TEXT — John 10: 27–30 — Shepherd’s relationship with sheep
Jesus knows his Sheep and they Follow him
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they
shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.
I and the Father are one
29 My Father, who has given them to
me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the
Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
EXPLANATION
Introduction
Today’s Gospel reading is chosen from
John’s Gospel, chapter 10. It treats of shepherd and sheep in two
sections. In the first Jesus compares himself to a door or gate through
which the sheep enter into his life. In the second section, today’s
reading, the emphasis is on the sheep and their importance to Jesus.
This Gospel passage forms part of a section where the Jews are in their fifth dispute with Jesus. “The Jews gathered round him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ [Messiah], tell us plainly’”
(Jn. 10: 24). Their purpose in challenging him in this manner is to
hear him say something which will lead to his arrest. He does not fall
into their trap. He tells them that they do not believe because they are
not his sheep. Today’s Gospel passage continues from this point.
27 My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me; 28 and I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my
hand.
“My sheep hear my voice” — To “hear” [audire] and to “obey” [ob–audire]
are two Latin words from the same root. To obey means to hear and put
into practice what is heard. Jesus is saying that his sheep hear and
obey him when he speaks. This is because of their faith in what he tells
them about himself.
“and I know them” — He repeats what he already said: “I
am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the
Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the
sheep” (Jn. 10: 14–15).
To “know” is a technical term
in John’s Gospel meaning that one person has a special relationship with
someone else, usually because of some mutual experience. Jesus has a
special relationship with his sheep: they hear his voice and they follow
him who loves them so much that he will die for them.
“and they follow me” — They imitate Jesus, doing what he does or has done.
“and I give them eternal life” —
The sheep follow him to the pasture which is eternal life. He feeds
them with his divine life. They follow him when they believe in him,
that is, when they accept him and commit themselves to following him. “Whoever believes in him will have eternal life” (Jn. 3: 15).
John 17: 2–3 explains: Jesus “looked
up to heaven and said, ‘Father, … you have given him authority over all
flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is
eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom you have sent’”. As stated above to “know”
means to have a special relationship with another person. We, the sheep,
have a special relationship with God our Father when we accept that
there is no other God in our lives but him and when we acknowledge that
the Father sent Jesus for our salvation.
“and they shall never perish” —
The sheep are secure because they have eternal life which cannot be
taken from them by the devil or others. Of course they can discard it by
themselves.
“and no one shall snatch them out of my hand” — He has already stated that “this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day” (Jn 6: 39). He will elaborate in the following verse that no one will snatch his sheep out of his hand because “no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand”. Three times he speaks of this security of his sheep.
29 My Father, who has given
them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out
of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
“My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all” — The Father is more powerful than all other forces even should they join together.
“and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” — Because the Father is the almighty, all–powerful God.
“I and the Father are one.” —
Jesus repeats a theme from John’s Gospel (Jn. 1: 1, 14; 5: 19–38; 8: 16;
10: 17). There is absolutely no doubt that Jesus is claiming divinity;
he is God.
He does not say ‘I am the Father’ nor ‘I and the Father are one Person’. He makes it clear that they are distinct, that is two Persons, Father and Son–in–the–flesh (Jn. 1: 1, 14). As they are “one” they cannot be diverse. This means that they are one in substance as far as their essence and nature is concerned.
One in substance is called
“consubstantial”, which is the word used in the Nicene Creed at Mass
each week, “consubstantial with the Father”. The creed explains this by
saying that the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages, is God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God — which means that there is absolutely no
diversity between the Father and the Son. They are the same substance,
essence a”d nature.
Because they are one nature they are
co–equal and one in power (and honour, love, life, operation, etc.). The
previous verse stated that no one can snatch his sheep from the hand of
the Father. Because Jesus has the power of the Father no one can snatch
his sheep out of his hand either. They are also one in purpose, to give
eternal life to everyone.
Jesus has now given the Jews the answer
to their question, ‘Are you the Messiah?’ he says, ‘Yes, I am because of
my relationship with my Father’.
The Jews understood what he meant and they showed their animosity in the following verses.
“I and the Father are one” —and
just as no one can snatch the sheep out of the Father’s hand, the sheep
are absolutely secure with Jesus. Jesus the shepherd and his sheep are
also one, sharing the same life.
APPLICATION
“I and the Father are one” — This is a crystal clear clarification by Jesus of his divinity: “I am God, divine”, he declares.
