Just a word before we go...Fourth Sunday of Easter...April 21, 2024

In the 1890s, an English artist, Francis Barraud, painted a composition depicting a dog named Nipper, sitting in front of a Victrola, tilting his head, and listening to a recording. The painting was entitled, “His Master’s Voice.”  This iconic image, suggesting that Nipper was recognizing and attending to the voice of his master, went from being a British record label for The Gramophone Company in 1901, to later being used in an advertising campaign by RCA Victor, here in the United States. I imagine many of us here recognize that image.

In our Gospel today, we hear Jesus call himself the Good Shepherd, the one who lays down his life for the sheep. His sheep recognize his voice, and follow him. The Good Shepherd feeds, protects and cares for his sheep, and his sheep love and obey him. The people to whom Jesus was speaking would have understood this image.  They would have known that under the care of a good shepherd the flock would live and thrive; but a bad shepherd might neglect the sheep and they could starve or be attacked by a predator. 

Now, if Jesus is the shepherd, that makes us the sheep, and that image can be problematic. After all, the general impression of  sheep is not a flattering one...not overly bright, conforming, somewhat reliable, but simply stated...dull!  I don’t think any of us picture ourselves that way.  Not only that, but if any of us are sheep, then Martin Luther King was also a sheep, as was Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa...and they hardly fit any conception of sheep. Digging a little deeper though, one can see that we are not only called to follow the voice of the shepherd, but also to imitate him. Jesus wants his flock to be filled with confidence and trust in him, but also to be brave enough to go ahead of him into pastures he has pointed out. Now we’re talking...that means that the Good Shepherd wants brave sheep...as Dr. King chose to identify with the sheep, being insulted and hated, placed in prison, instead of remaining at the pulpit and preaching against injustice; Gandhi shepherded by the power of his example, using his voice and presence to be involved with the poorest of the poor; and Teresa wandered ahead of the shepherd into the most desolate of pastures, with the diseased and the dying. They, and countless others, show that following the shepherd means to get on with the shepherd’s work, the spread of the kingdom; hardly the work of timid creatures. But how did these heroes, how do we, discern the Master’s Voice among the cacophony of voices that assault us each day?

Perhaps we can glean some insight from their lives. They listened, as sheep, but also led, as shepherds. Good Shepherd...brave sheep. They listened, they prayed, they were attentive to the signs of the times and then they acted, not on their own behalf, but, led by the Shepherd, on behalf of all of us.  They personified the virtue of humility, while confidently moving in the direction of pursuing the common good.  Turns out, brave sheep are surprisingly easy to spot: they walk with the Lord by walking with one another; they come to one another’s aid; and they look long, hard and deeply enough until they recognize the Lord in the other.  And when they hear The Master’s Voice, they follow, and give humble and confident example to us, as we do our best to follow.