POPE LEO XIV
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One interesting part of the Gospels is how Jesus is portrayed in a variety of ways. An example is how Jesus is both the way as well as the gate to Eternal Life.
Another image that is frequently used is that of Jesus being the Lamb of God, but also the Good Shepherd. In a mysterious sway he is part of the flock, but at the same time, the Shepherd of the flock.
Lamb and Shepherd
St. John the Baptist is among the first to point this out when he proclaims, “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29).
He is also frequently referred to as the Lamb of sacrifice, as St. Paul writes, “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Jesus died on the cross precisely when the lambs were being prepared for sacrifice in the Temple. All of this reminds us of how Jesus, fully God and fully man, was able to take on our sins and wipe them away with his blood.
At the same time, Jesus is also the Good Shepherd, as he himself proclaimed, “I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me” (John 10:14).
Even the Old Testament is full of this type of imagery:
For he is our God, we are the people he shepherds, the sheep in his hands. (Psalm 95:7)
Here comes with power
the Lord God,
who rules by his strong arm;
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
leading the ewes with care. (Isaiah 40:10-11)
What’s also interesting is how the book of Revelation merges these two images, with Jesus being both the Lamb and the Shepherd at the same time:
For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
(Revelation 7:17)
It is a reminder of the mystery of Jesus’ incarnation and how he became one of us, but is also the way to Eternal Life.
Jesus is our brother, but also our savior.
