For some, Jesus did not live up to expectations. This was particularly true of the leaders of the Jewish faith at that time, the shepherds of the flock. Jesus was not the Messiah they had in mind. Jesus did not play by their rules and there were so many of them! He reached out to the poor and the outcaste, he ate with those considered unclean, unacceptable, impure, even sinners and, in doing so, Jesus presented another view of what a shepherd of the flock is like, another image of a Good Shepherd.
Jesus preached by word and example a different understanding of God – not God’s otherness, God’s remoteness, not a God of judgement and fear but for Jesus, compassion is the defining attribute of God, God’s essence, as it were, the cornerstone. And it was rejected.
Jesus is the good shepherd. In daily life, the shepherd’s job was tough, unforgiving, severe, tiring, and hazardous. Mostly shepherds worked in the hills and valleys, away from home, wandering with their flocks in search of grass, water and, at night, safety and shelter. Many of them worked in the Judean wilderness where Jesus spent forty days and nights in preparation for his ministry. It is an extraordinary place. By day it is very, very hot. By night it is very cold. Goat tracks criss-cross its steep hills and ravines. There is little or no vegetation and precious little shade. The rocky and unstable soil means that a sure foot is needed. Like any other desert, it is very, very dry.
Surprisingly, it is in this very desolate part of Israel that Psalm 23 was written. Even in this harsh country, “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want!” As you sit in that wilderness even today, shepherds lead their flocks along the steep paths to places where grass is growing. In the desperate heat in the middle of the day, shepherds lead their flocks to shady spots, sometimes to the bottom of the ravines and to pools of ‘still waters’. “He leads along safe or right paths” takes on added meaning here - choosing the right path is very important in this country. Goat tracks peter out or are so narrow and steep, they are dangerous. In the midst of all these tracks, there are the safe paths. The shepherd knows which ones are safe, which ones are not. And the sheep know him, they know his voice. They trust him and follow him.
So it is any wonder that Jesus, the Good Shepherd spoke about God in the ways he cared for people, as one who fed them when they were hungry, who healed them and encouraged them in their efforts to find meaning, truth and happiness. Jesus, the Good Shepherd celebrated with people, he mourned with them, he spent time with them and visited them in their homes. He taught them how to pray, how to speak to their loving ‘Abba’. He forgave people, even those who would do him wrong. This Good Shepherd is not judgemental but one who welcomes people, especially those who come seeking to be cured, lepers, outcasts, the so-called unclean. Jesus tells stories about a kingdom of love and compassion, stories of care and concern, the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep and goes in search of the one that is lost, the story of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son.
In the words of Pope Francis: “He is truly the Good Shepherd. And the most beautiful image of the Good Shepherd? The Word that becomes flesh to share in our life. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who comes to seek us right where we are: in our problems, in our suffering. … He comes there.”