The great scripture scholar, Fr. Raymond
Brown, sums up the relationship in John’s Gospel between Father and
Son. His list is as follows:
The Son comes from the Father (Jn. 8: 42);
Yet the Father who sent him is with him (Jn. 8: 29);
The Father loves the Son (Jn 3: 35);
The Son knows the Father intimately (Jn 8: 55; 10: 15);
In his mission on earth the Son can do only what he has seen the Father do (Jn ) 5: 19;
The Son can judge and speak only what he hears from the Father (Jn 5: 30);
The Son was taught by the Father (Jn 8: 28);
The Son has received from the Father powers such as that of judgement (Jn 5: 22);
Also the powers of giving and possessing life (Jn 5: 21; 6: 57);
The Son does the will of the Father (Jn 4: 34; 6: 38);
The Son has received a command from the Father that concerns his death and resurrection (Jn. 10: 18).
It is the will of the Son who prays to the Father “that they [people] may be one, even as we are one” (Jn 17: 11). This is God’s desire, that we be one with God and with one another.
Shepherd and Sheep —
Four terms are used to describe the special relationship between
Shepherd and Sheep, that is between Jesus and his followers. They (i) “hear” his voice and (ii) “follow” him. He (iii) “knows” them and (iv) “gives them eternal life”. It follows from this that they shall “never perish” nor will any power on earth or above the earth be capable of snatching them out of his hand.
To “hear” in this context means
more than being aware that his voice is in the background. It means
attentive hearing which is based on the trust the sheep have in the
shepherd. He is their leader, their authority who loves them, cares for
them, protects them and provides for them.
It is because they recognise his voice that the sheep “follow”
him (Jn. 10: 4). Simon Peter put this very well when at the end of the
discourse on the Blessed Eucharist Jesus asked his disciples if they
wished to leave him because of what he had taught. Peter replied, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn. 6: 68–69).
Peter declares the disciples’ special relationship with Jesus whom he knows to be “the Holy One of God”. Whatever Jesus says or teaches must be true because of whom he is.
Because of this also they will never
perish nor be separated from Jesus. Even though they did not stand by
Jesus in his passion and death, nothing bad happened to the disciples;
Jesus protected them. He remained the shepherd of the scattered sheep.
When they were in danger of being arrested he told his captors, “‘Let these men go’.This was to fulfil the word that he had spoken, ‘I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me’”
(Jn. 18: 8–9). We may on occasions be tempted to be condemnatory of
them but not Jesus who understood them and their weaknesses. It was
Jesus who made them his. They were important in his eyes, a lesson that
also applies to us, thank God.
Jesus “knows” us. What a
relationship he has with us — he created the world for us; when our
first parents sinned he redeemed us by coming into the world for our
salvation. He has made us one with him and has prayed that we continue
to be one with him (Jn. 17: 22). He has ascended to heaven to prepare a
place for us. He has given us “eternal life” both now and in
its fullness in heaven in the future. He searches for us when we need
him and when we stray and he does not give up until he finds us. He
allows us be in constant contact with him through prayer, the
sacraments, the liturgy, the sacred scriptures, the poor and
marginalised, our families and many and much more. We may not be aware
of his voice speaking but he does speak to us through the people and
events we encounter in daily life. We have to improve our listening.
What all of this teaches is that Jesus has a special and personal
relationship with us. What a pity if we think that our relationship is
merely a matter of obeying rules and regulations.
We are accustomed to seeing sheep with
the marks of their owners clearly manifest. This Gospel passage tells us
that Jesus’ mark of ownership on us his sheep is our “hearing” and
“obeying”.
SOME EXTRA POINTS
I read quite a few commentaries by Pope
Benedict XVI on John 10 and as the above notes are quite short because
of the brief four verses of today’s passage, I decided to share some
notes on the reading from the Holy Father. They may repeat what has been
written already but they may further clarify and expand.
INTRODUCTION TO EASTER C04
TEXT — John. 10: 27–30 — The united relationship of Father, Shepherd–Son and #sheep.
27 My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me; 28 and I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my
hand.
29 My Father, who has given
them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out
of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
Summary
This is a most dense passage, only four verses, probably the shortest in the three year Gospel cycle.
This passage is from John 10 which treats of the Good shepherd and
his sheep. The first section stresses the shepherd who described himself
as a gate through which the sheep would enter eternal life. This
passage stresses the sheep, their relation to the shepherd, their
enjoyment of eternal life, and the thrice–repeated assurance that they
shall not perish nor be snatched out of the shepherd’s hand (at the
final judgment).
