The Good Shepherd and the Hired Hands
Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.” John 10:11-18
4th Easter Sunday Cycle B
Jesus calls Himself the Good shepherd because bad shepherds exist. Those who do not care for the sheep, killing them for their milk, wool, and meat; abandoning the stray and not seeking the lost; not pasturing them and not treating those injured.
These Jesus calls the hired hands who have no love for the sheep. Only after what they could get from the sheep whom they abandon at the mercy of the wolf when danger comes. On the other hand, the Savior loves His sheep but especially the lost.
Nowadays shepherding is the task particularly of the priests. That is why they are called “pastors” in charge of pasturing their flock. However, even among priests there are those who act as hired hands.
In truth we find these bad shepherds or hired hands everywhere not only in church, but even in government, and schools.
In Tagaytay there is Galilee Center where bad priests are reformed. A principle is followed there that undeniably comes from the Good Shepherd. And it is this:
“Our strength is our gentleness. We must be sturdy enough to bend and firm enough to yield. It is not a matter of being right but of being understanding.”
Should we not adopt the same attitude to both bad shepherds and bad sheep?
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who tirelessly looks for the lost through briars and thorns, up high mountains, and down deep valleys. And when He finds it, He does not reprimand but carries it on His broad shoulders to celebrate its return with a feast back home.
This is the way of Jesus the Good Shepherd. But the question remains, is this also our way towards the sinners, the fallen, and the weak? The Lord’s way has always been that of kindness because it has saved many a sinner. It is God’s fool-proof manner that through the centuries has converted many a saint.
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