Fourth Sunday In Easter
JOHN 10:27-30
Chapter 10 of the Gospel of John begins with preliminary statements symbolizing the various roles of Jesus' care for his disciples. All the symbols are associated with the relationship between a shepherd and his flock of sheep. Jesus first compares himself as shepherd to thieves and robbers who come to raid the flock. The shepherd enters the sheep enclosure through the door. The thief enters by climbing over the wall or hedge. There is also a gatekeeper. He recognizes the shepherd and opens the gate for him. The shepherd leads the sheep out to pasture. They follow him because they know his voice. If a stranger attempts to lead them, they flee because they do not recognize his voice. All the above is preliminary to the parable of the Good Shepherd.
Immediately after the presentation of the parable, people are divided over him. Some thought he was possessed by a demon. Others thought he was just crazy. His defenders replied, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon." Besides that, in the previous chapter Jesus had given sight to a man born blind. In reference to this, his defenders say, "Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" Then John sets the scene. It was winter, the Feast of the Dedication, that is, Hanukkah. This feast celebrated events of 165-164 B.C. At that time God raised up worthy shepherds of Israel. These defeated and drove out the Syrian occupiers who had defiled the temple and its great altar by unclean sacrifices to heathen gods. The temple was then cleansed and rededicated. The descendants of these good shepherds became high priests and kings and became "thieves and robbers."
Jesus is walking in the Portico of Solomon, a colonnaded area that extended around the outer court of the temple. Recall that early in John's gospel Jesus had attacked buying, selling and money-changing in the temple. "You shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." At the time of Jesus some shepherds of the people had again become "thieves and robbers." In contrast to the robbing, thieving shepherds, Jesus, the Good Shepherd is patrolling his Father's house, the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. Because Jesus had referred to himself as the Good Shepherd, some understood this as a claim that he was the Messiah/Christ. They demanded he tell them if he really was this awaited shepherd/deliverer. Jesus insists that what he had already said was clear enough. Beside that, the ""works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness to me." His critics could not grasp the truth of what he said because ""you are not of my sheep."
It is at this point that today's brief gospel reading reviews what Jesus revealed earlier in the parable of the Good Shepherd. His sheep hear his voice. 'T know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life." What mysterious revelation is hidden in these brief words? The background to the sheep/shepherd symbolism is Ezekiel 34. Through this prophet of the early sixth century B.C. the Lord rebukes the shepherds of Israel. They fleece the sheep, consume them, feed themselves instead of feeding the sheep, and let them wander unguarded. The Lord says, ""I myself will be the shepherd of the sheep.
Therefore when John attributes to Jesus the claim to be the Good Shepherd of the sheep, he proclaims Jesus as God. Jesus also spoke of giving eternal life to his sheep, a gift only God can give. Thus John proclaims Jesus' divinity a second time. A third proclamation follows: "What my Father has given me is greater than all/' that is, to exist as eternal Word and Son of God. Then John adds an unmistakable proclamation of Jesus as God, when he depicts Jesus saying, "I and the Father are one." This is how instruction in the truths of our faith was given when the Gospel of John was written at the end of the first century. This can still be done in homilies and otherwise, but knowledge of the Bible or guidance of those who have that knowledge is essential. Study guides are available.
ACTS 13:14. 43-52
The setting of this reading is the first missionary journey of Paul. It began as Bamabas and Saul, but ended as Paul and Bamabas. Paul was a take-charge type of personality. He worked best with younger subordinates rather than with gravely conservative types like Bamabas. They were in the area today known as central Turkey. They entered a local synagogue. After the Scripture readings which began the service, the rulers of the synagogue invited them to speak. Their success aroused jealousy in some of the leadership of the local Jewish community. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Bamabas. The two missionaries now turned to the Gentiles of the community. Thus Luke describes what had already taken place by his time - the Church was becoming predominantly Gentile.
REVELATION 7:9. 14b-17
The turn to the Gentiles noted in the first reading of the day fits well with the vision of John, the prophet-author of Revelation. He sees "a great multitude.. .from every nation, race, people, language, standing before the throne and the Lamb." This vision describes the universality of the Church. There are no barriers of race, nationality or language. The early turn to the Gentiles made possible this universality.
