Homily for the 4th Sunday of
Easter (Cycle C)
Based on Jn
10:27-30 (Gospel), Ac 13:14,43-52 (First Reading) and Rv 7:9,14b-17 (Second Reading)
From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”
GOOD SHEPHERD
The gospel for today
is Jn 10:27-30. Verses 27 and 28 says: The sheep that belongs to me listen to
my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will
never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me.
Parallel texts are:
a. Jn
10:10 - A
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came so that they may have
lifee and have it to the full.
Footnote e – Life eternal. Jesus gives it, 3:16,36; 5:40;
6:33,35,48,51; 14:6; 20:31, with abounding generosity. Cf. Rv 7:17; Mk 25:29;
Lk 6:38.
b.
Rm 8:33-39 - Could
anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits (v. 33) could anyone
condemn? Could Christ Jesus No! He not only died for us – he rose from the
dead, and there at the right hand of God, he stands and pleads for us (v. 34).
Nothing can come between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled, or
worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food and clothes, or being threatened,
or even attacked (v. 35). As scripture promised: “For your sake we are being
massacred daily, and reckoned as sheep for the slaughter (v. 36).” These are
the trials through which we triumph, by the power of him who loved us ( v. 37).
For I am certain of these: neither death, nor life, no angels, no prince,
nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any powers (v. 38), or height
or depth,s nor any created thing can ever come between us and the
love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord (v. 39).
c.
Dt 33:3 - You who have such love for the forefathers, in your
hands are all the holy ones.d At your feet they fell, under your
guidance went swiftly on. Footnote s – The ‘powers, heights,
or depths’ are probably the mysterious cosmic forces which to the mind of
antiquity were in general hostile to mankind. Cf. Ep 1:21; 3:18.
d. Ws
3:1+ - But the souls of the righteous are in the
hands of God, no torment shall ever touch them.
Verse 29 says: The Father who gave them to me is greater than
anyone,o and no one can stealp them from the Father. Footnoteo
– Var. ‘As for my Father, that which he has given me is greater than all.’; and
Footnotep - Var. ‘steal
them.’
Parallel texts are:
a.
Jn 3:35 - The Father loves the Son and has
entrusted everything to him.
b.
Dt 32:39 - See now that I, I am He, and beside
me there is no other God. It is I who deals death and life; when I have struck
it is I who heal (and none can deliver from my hand).
c.
Is 42:13 - Yahweh advances like a hero, his fury
is stirred like a warrior’s. He gives the war shout, raises the hue and cry,
marches valiantly against his foes.
d.
Is 51:16 - I
put my words into your mouth, I hid you in the shadows of my hand, when I
spread outh the heavens, and laid the earth’s foundations, and said
to Zion, ‘You are my people.’ Footnote
h – ‘Spread out’ Greek; ‘planted’ Hebr.
Verse 30 says: The Father and I are one.qFootnoteq
– The Son’s power is not other than the Father’s The context shows that this is
the primary meaning, but the statement is deliberately undefined and hints at a
more comprehensive and a profounder unity. The Jews do not miss the
implication; they sense a claim to godhead, v. 33. Cf. 1;1; 8:24,29; 10:38;
14:9-10; 17:11,21 and 2:11+.
Parallel text of verse 30 is Jn 1:1 that says: In the beginning was the Word,a the
Word was with God and the Word was God. Footnote a - The
O.T. speaks of the Word of God, and of his wisdom, present with God before the
world was made, cf. Pr. 8:22+; Ws. 7:22+, by it all things were created, it is
sent to earth to reveal the hidden designs of God; it returns to him with its
work done, Is. 58:10-11, Pr. 8:22-36, Si. 24:3-22, Ws. 9:9-12. On its creature role, cf. also Gn. 1:3,6
etc.: Is 40:8,26, 44:24-28; 48:13, Ps. 33:6, Jdt. 16:14, Si.42:15; on its
mission, cf. Ws. 18:14-16, Ps.107:20; 147:15-18. For John, too, 13:3, 16:28, the Word existed
before the world in God, 1:1-2, 8:24+, 10:30+. It has come on earth, 1:9-14,
3:19, 12:46, cf. Mk 1:38+, being sent by the Father; 3:17,34,5:36, 43, 6:29,
7:29, 8:42, 9:7, 10:36, 11:42, 17:3,25,cf. Lk 4:43, to perform a task, 4:34+,
namely, to deliver 3:11+, 8:21, 12:35, 13:3, 16:5, 17:11, 13, 20:17. The incarnation enabled the N.T. and
especially John, to see this separately and eternally existent Word-Wisdom as a
person
The First Reading for this Sunday is taken from Ac
13:14,43-52. Verse 14 says: “The others
carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went
to synagogue on the Sabbath and took
their seats.”
