Homily For The Second Sunday after Easter 2025
Today is the 2nd Sunday after Easter, which is known more commonly as “Good Shepherd” Sunday, for Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the one who lays down his life for the sheep. He is the perfect model for all who have the vocation, the calling to be pastors. The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is the earliest symbol of the Christian Church for Jesus - earlier than the cross, earlier than ichthus, the Christian fish that is ubiquitous on bumper stickers and jewelry. Here at Holy Cross, the theme of the Good Shepherd is always front and center in our worship - it is the main feature of our altar window. Jesus the Good Shepherd, it was one of the earliest images, in part, because it communicated a tremendous amount about the nature of the relationship between God and his people. It communicates our nature as his needy creatures and his character - whose property is always to have mercy. Christ the Good Shepherd is the theme in this early Sunday in Eastertide.
It shouldn’t surprise us that the Church has appointed Psalm 23 as the Psalter reading for today along with Jesus’ declaration that he is the Good Shepherd in our Gospel, with St. Peter echoing our Lord’s announcement in the Gospel with his own statement that the result of Good Friday’s once-for-all sacrifice and Easter’s resurrection in the Epistle where he says, ‘For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”
Themes of shepherds and sheep feature prominently in the literature of the ancient world. In the ancient Near East, kings readily proclaimed their role as the shepherd of their people - casting the idea of leading sheep, directing them with the shepherd’s crook of authoritarian power. For the people, who were the sheep, the shepherd directed them according to the priorities of the shepherd, not necessarily according to the preference and concern of the sheep. Ancient Israel had an affection, an affinity with herding cattle and sheep.
Recall that the children of Israel were told to settle in Goshen away from centers of Egyptian populations because the Egyptians found Israel’s shepherding and ranching as ritually unclean. Recall that Moses was a shepherd of sheep before leading the children of Israel, who proved to be more unruly than sheep, out of Egypt. After the period of the Judges, Israel rejected God as king, as true shepherd of his people and the Lord condescended to allow Samuel to consecrate men as kings and shepherds of Israel. In due time, God took David, the author of our Psalm, from tending his father’s flock to shepherding God’s people Israel. To be a good shepherd, one has to understand one’s need for God’s leading and His true provision. Listen for the confident, trust and present-tense declaration of God’s faithfulness: It comes on the heels of Psalm 22 - one of the Psalms appointed for Good Friday - which communicated the tremendous burden of Christ’s Passion.
The Early Church recognized Psalm 23 as a Psalm of the Resurrection - a song of the resurrected life for the Christian. Psalm 23 was sung at the Church at Constantinople at the Communion of the newly-baptized. As such “it breathes the spirit of perfect confidence and of peace…” St. Augustine, 5th century bishop, required those preparing for baptism to memorize it and to recite it every day in thankfulness for the “waters of rest” (that being, Baptism), thanksgiving also for God’s providential guidance along with the spiritual feeding from the table of the Lord.
THE LORD is my shepherd; * therefore can I lack nothing.
David says that because of the leading of the Lord, because of His unchanging character of steadfast love, therefore, with the Lord as His shepherd, David can lack nothing. Notice the personal nature of the Lord’s shepherding.
The Lord isn’t just our shepherd, in a corporate or tribal sense, he is personally the Lord, the God, of David. As he is the Lord, David is personally convinced of the provision of the Lord - he can lack nothing. Indeed the fullness of God’s provision is known by all the ways in which he provides what is truly needed.
2 He shall feed me in a green pasture, * and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort.
God provides abundance in the midst of scarcity. For there is in this passage, a picture of an oasis - a green pasture, a verdant land. He will lead them to water, abundant water. Waters that flow gently - fast flowing water is not suitable for sheep as they might fall in and be killed. The Psalmist is assured that his physical needs will be met by the God who provides abundantly.
3 He shall convert my soul, * and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness for his Name’s sake.
David then turns his attention from physical provision to assurance of care for his soul. For we are not just physical creatures but incarnated souls. David says, “he shall convert my soul.” or “He restores my soul” as in most translations. Language of this sort points to the work of the shepherd in bringing the straying sheep; there is an element of repentance, conversion, spiritual renewal as a result of the Lord’s shepherding. Indeed, this restoration of soul is so that the Psalmist might be brought forth into ways of righteousness for the Lord’s name sake. The result of being restored is that he will reflect the Lord’s character, which is associated with the Lord’s name, by what he does. He seeks to be obedient to God’s will and commandments.
Look at what assurance David takes from having the Lord as His shepherd, of having his soul restored. He can trust God’s purposes even when the path of obedience takes him through fear.
