Good Shepherd or Hired Man?

In today’s Gospel, John 10:11-18, we hear those great verses that most of us are probably familiar with: “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.”   While this is, I think, one of the most famous lines in Scripture, this one sentence doesn’t tell us the whole story that Jesus is trying to communicate to us.

Yes, this passage is an awesome illustration of God’s love for each of us, but it also serves as a great challenge.  Christ says that “A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.”  But, “A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Which one are we – a good shepherd, or a hired man?

In this passage, I believe that Jesus is telling us how we are all supposed to act, by showing us his perfect example, as he does in countless ways throughout the Gospels.  Are we Christians acting as shepherds to the flocks of sheep throughout the world?  All too often, when the wolf comes, when things get tough, we cut and run.  Sure, we come back to assess the damage, hoping that the flock was just briefly scattered, that no sheep was seriously wounded or killed, and that we can pick up where we left off, but we fall far short of Christ’s direction to lay down our lives for the sheep.

Who are the sheep about which Jesus is speaking?  Christ says “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.”  St. Peter confronts this very issue in the first reading today when he causes quite a scandal by eating with Gentiles.  (Acts 11:1-18).  These Gentiles had accepted the word of God – they believed what was being taught by Peter and the other Apostles.  However, the Jewish-Christians of the day still followed all of the Mosaic laws, and could not believe that Peter would break the dietary laws by eating in an “unclean” fashion.  Peter’s vision makes it clear to him that “What God has made clean, you are not to call profane” and as Peter spoke with these Gentiles, the Holy Spirit fell upon them as it had upon the Apostles.  Peter tells the Jewish-Christians “If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?”

Every single one of us, every human being, is the sheep that Christ is speaking about.  Not just those of us who have been fortunate enough to hear the Word, but all people.  Christ is the one true Good Shepherd of all people, but we Christians are likewise called to act as good shepherds to all of God’s people.   

Thankfully, I don’t think that many of us will ever be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice, to die to protect the sheep as Christ did, and as the thousands of martyrs have done.  That doesn’t mean, though, that we don’t lay down our lives to protect the sheep in different ways.  Standing up for our Christian faith and being a true example of it in the face of criticism, scorn, and ridicule in our daily lives can be so, so tough, but that is a huge way each of us can act as a good shepherd for God’s flock.

Think about your day today, or maybe the last few days or weeks.  Think about the people you interacted with.  Were you afraid to speak the name of Jesus – to defend what is good, true, and holy?  I know that I fail at this every single day.  Every day I fall short of Jesus’ example – I miss some opportunity to act as Christ did.  Every day, even though it might seem like a small thing, I know that I choose to run away.   But, I know that I also have victories each day as well, times when I stand my ground, choosing to face the wolf.  Every day, even through the smallest and briefest examples, I can reflect the unceasing love of Christ for all.  These times when I choose to act as shepherd instead of hired man, serve as an even greater reminder to me of what we each can do in the service of Christ when we actually follow His example. 

We must continually strive to follow Christ’s example.   We must follow the example of St. Peter to go where our fellow Christians dare not enter – to spread the Word of God even in the face of our own death.

I pray that tomorrow, neither I, nor you, will run, but that we will stand our ground against every wolf, proclaiming Jesus Christ loudly and triumphantly, so that one day, all of His sheep will know Him fully.