I am the Good Shepherd.
Jesus in the parable compares the shepherd with the hired servant ... The shepherd is presented as someone who lays down his life for his sheep. The shepherd owns the sheep. He has invested a lot of money to buy the herd. That is why, among other things, he cares about sheep ... But not only. The Shepherd is related to the sheep. He cares for them, he knows them by name, he invests his time, his money. He is happy when the herd grows. This is what it looks like when you look at this parable literally.
The shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, because the sheep are life for him ... The Shepherd sacrificed his life for the sheep, making the decision to become a shepherd. If he had chosen a different path, he would have devoted his life to that job. Becoming a shepherd, he put everything on one card - the loss of the herd is equal to the loss of the purpose and meaning of life. Today this approach has not changed so much. Several years ago, I read a press release about a cattle farmer who died of a heart attack because he was forced to put his entire herd to sleep due to mad cow disease. So, we see what the parable literally means.
Now let us transfer it to the spiritual life. Jesus says about himself: I am the good shepherd. The shepherd cares about the sheep, they are his whole life. Just as much as Jesus cares about each of us, no matter who you are, what situation you are in at the moment. He cares about you. So much so that he has sacrificed all of this for WHO HE IS. He sacrificed for you and me, for us, for all people. Being the Son of God, he humbled himself. He became one of us. Like a shepherd sacrifices his ambitions, aspirations and takes care of his herd. Every penny invested in the development of his herd Yes Jesus "invested" himself and went to the cross for us. He died for our sins so that we would be free , so we don't have to die .
So, who is a mercenary and how does he behave? A mercenary is someone who is paid,so he looks after the sheep solely for the money. He is not emotionally attached to the herd ... it is not his herd, after all. Therefore, the mercenary runs away from the wolf, because he cares more about his own skin than about other people's sheep. Who are the mercenaries in our lives? In the spiritual life? The answer can cause a lot of anxiety. Because we can be mercenaries, our religious leaders can be mercenaries. Yes, you personally can be a good mercenary, a solid worker, but you can also be a mercenary who does not care about the sheep.
It is worth stopping here and answering. Do I take responsibility for the Church?
Do I take responsibility for my community? I do not have to be a leader. I do not have to be a bishop, I do not have to take any position. Because there will always be someone for whom I can be an authority. Someone who looks at me and sees the image of the whole Church ... What is this image? What Church do they see by looking at me? Can they see through the testimony of my life that I am concerned about my community? Or maybe I am in it. I am in the Church because such is the family tradition? Or because I have some "privileges" for it. Because people say: how decent, pious he/she is. Jesus draws attention to the fact that the mercenary, seeing the wolf, runs away ... In fact, how we act in the moments of trial show who we really are. At the time of persecution it becomes apparent how many shepherds and how many mercenaries are in us.
It is easy to say: I am a Christian ... I love Christ in a situation where it is safe all around. But will you be ready to repeat this declaration with a gun at your heat?
Believing in Christ means accepting Him as the Son of God and Savior who has the power to introduce us to eternal life. Only He can truly say that mankind is His flock. We all - believers and unbelievers - are His sheep for two reasons. Through him, through the Son of God, we were all created. It is not just that Christians say so. We are all really made by Him. Moreover, He died for all of us - whether anyone acknowledges it or not. Therefore, if someone hitherto unbelieving meets Him and believes in Him, can immediately enter His pastures and draw from His life, and draw it in abundance.
Finally, we note that this is what makes the Lord Jesus different from ordinary shepherds; He is the Good Shepherd absolutely selflessly. Ordinary shepherds have milk and wool from their sheep. He has noting of us but he gave his life for us and nourishes us with his own Body, and yet he still meets with our ingratitude. But with his patient and selfless love he leads us to eternal life. And we trust that He will lead us there.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george