I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11
Imagine a little lost sheep, all beat up and stuck in the brambles of the wilderness. She wandered away from the flock and now lost, hungry, hurt, and afraid, she is in need of someone to save her. She can’t save herself this time. Sheep are known for straying off like this. When we sin, our souls “stray off” spiritually. We wander out into dangerous territory, away from the sheepfold of the Church and Christ, our Shepherd.
St. John Henry Newman wrote, “let us never forget, on the one hand, that we are sinners; let us never forget, on the other hand, that Christ is our Guide and Guardian” (“Christ, the Shepherd of Our Souls,” 241). His identity as Savior is tied to our sinfulness–we are His mission: “…you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). True, we are all sinners, and yet we are God’s own beloved sheep: “It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3). Isaiah prophesied of Christ: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). It is the wandering of our souls that have caused Jesus, our Good Shepherd, to lay down His life for us. He obediently took our sins upon His own body; becoming sin itself (see 2 Corinthians 5:21) so as to put sin to death on the cross through His body (see 1 Peter 2:24).
The beautiful thing is, Jesus will always go after the stray sheep to find her and bring her home safely (Luke 15:4-7). This is why He is the Good Shepherd. He doesn’t give up on us! We can trust Him to find us when we’ve strayed, but we must also want to be found. We can ask God to help us recognize The Good Shepherd’s voice of truth and give us a heart that’s able to be converted time and again to His truth: “Let us desire to know His voice; let us pray for the gift of watchful ears and a willing heart” (Newman, 242).
Jesus, thank you for being such a merciful, gentle Savior. Lord, give me the grace to have open ears and a soft heart for Your truth. Please come and find my soul when I have strayed!