The Good Shepherd: An Easter Meditation

By David Morrison

Presence of God – Lord, You are my shepherd who guides me through the paths of your risen life.

     On the early morning of Jesus’ resurrection, we find an empty tomb. However, our faith does not remain at this vacant place. We are not left with an empty tomb, but with a living shepherd who invites us to encounter Him in this new quality of life. Jesus urged Thomas to put his fingers into his wounds as a sign that we all are  now hidden in these living wounds. “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:3-4). Our risen Lord vanished from the sight of the disciples on the Emmaus road as a sign that He now lives in his people forever through the indwelling Spirit. “Suddenly the two disciples, who ate the bread and recognized him, are alone again. But not the aloneness with which they began their journey…We are alone, because he disappeared from our sight, but we are together because each of us is in communion with him” (Henri Nouwen, With Burning Hearts). These post-resurrection events all point to the Lord inviting us to follow Him in His risen life: We his sheep, He our shepherd.

     When teaching the “shepherd/sheep” texts, pastors and teachers often amuse their audiences about how stupidly helpless sheep are, and how we are just the same. While this may have some merit, we should never forget how precious sheep are to the shepherd. To what extent are we “sheep” precious to the Good Shepherd? He became a sheep like us as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd who gives His life for the sheep” (Jn. 10:11). Note the manner in which he lays his life down—the shepherd becomes a lamb, like us. We are the sheep who have gone astray, but He is the Lamb of God who finds us and becomes the shepherd of our souls.

     The manner in which the shepherd “takes up his life again” is equally curious because after his resurrection and ascension, He still dominantly chooses to manifest himself as the Lamb who shepherds us on the path of resurrected life: “for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:17). When John the Revelator sees Christ in glory, he manifests as “The Lamb” 26 times and the “King of Kings” only twice. Even glorified in heaven, Jesus prefers to disclose himself as “the Lamb”: an image of perfect humility in absolute power and honor. As the Holy Spirit guides us in the paths of Jesus’ risen life, we find everything in our lives: our personalities, desires, and intellects increasingly saturated in authentic humility.

     As the early Christians were martyred, many were buried in the catacombs of Rome. The believing community would paint the image of The Good Shepherd on many of their tombs. This served as a sign that they were not really “dead” in the sense of what is normally defined as “dead.” Rather, they were shepherded by the one who “died once for all” (Rm. 6:10) and now lives in the power of eternal life. The early church did not regulate the Good Shepherd to the one who met them only at their departure from this life and was not really accessible in the meantime. Rather, He united them intimately to His resurrected life in their mortal bodies—the moment they believed. The image of the Good Shepherd on their graves served as a sign that He was their Risen Shepherd in their present world—not only in the world to come. “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice” (Jn. 10:4), Jesus says. His voice is a living voice that calls across the generations and ages, and invites us to follow him today in his new life eternal.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, you are our shepherd in our lives' pilgrimage. Be our Comfort. Be our mentor. Be our protector. For you live and reign with the Father and the Son, amen.

 Lectio Divina: Contemplating the Shepherd's Psalm

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