Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter, April 22, 2024

Gospel

Jn 10:1-10

Jesus said:

"Amen, amen, I say to you,

whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate

but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.

But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,

as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

When he has driven out all his own,

he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,

because they recognize his voice.

But they will not follow a stranger;

they will run away from him,

because they do not recognize the voice of strangers."

Although Jesus used this figure of speech,

they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you,

I am the gate for the sheep.

All who came before me are thieves and robbers,

but the sheep did not listen to them.

I am the gate.

Whoever enters through me will be saved,

and will come in and go out and find pasture.

A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;

I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly."

Reflection

Jesus paints a vivid picture of the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep, emphasizing how the sheep will not follow the voice of a stranger as they will not recognize it. Immediately upon reading this I compared Jesus to the “good Shepherd” and how it is His voice we should follow. Just as the sheep instinctively know and trust the voice of their shepherd, so too should we recognize and follow the voice of Jesus in our lives.

It made me think how difficult this can be in our noisy world today, but this passage serves as a good reminder to strengthen our relationship with Jesus in order to be able to recognize His voice amidst the chaos in life. I also had to laugh at how Jesus had to explain his metaphor again, as his disciples did not understand the meaning the first time. Amidst this confusion, Jesus offered reassurance and clarity to them. He declared himself as the gate for the sheep, the sole means of salvation and abundant life. He distinguished himself from false prophets and leaders who sought only to deceive and harm.

I can definitely relate to the disciples as Jesus’s explanation was a bit different to my initial line of thinking however, the ultimate message remains the same, that whoever follows Jesus, enters through Him, the gate, and will be saved.