Introduction
The Fourth Sunday of Easter is commonly referred to as Good Shepherd Sunday because the gospel readings focus on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Each year we read a passage from Chapter 10 of John’s gospel, in which Jesus describes his willingness to lay down his life for us, his “sheep.”
1st Reading – Acts 2:14, 36-41
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice, and proclaimed:
“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain
that God has made both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,
and they asked Peter and the other apostles,
“What are we to do, my brothers?”
Peter said to them,
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is made to you and to your children
and to all those far off,
whomever the Lord our God will call.”
He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them,
“Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand persons were added that day.
Today’s first reading is a continuation of Peter’s Pentecost speech from last week.
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
When Peter declares that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ, he is alluding to two pivotal themes of the Jewish faith.
- “Lord” (kyrios) was a deferential term used to address someone with authority. In the Septuagint, kyrios was the word used in place of YHWH, the personal name of God, following the ancient tradition of not invoking God by name out of reverence and awe for God’s divinity. Since the Septuagint was the version of scripture used in synagogue services of the time, this connection would have been clear for Peter’s audience.
- “Christ” (christos) is the Greek translation for Messiah, or “anointed one.” (Christ and Messiah are synonyms.)
By addressing the “whole house of Israel” and asserting that Jesus is both “Lord and Christ,” Peter is making astonishing claims: Jesus is both divine and the long-awaited Messiah.
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,
One might expect the people to react with anger or rage; instead, Peter’s words elicit remorse. They suddenly realize they had put to death God’s anointed, the Holy One.
and they asked Peter and the other apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?”
The openness with which they receive Peter’s testimony is remarkable. They immediately ask for his instruction.
Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
Repentance (metanoia) is a complete interior transformation. This term is found frequently in the Greek New Testament, particularly in the Gospels and the preaching of the apostles. As preached by the early Church, metanoia includes the acknowledgment of wrongdoing and a demonstration of good deeds that reflect a genuine commitment to change. This kind of transformation results in a new way of life.
Baptism was an external rite that would mark this profound inner change.
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;
Peter’s directive to repent and be baptized was not a foreign concept. John the Baptist’s ministry featured the same message and practice (Luke 3:3); Gentile converts to Judaism were also expected to undergo some form of baptism. However, the name in which they would be baptized (Jesus Christ) and the gift that they would then receive (the Holy Spirit) was a significant revelation.
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Remember, Peter is addressing a crowd in Jerusalem that has just witnessed an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The huge crowd was comprised of Jews from various countries who had come to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, and they were astounded when they heard the disciples speaking in their own languages, telling them about the mighty works of God.
This incredible event was enabled by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. Peter tells them that if they repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, they will also receive the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is made to you and to your children
The prophets Joel, Isaiah, and Ezekiel all spoke of God’s promise to pour out his Spirit (Joel 3:1-2 [Hebrew], Isaiah 44:3, and Ezekiel 36:26-27). Initially, this promise was made to the ancestors of the Jewish people in Peter’s audience; however, now it is made directly to them and future generations (“and to your children”).
and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.”
Remarkably, this promise is also now extended to Gentiles (“all those far off”).
This is our first glimpse of the People of God being reconstituted through God’s universal call. The gift of the Holy Spirit is available not only to those who are present to hear Peter’s speech and not only to Jews, but to all who repent and believe in Jesus Christ, including future generations.
He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
This “corrupt generation” (some translations have “crooked generation”) is not only the subset of the Jewish people who rejected Christ and his teaching, but everyone who is estranged from God.
In Deuteronomy 32:5, Moses reminds the Israelites of their faithlessness using similar language: “They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation.”
Saint Paul also references this in Philippians 2:15.
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.
Saint Luke ends the story by reporting the numerical growth of the Church that resulted from Peter’s speech. Of course, it is the Holy Spirit, not Peter, who is responsible for this success.
Throughout Acts, Luke makes several mentions of the Church’s rapid growth, with many people being added to the faith daily (see Acts 2:47, 4:4, 5:14, 6:1-7, 9:31, 11:21-24, 16:5). This clearly demonstrates the efficacy of the Gospel message, which was fearlessly preached by the apostles.
2nd Reading – 1 Peter 2:20b-25
Beloved:
If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good,
this is a grace before God.
For to this you have been called,
because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.
He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.
