My Sheep Hear My Voice

April 15, 2008

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however, who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. Acts 11:20-21

My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. John 10:27-28

Piety

Let us pray: Father, you pass on your shepherd’s staff to your son and handed over your flock to him. Help us to recognize his voice in our dark and confusing world and to follow him wherever he leads us…be that destination the still and peaceful waters of the Psalms or up on Calvary with a cross. Make our lives exhibit the qualities of obedience to you and service to your flock so that the Shepherd will know that we are his sheep. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/041508.shtml

Last week, we had intensive exposure to Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse. This week, the theme throughout shifted on Sunday to the theme of the Good Shepherd. Today’s reading expounds on a critical dimension portraying himself as the Good Shepherd – recognition.

Today, Jesus is confronted by the Jewish authorities during Hanukah (Feast of the Dedication). They want to know who He is. The notes to the NAB tell us that this is the climax of his encounters with the Jewish authorities. There has never yet been an open confession by Jesus before them. While they ask him to speak plainly, he again uses the metaphor of the Good Shepherd.

From the Hebrew Bible, the Jewish authorities would be well familiar with the many references to Yahweh as the Good Shepherd. Genesis, Psalm 23 and 80 and Micah are some of those references.

Jesus tells them that the sheep will know his voice. The sheep will recognize the Shepherd. They will not have to confront the Shepherd in order to know who he is. There will not be any confusion among them. After all the signs documented in John’s Gospel, Jesus is telling the Jewish authorities who he is. The confrontation will lead to the final plot upon his head.

Likewise, the Shepherd will know his sheep. Jesus already knows that these authorities will never recognize him. Maybe they feel threatened by him. Maybe they have not ventured out with Jesus and witnessed first hand what he has done. However, they have interviewed some of those – like the man born blind – who have been the beneficiary of the miracles. For whatever reason, their eyes and ears and minds and hearts are not open. Whatever the reason, they refuse to recognize what is before them.

It is interesting to note that Jesus chose the Feast of the Dedication for the timing of this encounter. Hanukah is the festival of lights where a small amount of oil helped light the candles in the temple for eight days.

Imagine going into a dark room. Someone enters. However, it is dark and you can not see who it is. It is like a shepherd at night sitting on a hillside. He may not know his sheep by sight but when he calls out they know his voice.

Now, imagine lighting eight candles in that dark room. Now, when someone enters, there is plenty of light for your eyes to see. Now you can recognize who has entered. Like those shepherds sitting on a hillside 33 years earlier who saw a light and followed it to Bethlehem. They recognized the Shepherd who was born in a manger among his sheep and his obedient servants Mary and Joseph.

The sheep will recognize the shepherd. The shepherd will recognize the sheep.

Action

How will you recognize Jesus among us today? How will Jesus recognize you?

Every day we have the opportunity to receive Christ and to offer Christ to others. We can choose to open our eyes to the light and ears to the voice. Or we can be like the authorities, interrogating the Lord rather than getting about our work to be obedient to his commandments.