In the gospel reading of this 4th Sunday of Easter (John 10:11-18), Christ calls Himself the Good Shepherd, that His sheep knows Him and He knows them, and that they follow His voice. My friends, whom we follow and what we follow can make a huge difference in life. These days, we follow celebrities and influencers on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. I have always wondered how these people can save, heal, or even care for my needs. There is the story of a man who got to the wake service of his friend only to see two people there. He turned to the funeral director and said, “I thought there would have been many more people here because he had over 10,000 friends on Facebook”. Hmm, welcome to the reality of social media! But there is a celebrity, an influencer, and a shepherd worth following-#ChristJesus. Everything about Him is good news for us.
In the first place, He has been around forever, as Scripture says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God… and nothing was created without the Word… and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1-14). So “Nothing in all creation is hidden from His sight. Everything is laid bare before His eyes” (Heb. 4:13). So, this Shepherd knows it all, has seen it all, and nothing surprises Him, as Scripture says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not fall” (Heb. 4:15). Simply put, this Shepherd understands our pains and joys, knows the pains of betrayal and abandonment, what grief and bereavement feel like, what makes people cry, depressed, hopeless, or even lose it, what fear, anger, wrath, and hatred can do, what poverty and riches can cause, etc. He also knows the liberating power of love, forgiveness, charity, compassion, self-donation, and care. He knows how things work and how to fix them when they don’t. No wonder Scripture says, “Approach the throne of God’s grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for needed help”. When Christ is your Shepherd, you have hired, so to say, an ever-present help in times of great need. I am not saying He will do everything you ask for, but indeed, He can do anything for you.
It is also important to note that with Jesus, we are never lost to His presence. Most celebrities we follow on social media don’t even know who we are. But Jesus knows you by name; He knows what hurts and helps; He knows what you are good at and struggling with; He knows where you have been and where you are going. You are very special to Him. Scripture says, “This is what the Lord says— ‘I have called you by name; you are mine.’”. He is the Person you do not need to impress and, in whose presence, you do not need to pretend or be what or who you are not. He wants the best outcomes for you, as Scripture says, “For I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future full of hope” (Jer. 29:11). He is the one who easily can change mourning into dancing, sorrow into joy, weeping into songs. Let us, therefore, take this Shepherd up on His word and make Him our Lord and personal Savior.
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