The Shepherd’s Call on “Good Shepherd Sunday”

            “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10.27)

            In Palestine, it is still possible to witness today a scene that Jesus certainly saw play out some two thousand years ago:  where Bedouin shepherds bringing their flocks home from the various pastures they have grazed on during the day would often all end up at the same watering hole together around dusk and all their sheep would intermingle.            

            But the interesting thing is the shepherds don’t worry about this intermingling of sheep and keeping track of them because when it is time to go home, each one of them has their own distinctive call, a special whistle or a particular tune played on a reed pipe, and the sheep belonging to that shepherd instinctively respond to that call and follow their shepherd home because they know whom they belong to, they know their shepherd’s voice, and it is the only voice they will trust and follow.

            So it is to be with us as Christians, where we do our best to follow the voice of Jesus in our lives. Now admittedly, some days I have no problem hearing the voice of Jesus and my faith is clear and strong and able to move mountains.  But on other days, the voice of Jesus is not so clear.  There are times when I have my doubts, where even sometimes I am capable of wondering is this really the flock I belong to?  Where I have questions, where I am uncertain.

            But then I am reminded that as much as there may be times when in my faith, I feel uncertain, still I believe that God is certain with me!  And the wonderful thing is my belonging to this flock doesn’t entirely depend on my sole ability to believe, but as Jesus wants to make the case in our gospel, Jesus says that our ability to believe depends on the reality that we are already in the flock and that we already belong to Jesus and all whom the Father has given to Jesus, Jesus will not let go of. (vv.28-29)

            This insight is often what gives me strength on those days when I am less than certain.  It is why Christianity makes a lot of sense to me and why I am grateful and blessed to follow the voice of whom I do.  Now I know that there are other voices out there and there are those who hear those other voices clearly, I have no doubt as clearly as mine.  And all I can say is that they are responding to the shepherd of their life according to the call that like me, they have heard.  In my life, I am happy to preach and proclaim the gospel that I have been given as best I can and to live out the Christian life as best I can, but beyond that, as St. Paul says, “Who are you to pass judgement on servants of another?  It is before their own lord that they stand or fall.” (Romans 14.4)

            What I know is what I hear and to the Shepherd whom I follow, I give thanks.