This whole chapter follows immediately the chapter wherein Jesus
tells the Pharisees that they are blind and the man born blind now sees.
They continue in their blindness and now Jesus moves to their not
hearing very well either. This whole chapter and these few verses
continue the theme of who belongs in the group.
The sheep listen attentively and obediently in trust to the voice of
Jesus. This is the first point in the relationship with shepherd and
sheep: they listen to the voice of God who calls his sheep. We must
appreciate that we are important to God.
We come into contact with the risen Jesus in prayer, the sacraments
and our experience of daily life. That relationship has been initiated
and generated by the risen Lord. He calls, and we hear his voice. The
Good Shepherd knows us, and we follow him.
All Scripture is an invitation to engage, not with ideas about God,
but with the Lord who speaks to us in the liturgy. If we are not wiser
about our faith after attending Mass regularly during the year, then it
is clear that we have not been interacting with the Word of God, not
allowing it to touch our hearts. This is why TEA is such an important
aid to our “listening” and “knowing”.
The sheep listen to and recognise the voice of their shepherd and
that is why they continue to follow him rather than another. It is
important for us also to recognise the voice of Jesus as it comes to us
in our daily life. And, in our Christian life, the voice of Christ can
take many forms. Most of the time, it is in the voices of those people
who come into our daily lives. If we do not recognise Christ in the
voices we hear, we are likely to get lost and perhaps many, including
Christians, do lose their way. They do not know where their Shepherd is —
or perhaps they do not have shepherds.
“The mark of Christ’s sheep is their willingness to hear and obey,
just as the sign of those who are not his is their disobedience. We take
the word ‘hear’ to imply obedience to what has been said. People who
hear God are known by him. No one is entirely unknown by God, but to be
known in this way is to become his kin. Thus, when Christ says, I know mine, he means, ‘I will receive them, and give them permanent mystical kinship with myself.’” (St. Cyril of Alexandria).
“I KNOW THEM”,
This is not a matter of mere intellectual knowledge but of a
profound, personal relationship: a knowledge of the heart, of one who
loves and one who is loved; of one who is faithful and one who knows how
to be trustworthy. It is a knowledge of love, by virtue of which the
Pastor invites his sheep to follow him and which is fully manifest in
the gift of eternal life that he offers to them (cf. Jn 10: 27–28).
The knowledge which the sheep have of Jesus opens an itinerary which
leads to love: “I give them eternal life”. For the Evangelist, life is
the gift of communion with God. While in the Synoptics ‘life’ or
‘eternal life’ is related to the future; in John’s Gospel it indicates
an actual possession. This aspect is frequently repeated in John’s
narration: “He who believes in the Son possesses [present tense] eternal life” (3, 36); “I am telling you the truth: whoever hears my words and believes in him who sent me has [present tense] eternal life” (5,24; 6,47).
The dialogue or intimate and profound communication between Christ
and sheep has been defined by the Gospel in today’s Liturgy by a great
Biblical verb, “to know” This involves the whole being of man: the mind,
the heart, the will. Is your consciousness of Christ firm at a
theoretical–abstract level or do you allow yourself to be transformed
and guided by his voice on the journey of your life?
What makes us important is not who we are or what we do or what we possess, but rather whose we are. Through Jesus the Good Shepherd we now belong to his heavenly Father.
ETERNAL LIFE
“I give them (that is, my sheep) eternal life and they shall never
perish” (Jn 10: 28). These are the words of Jesus, who had said a little
earlier, “the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep” (cf. Jn
10: 11).
Life in its fullness (eternal life) is one of the major themes of
John and is to be celebrated during this paschal season. Life is the
prime characteristic of Jesus (1:4), and he comes to bring people
eternal life (3:15–16). Such life does not begin after death, for the
one who believes already has eternal life (3:36; 4:14) and has already
passed from death into life (5:24). Eternal life cannot be taken away by
death but only by sin and unbelief, and Jesus is himself resurrection
and life. While most contemporary Christians have a strong hope in life
beyond death, few would realize that they already possess “eternal
life.” In John eternal life describes less duration or unending life
than a quality or fullness of life. It is life with and for God that
Jesus reveals and that begins when people through faith and love commit
themselves to the kind and quality of life that Jesus embodies.
