John 10:11-18
“Know My Own”
Who, exactly, is Jesus Christ? On the first three Sundays of the Easter Season, we followed the disciples as they struggled to understand the death of Jesus of Nazareth and the rise of Christ of and for all the world. Following the Easter resurrection and the appearances of Christ, the disciples were trying to understand who Jesus was, what had happened, and what it all meant. Adding to the confusion of the disciples, our reading from 1 John tells us the followers of Jesus will become Christlike when we fully understand.
If we are walking the path of Jesus to become Christlike, understanding Jesus Christ will help us understand the true capacity of our future selves. Who have these Easter readings revealed Jesus Christ ot be? One who has survived the obliteration of rational hope, One who has suffered wounding so serious it changes self-understanding and identity, and One made of flesh and bone but capable of transcendence.
Here, on the fourth Sunday of the Easter season, our reading is from John. Jesus talks of himself as a good shepherd. Who is the good shepherd? Who are His sheep? What does this mean for us today?
