Listening to the Voice of the Shepherd

One of my favorite parts of the newspaper is the comics section. While it is obviously true that we find humor there, I also enjoy finding the truth that is conveyed through the humor.

 

For example, many years ago, there was a Dennis the Menace comic strip that caught my attention. In the first panel, Dennis with his dog, Ruff, at his side, is walking along with Margaret. Dennis is merrily pulling a red wagon. Margaret, clutching her doll, is jabbering away. In the second panel, Dennis gives Ruff a sideway glance while Margaret continues to chatter along.

 

The third scene shows Margaret wildly pelting Dennis with her doll saying, “Dennis you’re not listening to me when I’m speaking to you.”

 

In the final part Dennis turns toward Margaret and says, “Margaret, I’m listening to you, it’s just that I’m not paying any attention!”

 

This Fourth Sunday of Easter is also called Good Shepherd Sunday because our gospel reading contains the imagery of Jesus as our shepherd. In our passage Jesus describes the intimate relationship that exists between the sheep and the shepherd. He says, “He walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. He walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”

 

I think we sometimes consider some animals as kind of dumb. But I think this behavior by the sheep is quite remarkable: they know who has their best interests at heart, they know they will be brought to where the best food is, and they know they will be kept safe.

 

The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd was very popular in the early Church. There are very ancient statues of Jesus with a lamb being held over his shoulders—the lost one who had strayed, was now found and feeling secure. In a threatening world in which Christianity was illegal in those first centuries, you can imagine how that image brought comfort and courage to face the challenges of life. The humble of the earth have known instinctively that they needed the Good Shepherd.

 

So, turning back to the Gospel: Jesus’ sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. At times, I wonder if in our modern world we give Jesus a chance to be heard. We tend to be surrounded with noise. While life on our streets isn’t as clamorous as the streets of New York, we can be uncomfortable with silence. Often, we keep the TV on in the background, even if we’re not really watching. If we have time to kill, we turn to our smartphones, check our emails, return calls, and play games. Progress brings us many blessings, but it can have adverse consequences as well. With all the noise, do we still find some silence during the day to be recollected and meditative, to pray, to spend time consciously in the presence of God, so that God can get through to us?

 

If we don’t, chances are pretty good that other voices do get through. Young people can follow their peers without sufficient thought, and can end up harming themselves. Advertisers are very creative at creating needs in us. Politicians often have a way of twisting the truth to their advantage. Values that are inconsistent with Jesus’ teaching can become acceptable. Cable news channels, rather than simply presenting the news, actually present the views of a particular part of the political spectrum without trying to be objective, or without verifying the truth of what they report.

 

If you want confirmation of what I’m saying, just think of the divisions that have been created in our society. Our elected representatives are so divided that they get little done to actually help those they are supposed to serve. Sometimes families are so divided that they cannot even talk to each other in civilized or constructive ways. Often, we end up speaking the language of hate, not love—and that is surely the one thing that the Lord most clearly forbids: hatred.

 

Think of the ways in which our Good Shepherd seeks to speak to us. Think of the two great commandments he taught: love God above all else, and love others as you love yourself. Think of the Sermon on the Mount, where he challenges us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors, making us more like our heavenly Father. Jesus speaks the language of humble service, of forgiveness, of unity, of enduring love. Are we listening? Are we paying attention?

 

Think, also, of what our God offers:

          The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

          In verdant pastures he gives me repose;

          beside restful waters he leads me;

          he refreshes my soul.

          He guides me in right paths

          for his name’s sake.

 

And the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them. The sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. Otherwise, they are like Dennis the Menace: listening, but not really paying any attention.

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