Special
The Good Shepherd Guest Columnist Father Michael Bergeron
(This is part two in a series of articles about the relationship of a shepherd with his flock.) Good Shepherd vs. Bad Shepherd Jesus contrasts the good shepherd with a hired hand. The sheep belong to the shepherd. He works very hard not to lose a single one of them. The hired hand, however, really could care less. The sheep belong to someone else. Why should he risk his life for someone else’s sheep? We’ve all known people who have the attitude of the hired hand. In Jesus’ day, a shepherd was born to the task. He was sent out to his flock as soon as he was old enough to go; the sheep became his friends and his companions and it became second nature to think of them before he even thought of himself, even at the risk of giving his life in order to save theirs. But the false shepherd came to the job, not as a calling but as a means of making money. He was in it simply and solely for the pay he could get. Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my
life for the sheep.” This is a radical doctrine. A shepherd who cares so much for his sheep that he dies for them. You and I probably have never focused before too closely on Jesus’ exact words. Jesus says that he lays down his life for his sheep because he cares for them. We can understand the shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep because his family and his livelihood depend on those sheep. If wolves attack those sheep, he would combat those wolves because that is his job. The wolves might be dangerous, but this is his responsibility. He knew the risks; it goes with the territory. But that is not what Jesus is saying. Jesus says he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep – not because that is his job, but because he cares that much for the sheep. He values the lives of the sheep more than he values life itself. Notice that he contrasts himself with a hired hand. “The hired hand,” he says, “who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away – and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.” Then he adds, “The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.” That’s understandable. No sheep is worth dying for. They are dumb, smelly animals. Who in the world would die for a sheep? Only Jesus, the good shepherd. Shepherds Lead their Flock It was customary for shepherds to lead their flocks instead of driving
20 • Bayou Catholic • Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux • December 2021
them, as is done in the West. Even today, shepherds in the hills of Judea can be heard calling in a strange language to their sheep which hasten to follow. The shepherd had to lead the sheep to forage and water, and if the sheep fell into a rocky crevice, the shepherd had to climb down to it to pull it to safety with his curved staff. If the sheep is hurt in the fall, the shepherd stretched the animal over his shoulders, carried it to a safe place, and tended to its injuries. There was a party of English tourists visiting Palestine and the tour guide was describing some of the customs of the Middle East. “Now,” he said, “you are accustomed to seeing the shepherd driving his sheep through the English lanes and countryside. But here in the East, things are different. The shepherd always leads the way, going before the flock. And the sheep always follow him, for they know his voice.” As the party reached Palestine, the tourists couldn’t help but notice that almost the first sight to greet them was a flock of sheep being driven – not led – by a man. Well, the tour guide was astonished and angry. Immediately he went up to the shepherd and said: “How is it that you are driving these sheep? Shepherds in the east do not drive their sheep, they lead their sheep.” The man replied, “You are quite right, sir. The shepherd does lead his sheep. But you see, I’m not the shepherd, I’m the butcher!” There is a difference between the interest
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