One of the most fascinating aspects of reading the scriptures, for me at least, is the challenge of reading them with an attempt at finding something new. Every time I sit down and read familiar passages, I ask myself, “How is what Jesus offers different from what I already know and from what the world offers us?” It never fails that, inevitably, the teachings of Jesus provide a different way. They change the whole game if we have the heart to see, the eyes to see, and the humility to accept it.
So here, in this familiar passage from the Gospel of John, Jesus presents himself not only as the shepherd but as the Good Shepherd, and not only as the Good Shepherd but as the door himself. The door to what? To the sheepfold—to the place where we belong.
Imagine you are on a game show. You are presented with three doors, and you are told one of those doors will give you the great prize. Choose wisely: Door A, Door B, or Door C. Just as you are about to choose, you remember what Jesus said: “I am the door. No one comes to the sheepfold except through me.” And just then, you realize that the door is not a something, it is a someone. That is how Jesus changes the entire game.
How much in our life are we taught from an early age that the path to success, to happiness, to fulfillment is a something? We are told that if we only do this, if we only accomplish this, if we only succeed in this, we will find the fulfillment we are looking for. We go along with that mentality: more of this or more of that. If I only get this job, if I only have this career advancement, if I only overcome my health issues, if I only grow our church—if I only do something.
But Jesus comes along and says, “No, the pathway to what you are looking for is not a something. It is a someone. I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life.” This changes the whole way of looking at our lives. What if we were wrong all along? What if Jesus comes to simply adjust our way of seeing? What if we are closer to what we are actually looking for than we realized? What if it is right in front of us?
A number of years ago, a miniseries came out called The Young Pope. It was a fictitious story about a young, traditional American pope. There is a powerful scene where a lady presents him with a plate on which she wants to put his image, suggesting that the money raised from selling the plates could be used for good things. His response is, “No, my dear lady, the only image I want on that plate is no image at all. I want you to sell empty plates because it is only Christ whose image we are to venerate, not mine.”
What does it mean to be a good shepherd? It is precisely that attitude of realizing that I am not to be elevated. I will never be a good parent, a good husband, or a good priest unless I realize that I must be rooted in Christ. Ultimately, Christ is the Good Shepherd. Only in as much as I enter into the fullness of life through the only door that gets me there—Jesus Christ—will I be able to lead others. As much as people may want to elevate us, we must remember that only Christ matters.
We often go through life with the temptation of assuming that someone else can be wrong, but I am never wrong. My ideas are always right. But again, Jesus changes the game by inviting us to consider the possibility that someone else may be right and I may be wrong. It is worth listening to others, considering other possibilities, and going through life with the humility that I have something to receive, not just something to contribute. I have something to learn.
In our life of faith, whenever we open the scriptures or pray, we are choosing Christ as our Good Shepherd. In humility, we are saying, “Lord, you are the one who has the answers. I don’t. You are the one who leads me, who becomes my pathway.” I must constantly adjust my way of thinking, my way of existing, and my way of interacting with the world by accepting your sacred teaching.
There is a lot of unrest in the world these days. Everyone has an answer, an opinion, and something they want to teach us. But not many people are sharing the pain of the brokenness that exists without an opinion. I wonder if that is precisely where Christ invites us to be—to say, “I know the pain. I acknowledge the unrest. I am saddened by it.” Even if I do not have solutions or opinions, I am still opening my heart and mind to the wisdom of God. I am trying to sympathize with the brokenness of those who are suffering. I may not have all the answers, but I have compassion, presence, and a listening heart.
We are all invited to follow Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and to learn from him what it means to be a shepherd. We are all called to be the presence of Jesus in our families, our communities, and our lives. We are called to have compassion, kindness, and understanding—even in the midst of uncertainty. Jesus says that only the Good Shepherd cares for the sheep and risks his life for them. There are others who come who want to steal, hurt, and harm; do not follow them.
During the Easter season, we have an opportunity to move beyond theologizing about the meaning of Easter and instead look within and ask: “How is the message of Jesus, the Good Shepherd who rose from the dead, changing my life on the ground—with my children, with my community, with that neighbor I never talk to because I can’t stand them?” How am I finding peace within? By allowing Christ to be my doorway toward the fullness of life that he offers. Can I be that source of kindness, understanding, and peace by trusting in God and not being overwhelmed by my own imperfections? Only Christ. Only Christ. Only Christ.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.