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The Good Shepherd is the theme for our reflection. A shepherd is a person who tends and rears sheep and also guides or directs them in a particular direction. In our reflection, we are going to look at the most important quality of a good shepherd.

Beloved in the Lord, the most important quality of a good shepherd is his love and care for the sheep unconditionally. Jesus demonstrated the unconditional love of a good shepherd when He said, “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. ¹⁴ In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:12-14). Dear friend, Jesus is our role model of a good shepherd because He came into the world to save those who are lost like wandering sheep. In other words, He came into the world to save those who are not yet part of the sheep in the sheepfold. It is for this reason, Jesus assures in John 3:16-17 that “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Again, to demonstrate that Jesus is our perfect example of the Good Shepherd who loves His lost sheep unconditionally, He came to Zacchaeus the tax collector and sinner’s house to stay with Him. We are told Zacchaeus repented when He said “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” ⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:8-10) Beloved in the Lord, if Jesus was not the Good Shepherd who loved His sheep unconditionally, He would not have said to Peter three times in John 21:15-17 to first, feed His lamps, second, Tend His lamps and thirdly, feed His sheep. We come to appreciate and understand Jesus’ unconditional love as our good shepherd when He said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11). Dear friend, is it not interesting that because of only one lost or wandering sheep the Good Shepherd will lay down his life searching for that one sheep? This is the way many of us were found by Jesus, He never gave up on us. Paul assures us of God’s unconditional love through Jesus the Good Shepherd when He wrote that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)

Beloved in the Lord, Jesus the Good Shepherd has given us the great assignment of going out into the world to search for the wandering and lost sheep when He said in Matthew 28:18-20 that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20). It means that the Church is the sheep pen or sheepfold. it is, therefore, our responsibility to go into the world and search for the lost sheep and at the same time, ensure that none is lost in the sheep pen (the church). The big question is, are church leaders in the twenty-first century truly caring for the lost sheep? Is the Church focused on the wandering sheep or the Church is more focused and concerned about the found, safe and healthy sheep in the pen or sheepfold? In other words, Is the Church in the twenty-first century serious about saving those who are lost in the world or the Church is more focused on those who are in the church. If we truly want to demonstrate that we understand the mission of Jesus, the Good Shepherd then the Church must prioritise evangelism as the first and foremost activity worth funding in the Church. It is only through Evangelism and outreach programmes that we are able to search for the lost or wandering sheep and bring them back into the sheep pen, the Church.

Are Church leaders, pastors, catechists, presbyters, elders, group leaders and those who manage the affairs of the Church really interested in Evangelism in the twenty-first century? If we are, then the Church must prioritise the training of more evangelists than any other Church agent. It is unfortunate that many Churches have lost their fundamental mission of searching for the lost sheep or people and are now more focused on business and infrastructural development. Some church leaders are now living extravagant lifestyles and thinking ultimately of their comfort and luxury rather than focusing on mobilising and equipping the Church for Evangelism. Jesus, the Good Shepherd in searching for the lost sheep had to endure hardship and discomfort when it was necessary. He said, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20). In our time, even the sheep in the pen or sheepfold are being misguided with shallow prosperity messages in some churches. The focus of many churches now is fundraising yet when the funds are raised none is channelled to the core business of the Church which is Evangelism and Missions. The church has become more interested in chapel expansion, state-of-the-art auditoriums or chapels and welfare schemes than the core mandate of the Church in Matthew 28:18-20. Over 80% of the yearly budget of the Church is for iron rods, cement, tiles, sliding windows and etc., however, little or none of the budgetary allocation is given to Evangelism and outreach programmes. This is why some churches are becoming empty, regardless of their beautiful chapels. Dear friend, Jesus the Good Shepherd is inviting us to go out there in our neighbourhoods, marketplaces, offices, lorry stations and wherever we find ourselves to look for the wandering souls. He is faithful and will take care of the needs of the church. Indeed, when the lost souls are found and brought into the church, they become human resources and immeasurable blessings to the Church. First things first!

In summary, we have reflected on the theme, the Good Shepherd. We have identified that the most important quality of a Good Shepherd is his unconditional love for the sheep. We discovered that Jesus is the Good Shepherd because of His unconditional love for those who are like wandering or lost sheep in the world. May the Holy Spirit strengthen us to follow the perfect example of our Lord Jesus Christ even as we obey His command to go out into the world to search for the lost and bring them back into the sheepfold. Shalom.

PRAYER
Jesus, our Good Shepherd revive and lead the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit to focus on the Great Commission of searching for the wandering and lost sheep who are beyond the walls of salvation. Help us to find them and bring them into the sheepfold. Amen.