I give you eternal life. The greatest gift that God has
given us is life. But this life lasts only a few years, after which…
Will death overcome us? Will we go back to the nothingness from which
God took us when he created us? This is a question that finds its answer
in the risen Christ. He is the Lord of Life, the Living One. And since
he is the Lord of Life, he may dispose of it and give it to those who
love and trust him. Christ lets us share in his very life, the life that
is not subject to the dominion of death: eternal life. In the Book of
Revelation we read, “The Lamb (the dead and risen Christ) who is at the
heart of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to
springs of living water!” Eternal life is the same life as that of
Christ, which is already present in us through baptism and grace, and
will acquire its fullness in the hereafter of our earthly existence.
Since our earthly life is a precious gift of the Father, eternal life is
a wonderful gift of the risen Christ.
“Christ promises his followers as a recompense and reward eternal
life, exemption from death and corruption, and from the torments the
judge inflicts upon transgressors. By giving life Christ shows that by
nature he is life. He does not receive it from another, but supplies it
from his own resources” (St. Cyril of Alexandria)
“We may also see in the word “life” a reference to the Eucharist, by
means of which Christ implants in believers his own life through their
sharing in his flesh, according to the text: He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life”. (St. Cyril of Alexandria)
NO ONE WILL SNATCH THEM
In the Bible the hand, in some contexts, is a metaphor which
indicates the force of God who protects (Deut 33,3: Ps 31,6). In others,
the verb “to snatch” (harpázö) suggests the idea that the
community of disciples will not be exempt from the attacks of evil and
of temptations. But the expression “no one will snatch them” indicates
that the presence of Christ assures the community of the certainty of an
unflinching stability which allows them to overcome every temptation of
fear.
Those who stay with the shepherd, Jesus says, will never be lost.
How could they be? Our Shepherd is the Way, he is Truth and Life. And
when one does happen to go astray, he leaves the ninety–nine and goes in
search of the one who has wandered off to bring it back.
And so the Gospel today says that we have been given to Jesus by the
Father. For it is in and through Jesus, the Way, that we find our way
to the Father. Jesus is Truth and Life and can only lead us to the
source of all Truth and Life, God himself.
Jesus’ words indicate that the sheep are his. What’s more, under his
protection they are secure; he maintains that “no one can take them out
of my hand.” This is very reassuring, particularly in a world that
cannot ensure security.
In the case of us Christians, this is a spiritual bond that can be
stronger than death. As Jesus tells us, nothing and no one can “take them out of my hand.” The only precondition on our part is that we continue to trust the “way of Jesus,”
which means that we use our freedom and strength to be a loving, caring
presence in our world. We can do this most effectively in the context
of a supportive community and with the nourishment of the Eucharist.
In the gospel quote that sounds so magisterial and serene we can
hear a note of reality. Jesus says about his sheep, “No one can take
them out of my hand.” He also says, in a similar manner, “No one can
take them out of the Father’s hand.” There are forces at work that
threaten to snatch us out of the hands of the Shepherd. Some of them are
subtle and everyday promptings to renege on our faith, while other
forces carry immediate dire threats to what we believe as Christians.
Jesus’ words assure us that at the moment of death, or facing death in
its other manifestations, when death seems to be winning the final
victory, our lives are secure in God’s hands. Jesus’ words of security
had meaning for the early church; they needed to hear and embrace in
faith what he said, for being a Christian when this gospel was written,
was a matter of life and death.
No one can take them away from me. No
human, angelic or diabolical power is above the power of the risen
Christ, a power he has received from the almighty Father. To want to
take Jesus Christ’s sheep from him would be tantamount to taking them
away from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It would be absurd!
People may make a clean break with this life, but they cannot snatch
eternal life from God’s hands. As the Catechism teaches us, angels are
at the service of God: “With their whole beings, the angels are servants
and messengers of God” (CCC 329), and at the service of man, “From
infancy to death human life is surrounded by their watchful care and
intercession”(CCC 336). Finally, although the devil is a powerful
figure, for he is a pure spirit, he cannot prevent the building up of
the Kingdom of God, he cannot take God’s sheep away, because “the power
of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite” (CCC 395). We alone, with our
freedom, can escape from Christ’s flock and flee from the Father’s good
hands. The text of the Acts of the Apostles bears witness to this: “When
they saw the crowds, the Jews, filled with jealousy, used blasphemies
to contradict everything Paul said.” What tremendous power is the power
of freedom, that can render useless the mirabilia of the Good Shepherd!
SHEEP
Sheep are crowd–followers. When one panics — often for no real
reason — they all panic. They are timid, fearful, curious and without
initiative. Maybe, after all, they are not so different from us!
The emphasis, of course, in the Scripture images is on the shepherd.
