“And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd.” (Mark 6:34)
For today’s readings, consult AELF – July 21, 2024.
The readings this Sunday revolve around the theme of the shepherd: indeed, the shepherd is one of the Bible’s favorite images to talk about God. A very evocative image for a people who were long nomadic and cattle herders.
Already, the prophet Jeremiah, in the first reading, witnesses one of the darkest periods in the history of Israel, the deportation of the people to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. The prophet reproaches the kings and leaders of the people for being miserable shepherds who let the people wander in dispersion.
Jeremiah announces at the same time that a Messiah will come, whom he designates as the “righteous branch” (Jer 23:5) who will gather this scattered people.
This image of the shepherd who takes care of his people is then applied to Jesus in the Gospel.
Jesus is the good shepherd, he is the shepherd par excellence who takes care of his sheep.
This image of the shepherd is still just as evocative for us: we all probably have in mind the image of a shepherd grazing his flock, taking care of them, protecting them from predators, counting each of his sheep to see if he hasn’t lost any, knowing how to recognize each of them.
The humanity and closeness emanating from this bucolic image of the shepherd touch us and reach us particularly. We love to imagine Jesus as this good shepherd who takes care of each and every one of us. This is what the Gospel of this Sunday does wonderfully.
After the sending out of the Twelve, here they are already returning today. They come back tired from their journey, but with joy in their hearts. And they are eager to tell Jesus everything they have accomplished in God’s name. As a good shepherd, Jesus then proposes that they go away for a while to rest. He knows, he feels that after such an experience, the apostles really need to be able to rest a bit, to recharge, to refocus before they can set out again with renewed strength.
The very human side of this Jesus shepherd towards his apostles touches us and reaches us. We love to hear Jesus say to his friends that there is nothing more legitimate than to want, from time to time, to forget the weight of daily tasks, the stress of traveling, the worries of all kinds. Nothing more legitimate than to seek calm to savor the sweetness of intimacy, as a couple, as a family, among friends.
The Gospel often shows us Jesus apart, conversing with his Father in secret. And the Gospel could have stopped there, on this image of Jesus going apart with his disciples. In this vacation period, it would then have been very easy to draw some conclusions about the need for rest and relaxation. However, the Gospel does not stop there.
The sweetness of rest and calm will be refused to the apostles returning from their mission. For the primary task of the good shepherd is to take care of the whole flock.
In the urgency of the mission, it is indeed not conceivable to go and rest. Impossible to withdraw from this crowd that looks so much like a flock without a shepherd.
Jer 23:1-6 / Eph 2:13-18 / Mark 6:30-34
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