When he was insulted, he returned no insult;
when he suffered, he did not threaten;
instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross,
so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed.
For you had gone astray like sheep,
but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
Today is the third installment in our six-week study of Peter’s first apostolic letter.
Beloved: If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God.
In the verses right before this passage (2:18-20a), Peter speaks directly to servants, which suggests that the audience of this letter was mostly individuals in the lower classes of society.
Suffering finds its way into the life of every human being, regardless of religious belief or social status. In some cases, a person brings suffering upon themselves, but often the sufferer is innocent and has done nothing to deserve their misfortune. The ability to bear unjust suffering requires virtue.
However, there is also a type of suffering that’s even more difficult: being persecuted precisely for doing what is right. This is the form of suffering being addressed here.
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.
Peter reminds them that their suffering has meaning. Jesus, though innocent, also suffered, and his suffering resulted in their salvation.
He exhorts them to follow the example of Christ. The word here for “example” is hypogrammós, which refers to a child’s writing exercise. This practice involves tracing the alphabet on a template stroke by stroke, symbolizing Christians emulating Christ’s example in their own lives.
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
This reading shifts as Paul quotes a poignant hymn to Christ on the cross. It may be part of a primitive Christian hymn patterned after the Suffering Servant Songs in Isaiah 53:4-7.
When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.
Paul highlights Christ’s innocence and lack of vengeance. This is the pattern we are to imitate.
However overwhelming a person’s trials may be, they will never be as immense or as unjust as those of our Lord.
He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Christ’s passion, which fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecies about the Suffering Servant, was not in vain, for his suffering has redemptive value.
Because of Christ’s suffering, we are free of our sins and, with God’s grace, we can aspire to lives of holiness.
“Christ was nailed to the cross, paying the penalty not for His own sins but paying the debt of our nature. For our nature was in debt after transgressing the laws of its maker. And since it was in debt and unable to pay, the Creator Himself in His wisdom devised a way of paying the debt. By taking a human body as capital, He invested it wisely and justly in paying the debt and thereby freeing human nature.” [Theodoret of Cyr (ca. 430 AD), On Divine Providence, 10,26]
For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
The messianic prophecy about the Suffering Servant included the image of the scattered flock (Isaiah 53:6), which Jesus himself alluded to in his allegory of the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-16, today’s gospel reading).
Recall that Jesus gave Saint Peter charge of his flock in John 21:15-19, so it’s understandable that he would have a fondness for the imagery of shepherding.
Gospel – John 10:1-10
Jesus said:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
Today’s gospel reading takes place about four months before Jesus’ death and immediately after Jesus healed of the man blind from birth (John 9:1-41, which we heard on the 4th Sunday of Lent). Recall that at the end of that story, Jesus was addressing the Pharisees who were unaware of their own blindness.
This passage, which is a continuation of that address, reflects a favorite theme of the Old Testament: Yahweh’s portrayal as a shepherd and Israel as his flock. Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd”, today’s responsorial) immediately comes to mind, but we find this imagery in Jeremiah and Ezekiel as well. Kings and other leaders are often analogized in scripture as shepherds.
Jeremiah used the analogy of shepherds to denounce leaders who had led the people astray. He prophesied God’s promise to appoint new leaders who would properly care for them (Jeremiah 23:1-6, and also 2:8, 3:15, 10:21, Isaiah 40:1-11).
Ezekiel did the same, condemning leaders for corruption, laziness, greed, and neglect. He prophesied that Yahweh would take their flock away and personally tend to their sheep. In fact, he spoke of a unique shepherd, descended from David, that would emerge to lead and protect them (Ezekiel 34).
Jesus identifies himself as this shepherd, who cares for his flock, searches for the lost, heals the wounded, and carries the weak on his shoulders (Matthew 18:12-14, Luke 15:4-7). Jesus is the fulfillment of these ancient prophecies.
Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you,
The doubled Amen, when used in John, is an indication that a very grave matter is being discussed — a matter of life and death.
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
This description is based on common sheep herding practices in the Near East. At night, multiple flocks would be kept together in a large sheepfold, or pen, at the edge of a village. A hired worker served as a lookout overnight; the sheepfold had a sole entrance and was protected by a gate.
At dawn, the various shepherds would retrieve their sheep and lead them to pasture.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
Both the gatekeeper and the sheep can easily distinguish the genuine shepherd from an intruder.
as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.