There are beautiful images given in the Hebrew (Old) Testament (e.g. in
Ezekiel) and in the Christian Testament, especially the Gospel. The
image implies someone who gives caring, compassionate leadership. It is a
situation where there is mutual recognition between shepherd and sheep,
where there is voluntary following and total trust.
The etymology of the Greek word for sheep, próbation, is traced back
to the same root as the Greek verb probaîno, which means “to accompany,
to go forth or with.” We’re a unique kind of sheep. Christ gives us the
example of humbling himself to share in our humanity. We have to
swallow our pride, fight to overcome sin, and become sheep by attuning
ourselves to the direction of our shepherd. Humility takes work, but it
brings peace.
A shepherd defends his sheep. In becoming man Jesus became a
perfect mediator between God and man and the shepherd who lays down his
life for his sheep. The meditation of shepherds is something we find in
the Church from the beginning. The Blessed Virgin’s fiat brought our
mediator to earth. Christ, interceding now in Heaven for his sheep,
entrusted to the apostles and their successors this responsibility of
mediator and shepherd.
“I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE”
If we want to see God made visible,
Jesus is saying, we need to look to Jesus. In fact, if we listen to
Jesus’ words, we are listening to God. We have, therefore, a new holy
place in Christ, and now that he is resurrected, we can enter the holy
presence of God whenever we turn to Christ in prayer, community and to
those he calls us to serve.
In Christ we have an intimate union
with God. This union is strengthened today as we listen to Christ’s
words with ears of faith. The Eucharist we will receive is also food
from God’s hands to nourish us on our journey and help us fulfil the
vocation we have already heard from the risen Christ this Easter
time–––”feed my lambs.”
Commentary on 4th Sunday of Easter C 8.05.2022
TEXT — John 10: 27–30 — Shepherd’s relationship with sheep
Jesus knows his Sheep and they Follow him
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.
I and the Father are one
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
EXPLANATION
Introduction
Today’s Gospel reading is chosen from John’s Gospel, chapter 10. It treats of shepherd and sheep in two sections. In the first Jesus compares himself to a door or gate through which the sheep enter into his life. In the second section, today’s reading, the emphasis is on the sheep and their importance to Jesus.
This Gospel passage forms part of a section where the Jews are in their fifth dispute with Jesus. “The Jews gathered round him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ [Messiah], tell us plainly’” (Jn. 10: 24). Their purpose in challenging him in this manner is to hear him say something which will lead to his arrest. He does not fall into their trap. He tells them that they do not believe because they are not his sheep. Today’s Gospel passage continues from this point.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.
“My sheep hear my voice” — To “hear” [audire] and to “obey” [ob–audire] are two Latin words from the same root. To obey means to hear and put into practice what is heard. Jesus is saying that his sheep hear and obey him when he speaks. This is because of their faith in what he tells them about himself.
“and I know them” — He repeats what he already said: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep” (Jn. 10: 14–15).
To “know” is a technical term in John’s Gospel meaning that one person has a special relationship with someone else, usually because of some mutual experience. Jesus has a special relationship with his sheep: they hear his voice and they follow him who loves them so much that he will die for them.
“and they follow me” — They imitate Jesus, doing what he does or has done.
“and I give them eternal life” — The sheep follow him to the pasture which is eternal life. He feeds them with his divine life. They follow him when they believe in him, that is, when they accept him and commit themselves to following him. “Whoever believes in him will have eternal life” (Jn. 3: 15).
John 17: 2–3 explains: Jesus “looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, … you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent’”. As stated above to “know” means to have a special relationship with another person. We, the sheep, have a special relationship with God our Father when we accept that there is no other God in our lives but him and when we acknowledge that the Father sent Jesus for our salvation.
“and they shall never perish” — The sheep are secure because they have eternal life which cannot be taken from them by the devil or others. Of course they can discard it by themselves.
“and no one shall snatch them out of my hand” — He has already stated that “this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day” (Jn 6: 39). He will elaborate in the following verse that no one will snatch his sheep out of his hand because “no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand”. Three times he speaks of this security of his sheep.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
“My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all” — The Father is more powerful than all other forces even should they join together.
“and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” — Because the Father is the almighty, all–powerful God.
“I and the Father are one.” — Jesus repeats a theme from John’s Gospel (Jn. 1: 1, 14; 5: 19–38; 8: 16; 10: 17). There is absolutely no doubt that Jesus is claiming divinity; he is God.
He does not say ‘I am the Father’ nor ‘I and the Father are one Person’. He makes it clear that they are distinct, that is two Persons, Father and Son–in–the–flesh (Jn. 1: 1, 14). As they are “one” they cannot be diverse. This means that they are one in substance as far as their essence and nature is concerned.