Parallel text for verse 14 is Ac 13:5
that says “They landed in Salamis and
proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jewse. John
acted as their assistant.” Footnote e
– Paul’s regular policy, 17:2, is to approach the Jews first, cf. 13:14; 14:1;
16:13; 7:10,17; 18:4,19; 19:8; 28:17,23,
on the principle that the Jews have first claim, see 3:26; 13:46; Rm 1:16;
2:9-10; Mt 7:27, only after refusal does Paul turn to the pagans, cf. Ac 13:46;
18:6; 28:28.
Verse 43 and
44 say: “When the meeting broke up, many
Jews and devout convertsaa joined Paul and Barnabasbb and
urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God has given them.ccOn
the next Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God. dd
Footnote aa – ‘converts’. Or
‘proselytes’, here in the wide sense, is equivalent to those who fear God or
‘those who worshipped God’, cf. 10:2+; Footnote bb – Add
‘considering it fitting to accept baptism’; Footnote cc – Add West. ‘And
in this way, the word of God spread through the whole town;’ and Footnote dd – Var. ‘
the word of the Lord’, or ‘(to hear) Paul who spoke for a long time about the
Lord’.
Parallel text for verse 43 are the following:
a.
Ac 10:2 - He and the
whole of his household were devout and God-fearingb and he gave
generously to Jewish causes and prayed constantly to God. Footnoteb - The expressions
‘fearing God’, 10:2,22, 35, 13:16, and ‘worshipping God’ 13:43, 50, 16:14,
7:4,17,18:7, are technical terms for admirers and followers of the Jewish
religion who stop short of circumcision, cf. 2:11+.
b.
Ac 17:4 - Some of
them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas; so did a great many God-fearing
Greeksb as well as a number of rich prominent women. Footnote a– Aristarchus, one of Paul’s most faithful
companion, cf 20:4; Col 4:10, was probably one of them; and Footnote b – Var. ‘Greek
worshippers of God.’ The reading here preferred distinguishes ‘those who
worship God,’ 10:2+, from ‘Greeks not previously influenced by Jewish
proselytism. Most of the conversions in Thessalonica were made from paganism,
cf. 1 Th 1:9-10, etc.
Verse 45
says: When they saw the crowds, the Jews,
prompted by jealousy, used blasphemous words and contradicted everything Paul
said.
Parallel text for verse 45 are the following:
a.
Ac 5:17 - Then
the high priestf intervened with all his supporters, from the party
of the Saducees, prompted by jealousy…” Footnote f- Var. ‘Annas the high
priest’, cf. 4:6.
b.
Ac 17:5 - But
the Jews, full of resentment, enlisted the help of a gang from the market
place, and stirred up a crowd, and soon had the whole city in an uproar. They
made for Jason’s house, hoping to find theme there and drag them off to the
people’s assembly.
c.
1 Th 2:14 - For you, brothers, have become imitators of
the churches of God that are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you suffer the same
things from your compatriots as they did from the Jews.
Verse 46
says: Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out
boldly. ee We had necessary to proclaim the word of God to you
first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy
of eternal life, we no turn to the pagans. Footnote ee
- The ‘courage’ and ‘confidence’ of the
apostles has been already stressed, 4:13,29,31: Luke repeatedly attributes this
quality to Paul, 9:27-28; 14:3; 19:8; 26:26; 28:31, and Paul himself lays
emphasis on them, 1 Th 2:2; 2 Co. 3:12; 7:4; Ph 1:20; Ep 3:12; 6:19-20.
Parallel texts are:
a.
Ac 13:5 - They
landed in Salamis and proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jewse.
John acted as their assistant. Footnote e – Paul’s
regular policy, 17:2, is to approach the Jews first, cf. 13:14; 14:1; 16:13;
7:10,17; 18:4,19; 19:8; 28:17,23, on the
principle that the Jews have first claim, see 3:26; 13:46; Rm 1:16; 2:9-10; Mt
7:27, only after refusal does Paul turn to the pagans, cf. Ac 13:46; 18:6;
28:28.
b.
Ac 18:6 - When
they turned against him and started to insult him, he took his cloak in front
of themg saying, “Your blood be on your heads! I am clear of
responsibility. From now on I will go to the pagans”.
Footnote g – Symbolically breaking off
relations. The following sentence is biblical, cf. Lv. 20:9-16; 2 S 1:16, and
means that the Jews must accept full responsibility for the consequences. Their
‘blood’, i.e., their punishment, is not Paul’s affair; his conscience is clear
(lit. ‘I am clean’).
c.
Ac 28:24 - And some were convinced by what he had
said, while the rest were skeptical.
Verse 47 says:
For this is what the Lord commanded us to do
when he said: I have made you a light for the nations, so that y salvation may
reach the ends of the earth.ff Footnote ff–
LXX quoted freely: The words may be taken either as referring to Paul himself
(cf. 26:17-18), apostle and teacher of the pagans (cf. Rm 11:13; 1 Tm 2:7; Ep
3:8 etc.), or to the risen Christ (see Ac 26:23 which is also, it seems, is
based on Is 46:6,9): Christ is the light of the pagans, but since only the
apostle’s witness can spread this light, cf. Ac 1:8+, Paul considers this
prophecy as a command that he must carry out.
Parallel texts are:
a.
Ac 1:8 - But you will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes upon you,i and then you will be my witnessesj
not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends
of the earth’.k Footnotei - The Holy
Spirit is a favorite theme of Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about the Holy
Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35; 24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co 2:4,5; 1 Th
1:5; Heb 2:4, sent from God by Christ,
Ac 2:38, to broadcast the Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the charismata, 1 Co
12:4f, that guarantee the message; the gift of tongues, Ac 2:4+, of miracles,
10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+; 20:23; 21:11, of wisdom, 6:3,5,10:2, the Spirit
fives strength to proclaim Jesus as Messiah in spite of persecution 4:8,31;
5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to bear witness to him, Mt. 10;20p; Jn 15:26; Ac
1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following note; 3. The Spirit guides the Church in her major
decisions: the admission of pagans, Ac
8:29,40; 10:19,44-47; 11;12-16; 15:8, without obligation to observe the Law, 15:28; Paul’s mission to the pagan
worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt. 3:16+,Ac also mentions the
Spirit as received in baptism and
forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+; Footnote j – The primary
functions of the apostles is to bear witness: not only to Christ’s
resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac 2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31, 22:15, but
also to the whole of is public life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22, 10:39f.;
Footnote k- nothing can limit the apostolic mission, Is. 45:14+. The
progress outlined here follows the geographical plan of Ac: Jerusalem was
destined to receive the Good News, to be the centre from which it is now
spreading, Lk, 2:38+.
b.
Is 49:6 - It is not enough for you to be my
servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob, and bring back the survivors of
Israel; I will make you the light of the nations, so that my salvation may
reach to the ends of the earth.
c.
Jn 8:12 - When Jesus spoke to the people
again, he said: ‘I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be
walking in the dark; he will have the light of life’.
d.
Ac 15:14 - Symeon has described how God first
arranged to enlist a people for his name out of the pagans.
e.
Ac 26:23 - That the Christ had to suffer and that, as the first to
rise from the dead, he was to proclaim that light now for our people and to the pagans too.
Verse 48 says: It made
the pagans very happy to hear this and they thank the Lord for his message; gg
all who were destined for eternal life became believers, hh
Footnote gg – Var. ‘ the word of God’; and Footnote hh
– ‘eternal life’, cf. v. 46, i.e. the life of the world to come, cf. 3:15+;
only those achieve it whose names are ‘written in heaven’, Lk 10:20, in ‘the
book of life’, Ph 4:3 ; Rv 20:12+. ‘Destined for the life of the world to come’
was a common rabbinic expression. In Christian teaching the first prerequisite
of this predestination to glory is faith in Christ. See Jn 10:26+; Rm 8:28-30,
and earlier in Ac 2:39.
Parallel texts are:
a.
Ac 2:46-47 - They went as a body to the Temple everyday but met in their houses for
the breaking of bread; they shared their food gladlyii and
generously (v. 46); they praised Godjj and were looked up to by
everyone. Day by day the Lord added to their community those destined to b
savedkk (v. 47). Footnote ii – Joy is the sequel of
faith: 8:8,9; 4:21; 13:48,52; 16:34; cf. 5:41; Lk 1:14+; Rm 15:13.; Footnote jj–
Cf. 3:8,9; 4:21; 13:48; 21:20; Lk 2:20+; Footnote kk– When judgment
comes, the members of the Christian community are assured of salvation, 2:21+,
cf. 13:48 and Apostle Paul’s letters. The Church is thus identified with ‘the
remnant of Israel’, Is. 4:3+. Cf. Rom 9:27.
b.
Rm 8:28 - We
know that by turning everything to their good God cooperates with all those who
love him, with all those that he has called according to his purpose.p Footnote
p– Var (Vulg) We know that for those who love God everything
conspires for good, for all those that he has called…’
c. Ac
3:15 - While you killed the prince of life.i God, however, raised
him from the dead, and to that fact we are witness… Footnote I – The one who leads his subject to full life,
imparting his own life to them. In the Roman liturgy the Easter Sequence
borrows the expression Dux vitae mortuus regnat
vivus. This same title of ‘leader’ is given, 7:27.
Verses 49 and 50 say: Thus the work of the Lord
spread through the whole countryside. But the Jews worked upon some of the
devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city and persuaded
them to turn against Paul and Barnabas and expel them from their territory.
Parallel text is Ac 6:7 that says: The word of the Lord continued to spread,g
the number of the disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased: and a large
group of priests made their submission to the faith. Footnote g – A fresh formula, see also
12:24; 19:20; cfLk 1:80+, here juxtaposed with the earlier one, see Ac 2:41+.
Verse 51 says: So they
shook the dust from their feet in defiance and went off to Iconium;
Parallel texts are:
a.
Ac 18:6 - When
they turned against him and started to insult him, he took his cloak in front
of themg saying, “Your
blood be on your heads! I am clear of responsibility. From now on I will go to
the pagans”. Footnote g – Symbolically breaking off relations. The
following sentence is biblical, cf. Lv. 20:9-16; 2 S 1:16, and means that the
Jews must accept full responsibility for the consequences. Their ‘blood’, i.e.,
their punishment, is not Paul’s affair; his conscience is clear (lit. ‘I am
clean’).
b.
Lk 9:5,10-11 - And as for those who do not welcome
you when you leave their town, shake the dust from your feet as sign to them
(v. 5). On their return the apostles gave him an account of all they had done.
Then he took them with him and withdrew to a town called Bethsaida where they
could be by themselves (v. 10). But the crowds got to know and they went after
him, He made them welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and he
cured those who were in need of healing (v. 11).
c. Mt
10:14 - And if anyone does not welcome
you or listen to what you have to say as you walk out of the house or town,
shake the dust from your feet.f Footnotef – The phase is
Jewish in origin. The dust of any country other than the Holy Land is reckoned
unclean; in this passage the impurity attaches to any place that refuse the
word.
Verse 52 says: but the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Parallel text for verse 52 is Ac 2:46
that says: They went as a body to
the Temple everyday but met in their houses for the breaking of bread; they
shared their food gladlyii and generously. Footnote ii
– Joy is the sequel of faith: 8:8,9; 4:21; 13:48,52; 16:34; cf. 5:41; Lk 1:14+;
Rm 15:13.
Second Reading: Rv 7:9,14b-17. Verse 9 says: After that I saw a huge number,
impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe, and languages;c
they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dresses in
white robes and holding palms in their hands,d Footnotec – Symbol
of war; and Footnote d– Symbol of famine: food is rationed and sold
at a prohibitive price.
Parallel texts are:
a.
Rv 15:3-5 - And they were singing the hymn of Moses,b the servant of God,
and of the Lamb: “How great and wonderful are your works, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are all your ways, king of nations (v. 3). Who would revere and
praise your name O Lord? You alone are holy, and all the pagans will come and
adore you, for the many acts of justice you have been shown’ (v. 4). After
this, in my vision, the Tent of the Testimony opened in heaven (v. 5). Footnote b – The hymn of Ex 15 which celebrated
Israel’s triumph over Pharaoh. Here the conquerors of the beast celebrate the
justice of God in punishing the wicked persecutors.
b.
Gn 15:5 - Then taking him outside he said: ‘Look
up to heaven and count the stars if you can, Such will be your descendants’, he
told him.
c. Dn
3:4 - The herald then made this proclamation ‘Men of all people, nations,
languages! This is required of you…’
Verse 14b says: The he
saide, ‘These are the people who have been through the great
persecutionf; and because they have washed their robes white again
in the blood of the Lamb, Footnote e – For this form of
dialogue cf. Zc 6:4-5 and also 4:4-13. ; and Footnote f – Nero’s
persecution.
Parallel texts are:
a.
Rv 15:2 - I seemed to see a glass lake suffused
with fire, and standing on the lake of glass, those who had fought against the
beast and won; and against his statue and the number which is his name! They
all have harps from God.
b.
Mt 24:21 - For then there will be great distress
such as, until now, since the world began, there never has been, nor ever will
be again.
c.
Rv 1:5 - And from Jesus Christ, the faithful
witness, the Firstborn of the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He
loves us and washed away our sins with his blood,
d.
Rv 3:4 - There are a few people in Sardis, it is
true, who have kept their robes from being dirtied; they are fit to come with
me dressed in white
e.
Rv 22:14 - Happy those who have washed their
robs clean, so that they will have the right to feed on the tree of life and
can come through its gates into the city.
Verses 15 and 16
say: They now stand in front of God’s
throne and serve him day and night in his sanctuary and the one who sits on the
throne spread his tent over them. They will never hunger or thirst again
neither the sun nor scorching wind will plague them.
Parallel text is Is.4:5-6 that says: Yahweh will
come and rest, over the whole stretcher of Mount Zion and those who are gathered there, a
cloud by day and by night the brightness of a flaring fire (v.5). For, over all,
the glory of Yahweh will be a canopy and a tent to give shade by day from the
heat, refuge and shelter from the storm and the rain (v.6). For you are a
refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in distress; a shelter from the
storm, a shade from the heat: while the breath of pitiless men is like the
winter storm (v. 4). Like drought in the
dry land, you will repress the clamor of the proud; like heat by the shadow,
the singing of the despot will be subdued.
Verse 17 says:
Because
the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to
springs of living water, and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.g
Footnote g – Common metaphors in the prophetic tradition, used to
symbolize eschatological bliss, cf, Ho 2:20+; Is 11:6+; they recur in 21:4.
Parallel texts are:
a.
Is 49:10 - They shall never
hunger or thirst; scorching wind or sun shall never plague them; for he who
pities them will lead them and guide them to springs of water.
b.
Ac 21:3-4 - After sighting
Cyprus but leaving it to port, we sailed to Syria and put in at Tyre, since the
ship was to unload cargo there (v. 3). We sought out the disciples and stayed
there for a week. Speaking in the Spirit,b they kept telling Paul
not to go to Jerusalem. Footnote b – The command does not
come from the Spirit, but the Spirit has revealed to them Paul’s fate which
their love for him seeks to avert.
c.
Ac 22:3-5 -‘I am a Jew’, Paul said, ‘and was born in
Tarsus in Cilicia. I was brought up here in this city. I studied under Gamaliel
and was taught the exact observance of our ancestors. In fact I was a dull of
duty towards God as you are today (v. 3). I even persecuted this Wayb
to the death, and sent woman as well as men to prison in chains (v. 4). As the
high priest and the whole council of elders can testify, since they even sent
me with letters to the brothers in Damascus. When I set off it was with the
intention of bringing prisoners back from there to Jerusalem for punishment. Footnoteb – The Church, cf.
9:2+. On Paul’s career as persecutor, cf 7:58; 8:1,3; 9:1,21; 22:19-20; 26:11;
1 Co 15:9; Ga 1:19,23; Ph 3:6; 1 Tm 1:13.
d. Is
25:8 - He will destroy death forever. The Lord Yahweh will wipe away the
tears from every cheek; he will take away his people’s shame everywhere on
earth, for Yahweh had said so.
Aside from the six functions of a shepherd
mentioned by Sandy Simpson (The Responsibilities of a Good Shepherd in http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com),
such as,
1. feeding
the lambs and the sheep,
2. bringing
them to good pasture lands and water,
3. grooming
and clipping them, delivering new lambs,
4. leading
them and teaching them to stay together,
5. going
off after the wandering lost ones, and
6. protecting
the sheep in the field and in the fold,
What would rather concern us in this Sunday’s
gospel is about number 6 of protecting the sheep in the field and in the fold
that may include guarding them from thieves and robbers. And one of the ways
which Jesus Christ particularly mentions by way of protecting the sheep is from
thievery.
Sandy Simpson continues:
“Jesus also refines his earlier
reference to the thief and robber (v. 1), saying, ‘All who ever came before me
were thieves and robbers (v. 8)’. This is a sweeping generalization. If it were
not for references to Moses, the prophets and John the Baptist as witnesses to
Jesus (for example, 1:17, 19-36; 5:39), then they would seem to be included in
the category of all who ever came before Jesus Christ. But the context of our
passage is the condemnation of the Jewish rulers, some of whom have rejected
Jesus and others who have faith in him. This sweeping statement shows that
these leaders are members of a much larger group. Jesus, the one mediator of
salvation, contrasts himself with all others who would claim to be
"mediators of salvation" (Beasley-Murray 1987:170). The reason Moses,
the law, the prophets and John the Baptist are not included in this
condemnation is precisely because they bear witness to Jesus. All who do not
bear witness to Jesus, who alone has seen the Father and makes him known
(1:18), are not of the truth. They do not bring blessing but rather take it
away, like a thief or a robber.
The thief acts for his own selfish ends and
to the detriment of the sheep. Jesus, however, serves the sheep by providing
for them the way of life, which he will do at the cost of his own life. Thus,
the contrast with the thief is complete.”
Another source from the Internet, www.biblegateway.com, has this statements about
thieving the sheep:
‘These thieves and robbers do not have in
mind the good of the sheep but rather selfish ends of their own. The shepherd
is recognized by the one who guards the fold, and so his entrance is natural,
out in the open, without forcing. Such has been Jesus' entrance into this world
and amongst his own people. He has come in the appropriate manner, having been
sent by the Father, in contrast to the Jewish leaders who are rejecting Jesus.”
An article from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, defines thievery as the action of stealing another
person's property.
The article further says:
“The actus reus of theft is usually defined as an unauthorized
taking, keeping or using of another's property which must be accompanied by a mens rea of dishonesty and/or the intent to permanently deprive the owner or the person
with rightful possession of that property or its use. In common usage,
theft is the taking of another person's property without that person's
permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The
word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against
property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery,
shoplifting, library theft and fraud. In some jurisdictions, theft is
considered to be synonymous with larceny; in others, theft has replaced
larceny. Someone who carries out an act of or makes a career of theft is known
as a thief. The act of theft is known by terms such as stealing, thieving,
wicksing, and filching.”
In The Netherlands, according to the above article, the theft of
cattle (which may very well include sheep) is a crime punishable with maximum
imprisonment of 6 years or a fine of the fourth category according to Article
311 of the Wetboek van Strafrecht.
Stealing of cattle
and sheep is quite a rampant practice among many cultures of people before and
even now. Imagine the enormous commercial value that these cattle and sheep
have for their owners. Because of that, they are regarded as very valuable
properties and quite an enormous economic asset to people, specially to
shepherds who own them. That is why, just like any other valuable properties,
they are protected well by their owners who suffers greatly when they are lost,
stolen, or taken away from them by others without their consent or knowledge.
When Jesus Christ
said that all those who came before him were merely thieves and robbers, he was
saying that he, as the Good Shepherd, was the rightful owner of these sheep,
that they belong to him and that they are his own property. As a proof of this
claim, the Good Shepherd is always ready and willing to sacrifice and to lay
down his very life for these sheep.
These robbers and thieves would not sacrifice nor lay down their lives
for the sheep, but, because they knew no sacrifice for the lives and welfare
for these sheep, they are ready to butcher and to sell them for money, to the
great disadvantage, coupled with economic and emotional loss, being suffered by
and inflicted against their real and true shepherds. On the other hand, as a
true and good shepherd, Jesus Christ was neither after the money nor the
economic value that these sheep poses for him but to let them live well and
enjoy their life under his care and protection. That is why, he never butchers his sheep,
neither to take any that belongs to them, their meat, wool and their milk, nor
their kids or mothers.
But these thieves and
robbers, who are never the real owners and are never good shepherds to these sheep,
have no regard for the lives and welfare of these sheep but only take the
commercial and economic value that these sheep produce. That is why, at the
moment that the sheep comes to their possession, they readily kill and butcher
them, taking their meat, their wool and their milk, including their kids and
mothers.
According
to Sandy Simpson whom we already quoted above, these thieves and robbers that
were being contrasted to the good shepherd Jesus Christ were the Jewish
religious leaders, the scribes and Pharisees during Jesus Christ’s time. But
today, during our time, they are our religious leaders who pose as shepherds
and pastors of religious congregations or churches that do not bear in
themselves the character of a good shepherd. They are the fake pastors and
shepherds who are never ready to sacrifice their lives for the love of the
sheep, who are the members of their congregations and churches that belong to
them, but who are merely interested in the commercial and economic value that
they derive from their congregational or church members. As a final admonition
to these members of fake pastors and shepherds of congregations and churches,
the Bible says to their “sheep” to “Come out, my people, away from her, so that
you do not share in her crimes and have the same plagues to bear” (Revelation
18:4).
No comments:
Post a Comment