Each shepherd would call out his sheep from the common fold in a particular way, and the sheep would recognize his call and follow him out. This method of herding sheep is still in use in Palestine today.
Note that the shepherd Jesus is describing does not simply call his sheep; he knows them so intimately he calls each by name.
In contrast, thieves and robbers try to sneak into the sheepfold; they do not come through the gate because the gatekeeper would recognize them as intruders. Unlike the shepherd, who is genuinely committed to the welfare of the sheep, these others regard them only as goods to be stolen or profited from.
Keep in mind that Jesus is directly addressing the Pharisees, who were religious leaders.
But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
The sheep would not respond to anyone but their own shepherd, so mingling the flocks in the sheepfold wasn’t a problem.
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
John uses the phrase “figure of speech” (paroimía) rather than “parable” (parabolē), which is found in the synoptic gospels. Both terms refer to the same literary device.
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
Not only are the Pharisees unable to understand, the passage also implies that they are the thieves and robbers in the story, which is quite a harsh judgment. Just like the leaders that Jeremiah and Ezekiel condemned, the religious leaders of Jesus’ time were neglecting their responsibility for the welfare of the people.
This inability of Pharisees to understand is in direct contrast with how easily common people could comprehend Jesus’ teaching, as with the man born blind in the chapter immediately preceding this passage (John 9:1-41).
Arrogance, pride, and self-righteousness are obstacles to understanding the wisdom of Christ. Only those with childlike humility and trust can grasp the depth of his teaching.
So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep.
Jesus begins a related but separate allegory, again introduced by “Amen, amen, I say to you.” In the first one, Jesus identified himself as the true shepherd of God’s sheep. Here, he identifies himself with the gate of the sheepfold.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
Jesus is referring to the false prophets and teachers who are misleading the people (whom he calls “blind guides” in Matthew 23:16-24) and blocking their path to following Christ. This severe reproach does not apply to Moses, the prophets, or John the Baptist; they were true prophets who proclaimed the future Messiah and prepared the way for him (see John 5:33,39,45; 8:56; 12:41).
I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.
Earlier it was shepherds or thieves who went in and out of the sheepfold, now it is the sheep. John is teaching his audience that Jesus is God and is the only way to the Father.
This “I am” statement, like the other “I am” statements in John’s gospel, is an allusion to the story of Moses and the burning bush when God reveals God’s name as “I AM.” Jesus is claiming his union with the Father and stating that he is the only source of salvation.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
Rather than caring for the people, the Jewish leaders are using the flock for their own gain.
Although Jesus’ criticism is directed here toward the Jewish leadership, his words are applicable to all those who are responsible for leadership or foolish followership: anyone who tries to use the Church for their own ends.
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
In contrast, Jesus did not come to exploit the people, but to care for them.
The idea of “living life more abundantly” extends beyond the notions of earthly peace and material wealth. Some scholars believe it refers to a spiritual life lived in union with God, others believe that Jesus is pointing to eternal life.
Connections and Themes
The voices we follow. We all want leaders who can keep us safe and happy. This often means someone who can encourage us and remove obstacles from our path. But good leaders also challenge us to be our best selves and show us how to graciously bear hardships and disappointments. We want leaders who can admit their own mistakes and guide us with honesty through the complexities of life.
Authentic leadership. Leadership is rooted in authority, but authority is more than power and control. Authentic leadership cherishes and encourages the best in people.
Today’s responsorial psalm (Psalm 23) outlines the characteristics of this kind of leadership: Good leaders provide rest, guidance, nourishment, and they lead people closer to God. We also see this in our first reading with Peter, who spoke the truth and called for change even in the face of tremendous challenges.
Authentic leadership follows Jesus’ example of caring for others and putting their needs first. Good leaders are gentle and trustworthy, committed to helping others and willing to sacrifice their own interests.
Those who follow. Leadership as portrayed in today’s readings requires a lot from its followers. Peter tells his audience to admit their mistakes and reform their lives. Those who follow Christ must be willing to give up their own plans to follow him and trust him even when things are difficult.
We must remember that the Good Shepherd died for us, which should be both comforting and challenging. It’s comforting because we know he loves us deeply, but challenging because we might be called to follow his lead. Even amidst our Easter joy, we must remember that Jesus ransomed us with his own blood.
Sunday Readings 