and they won’t go near him, even if he calls the correct names. They are listening for the one voice that matters: the voice they trust. When they hear it, they respond to his call. He won’t walk
behind them, driving them on as we often see in our country. He will walk ahead, calling them, and they will follow him.
This is a beautiful picture of how the relationship between us and our Shepherd, Jesus, should be. It calls for some deep reflection. Picture yourself in a mixed sheepfold, out there in the world, among thousands of people, as we all are.
Our Shepherd
created us, so he knows us intimately. He loves and cares for us so much that he laid down his life for us. We have remembered again this Easter how he conquered fear and death by rising for us. He told us that he desires us to be in friendship with him and to spend eternity with him.
Knowing and believing this, there are the usual, but important questions we may ask, like:
Who is my
shepherd?
Do I know his voice?
Am I listening for it?
Am I obediently following?
Reflections by Reggie Venter
