The fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday because, in the 10th chapter of John, Jesus speaks about himself as the “good shepherd.”
The Meaning of the Fourth Sunday of Easter Is Not Consistent With Today’s Times
The story of the shepherd and the sheep is not at all familiar to today’s man, surrounded by modern technology. Being a sheep in a time of individualism and self-sufficient glorification of one’s life and one’s actions is not acceptable. But who needs a guide? Many believe that this is unnecessary, even in the political and professional, much less in the spiritual field. We can do everything ourselves, and we don’t need anyone. Such is today’s mindset. However, we find that despite the desire for “freedom” and “independence,” things are not so simple. We find ourselves on edge, where there is no way out without the help of our neighbor and God. The following story tells us what the image of the good shepherd is.
A Bible expert came across a flock of sheep and a shepherd in the Holy Land. Everything seemed to him as it was during Jesus’ life on earth. The shepherd stood in front of the fence. Instead of a door, there was only a narrow opening tailored to the human body in the fence. He asked the shepherd why there was no door. He surprised him with the answer: “I am the door to this fenced shelter. I let each individual sheep into it. I lie down in the opening when all the sheep are in the shelter. No thief can enter, and no sheep can enter, for I am the door. ”
The Meaning of the Fourth Sunday of Easter Through Jesus
We can understand the image of Jesus. Through Him, we come to God. His shelter is the abode of God among men. He is God with us. Let’s listen to his voice. Faith is from obedience. Listening to Christ already means following him. The medieval mystic Meister Eckhart says, “When I listen to another, I allow him to work in me. By doing this, I am bringing the other into myself. When the other enters me with his voice, he steps into me at the same time with all his personality. In love, however, listening reaches its climax. He who listens to another in love brings it in holistically. With that, the other accepts. She endures it in love. This is the path we follow after Christ. The primary condition for following Christ is to listen to his voice. ”
Therefore, as reported in the Acts of the Apostles (13: 14, 43-52), Paul and Barnabas were aware that their vocation was to preach the gospel and to encourage believers to persevere in God’s grace. They spoke convincingly and fervently, so a large crowd listened to them. Because the Gentiles were glad to proclaim God’s love to them and accepted Jesus’ teaching, the Jews expelled them.
Jesus Is the Door to Eternal Life
The Apostle John saw in Revelation (7: 9, 14-17) a large crowd before the throne of God. These were the ones the world rejected and had to go through great trials. They have arrived at Him, who will wipe every tear from our eyes as we watch Him from face to face. The right way to get there is to follow Jesus, who is the door to eternal life.
In the Gospel of John (10: 27-30), Jesus promises us the most that can be promised – eternal life. He will fulfill a great promise if we listen to his voice with all our hearts. It also guarantees that we will not perish if we follow Him. Trusting in God’s power and help saves us from the miseries of this world. We are all called to believe in and live in the mystery of the Good Shepherd and the Passover Lamb. May we and our work radiate a desire to be good shepherds to the people who enter our lives. Christians will be persuasive only if we consistently adhere to religious and moral teaching. Only in this way will we recognize the voice of Jesus and follow him with love. He is the one who accepts us with all our worries and needs and invigorates our souls. We are safe from all external hostile influences with complete trust in Him. In his heart, we are entirely safe and carefree.