One in substance is called “consubstantial”, which is the word used in the Nicene Creed at Mass each week, “consubstantial with the Father”. The creed explains this by saying that the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages, is God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God — which means that there is absolutely no diversity between the Father and the Son. They are the same substance, essence a”d nature.
Because they are one nature they are co–equal and one in power (and honour, love, life, operation, etc.). The previous verse stated that no one can snatch his sheep from the hand of the Father. Because Jesus has the power of the Father no one can snatch his sheep out of his hand either. They are also one in purpose, to give eternal life to everyone.
Jesus has now given the Jews the answer to their question, ‘Are you the Messiah?’ he says, ‘Yes, I am because of my relationship with my Father’.
The Jews understood what he meant and they showed their animosity in the following verses.
“I and the Father are one” —and just as no one can snatch the sheep out of the Father’s hand, the sheep are absolutely secure with Jesus. Jesus the shepherd and his sheep are also one, sharing the same life.
APPLICATION
“I and the Father are one” — This is a crystal clear clarification by Jesus of his divinity: “I am God, divine”, he declares.
The great scripture scholar, Fr. Raymond Brown, sums up the relationship in John’s Gospel between Father and Son. His list is as follows:
It is the will of the Son who prays to the Father “that they [people] may be one, even as we are one” (Jn 17: 11). This is God’s desire, that we be one with God and with one another.
Shepherd and Sheep — Four terms are used to describe the special relationship between Shepherd and Sheep, that is between Jesus and his followers. They (i) “hear” his voice and (ii) “follow” him. He (iii) “knows” them and (iv) “gives them eternal life”. It follows from this that they shall “never perish” nor will any power on earth or above the earth be capable of snatching them out of his hand.
To “hear” in this context means more than being aware that his voice is in the background. It means attentive hearing which is based on the trust the sheep have in the shepherd. He is their leader, their authority who loves them, cares for them, protects them and provides for them.
It is because they recognise his voice that the sheep “follow” him (Jn. 10: 4). Simon Peter put this very well when at the end of the discourse on the Blessed Eucharist Jesus asked his disciples if they wished to leave him because of what he had taught. Peter replied, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn. 6: 68–69).
Peter declares the disciples’ special relationship with Jesus whom he knows to be “the Holy One of God”. Whatever Jesus says or teaches must be true because of whom he is.
Because of this also they will never perish nor be separated from Jesus. Even though they did not stand by Jesus in his passion and death, nothing bad happened to the disciples; Jesus protected them. He remained the shepherd of the scattered sheep. When they were in danger of being arrested he told his captors, “‘Let these men go’. This was to fulfil the word that he had spoken, ‘I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me’” (Jn. 18: 8–9). We may on occasions be tempted to be condemnatory of them but not Jesus who understood them and their weaknesses. It was Jesus who made them his. They were important in his eyes, a lesson that also applies to us, thank God.
Jesus “knows” us. What a relationship he has with us — he created the world for us; when our first parents sinned he redeemed us by coming into the world for our salvation. He has made us one with him and has prayed that we continue to be one with him (Jn. 17: 22). He has ascended to heaven to prepare a place for us. He has given us “eternal life” both now and in its fullness in heaven in the future. He searches for us when we need him and when we stray and he does not give up until he finds us. He allows us be in constant contact with him through prayer, the sacraments, the liturgy, the sacred scriptures, the poor and marginalised, our families and many and much more. We may not be aware of his voice speaking but he does speak to us through the people and events we encounter in daily life. We have to improve our listening. What all of this teaches is that Jesus has a special and personal relationship with us. What a pity if we think that our relationship is merely a matter of obeying rules and regulations.
We are accustomed to seeing sheep with the marks of their owners clearly manifest. This Gospel passage tells us that Jesus’ mark of ownership on us his sheep is our “hearing” and “obeying”.
SOME EXTRA POINTS
I read quite a few commentaries by Pope Benedict XVI on John 10 and as the above notes are quite short because of the brief four verses of today’s passage, I decided to share some notes on the reading from the Holy Father. They may repeat what has been written already but they may further clarify and expand.
INTRODUCTION TO EASTER C04
TEXT — John. 10: 27–30 — The united relationship of Father, Shepherd–Son and #sheep.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
Summary
“I KNOW THEM”,
ETERNAL LIFE
NO ONE WILL SNATCH THEM
SHEEP
“I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE”