Our beloved Lord Jesus Christ uses a variety of symbols related to many professions to teach us about his identity, his kingdom, and his leadership.

 

In today’s Gospel passage, our Lord uses shepherding terminology and symbols to illuminate the main qualities of a dedicated leader.  This is the reason why I want to share with you a story, a story that I heard from a shepherd a few years ago.

 

While a shepherd is tending his flock in a beautiful region, a wealthy man shows up in his elegant car. The man steps out of his car and asks the shepherd,

"Hey, if I tell you exactly how many sheep you have, can I take one?"

 

The shepherd nods, and the wealthy man opens his laptop, calls up some satellite photos, sends the information to an app on his cell phone, and announces, "You have 996 sheep.”

 

Pretending to be impressed, the shepherd says to the wealthy man, "You're right. Go ahead and take one of my sheep.”

 

So the wealthy man loads one of the animals into the backseat of his car with a smug smile on his lips.

 

"Now," says the shepherd, "I'll bet all my sheep against your car that I can tell you what you do for a living."

 

The wealthy man agrees, and the shepherd continues, "You're a politician."

 

"Wow!" exclaims the politician. "How did you know?"

 

"Well," explains the shepherd, "you arrived uninvited, driving a flashy car and wearing a smart suit. You told me something I already knew, and you have no understanding of my profession. You seek to gain without giving, thinking you are intelligent, but you are far from it. You have no awareness of what's happening around you. Now,  give me back   my dog.” 

 

This serves as a great example of what Jesus reveals in today’s Gospel passage. The shepherd in the story knows everything about his sheep. He knows how to protect them. He is wise and is capable of dealing with intruders. He is determined not to lose even one single sheep, as well as his dog.

 

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is unveiling his identity to the audience. He distinguishes between authority figures and shepherd-leaders.

 

Jesus also mentions the gatekeeper at the beginning of the chapter. John the Baptist serves as this gatekeeper, bridging the gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament, marking the dawn of a new age, the age of Messiah-Leadership, exemplified by the Good Shepherd.

 

Today’s Gospel passage highlights that  when Jesus speaks symbolically, some either fail to understand or pretend not to understand him. Consequently, Jesus directly reveals himself as the gate.

 

Jesus is the gate, offering new life, divine wisdom, and eternal life to those who seek it, particularly the poor in spirit.

 

We may wonder, who serves as the gatekeeper for humanity today? Who guides us to Jesus Christ?  The gatekeeper is the Holy Spirit of God.

 

This Holy Spirit, this incredible Advocate, this compassionate Comforter, knows what we are looking for and what our needs are. It is this Holy Spirit who calls us by name, inspires us, encourages us to move on, and invites us to the sheepfold, that is, Christ Jesus’ kingdom on earth. 

 

 

 

We all have this knowledge that Jesus Christ is the gate and also the Good Shepherd. We know that the Holy Spirit directs us to Jesus’ Kingdom. We know that our beloved God always devises a way to empower us day and night.

 

But, if we want to get results, we need to use this knowledge in an effective and practical way. We need to confess to Jesus Christ that he is our Good Shepherd and the gate to our salvation and liberation. Then, we need to transform this liberating knowledge into a daily prayer.  

 

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, you have come to earth to feed people with provisions and wisdom, to bring peacefulness, to protect people from danger, to give your people the joy they need, offer the healing water to all human beings, to build a community of believers, and to turn all people into one great joyful family.

 

We now ask you to give us all these blessings today and tomorrow. Thanks be to our God: our beloved Abba, His Son, and His Holy Spirit. Amen.