He says, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death - analogizing the deep ravines of the Judean wilderness full of predators and danger with the threats leading up to and including death. Sometimes the right path that God calls us to includes passing through places of danger. God’s path may tempt us to fear by looking at the circumstances. Yet, even when things look bleak, dark as death, the Psalmist determines there is no reason to fear - he chooses instead to focus his attention on the Lord’s accompanying presence. The Lord is with him. As it has been said, in danger, “thou” replaces the more distant “he” in person-to-person address. The Shepherd no longer leads at a distance as is proper for shepherds in the Near East who lead their sheep rather than drive them. This Shepherd is close by in time of danger and the Shepherd is armed. He carries a rod and staff as is common for a shepherd. The rod was a club worn in the belt while the staff was the shepherd’s crook for walking and rounding up the flock.
The rod was used for defence; the staff for exercising his control over the sheep. God protects the sheep with the rod of his power and the crook of his perfect discipline. They both bring comfort to David.
The Shepherd then becomes the Host serving at table even in the midst of adversity. The Psalmist says “Thou shalt prepare a table before me in the presence of them that trouble me, thou hast anointed my head with oil and my cup shall be full.” The Lord’s provision is so perfect that not only does David survive the threat; he is assured of receiving the triumph of a conqueror’s feast. A table in the midst of enemies which could mean the comfort, the assurance of the Lord’s ultimate conquest over his enemies or more likely the victory celebration in which enemies are present as captives. The Lord the Shepherd has become the Host who receives the Psalmist, for to be the Lord’s guest is a high honor and serves as the seal of a covenant - much like the elders in Exodus 24 who saw God and ate and drank in his presence after the sealing of the Old Covenant at the foot of Mount Sinai.
David has been anointed with the oil of gladness and the cup overflowing with abundance amidst the wilderness of scarcity.
David is assured of the presence of the Lord’s loving-kindness and mercy, meaning they will follow him all the days of his life. What is pictured here is not loving kindness pulling up the rear, lagging behind. Instead, it is the picture of pursuit; God’s goodness sought him out in the past and he is assured again that God will pursue and overcome him with blessing, not just once, but all the days of his life. Then, our Psalm concludes with a tremendous statement of faith and hope by David where he says, “and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” The culmination of his life here on earth, characterized by God’s blessing that goes before comes behind, is the assurance of abiding with God forever.
The Lord who is the Shepherd of the sheep, the Lord who is the Host of the feast, the Lord who will abide with us all the days of our life. We celebrate in this Easter Season that the Shepherd who died for the sheep is raised to life anew.
In the process, calling sheep from outside the fold of Israel into his loving protection. So, we Christians, can echo the words of the Psalmist about the goodness of the shepherd. I would invite all of us to commit Psalm 23 to memory and meditate on its truths as a constant comfort, so that we might be strengthened to be more obedient to God’s will and commandments. Every element of the Psalm is true. There is no fault in the Shepherd. As the Psalm says, He gives rest to the weary. He renews the strength of men and women when we are exhausted. The Lord provides protection and comfort amidst the most difficult of times. In His presence, in His sheepfold, there is abundant provision for every need, both inward and outward. The Lord is the source of thanksgiving and joy leading into the true blessedness of being in perfect fellowship and friendship forever. These are the promises of the Psalm, the Holy Scriptures for this Good Shepherd Sunday. Let us look to Jesus the Good Shepherd and follow him.
The temptation is to look at the other sheep - where they are, what they are doing, what they smell like, instead of focusing on the Shepherd. We shouldn’t be surprised that sheep get lost, for all of us, according to the Epistle, were going astray until we were retrieved by the Shepherd of our souls. We shouldn’t be surprised if other sheep are struggling to stay in the confines of the fold. Most of all, we shouldn’t be surprised if the other sheep stink, because we stink ourselves. What is true of other sheep is true of ourselves. We are troublesome, wilful, foolish, obstinate, you name it; therefore, we as sheep need to turn from uncharitable comparisons between ourselves and follow the Shepherd, look to the Shepherd. Let Him direct us in all our ways, and let him do what he will with the other sheep who are also in His merciful care.
Let us hold the promise of His power and goodness towards us close to our hearts as we commit ourselves to following him: Following Him by obeying his voice as found in the Word of God, accepting his protection and discipline through the rod and staff and coming to the feast of His Eucharist and the promise of His eternal loving presence. May the love of God expressed in our Psalm for today bind our hearts to the Good Shepherd and keep our feet from straying; in doing so, we will stay in the fold of joy and peace which God intends for all of his flock. Amen.