The catacombs were the place where the first Christians buried the faithful who had departed and where Christ’s followers celebrated communion in secret, underground, to avoid arrest. The catacombs were economical, safe and practical. There we see the painting on the wall around the graves, the Good Shepherd.
These images of the Good Shepherd are strikingly different from the stained glass Jesus of our church. In the catacombs, we meet a shepherd who is a vigorous young man. Jesus here looks like a farmer who just walked out of the fields after a day of hard labor. The staff in his hand is a weapon, a knife which he can use for protecting lambs against wolves and other predators. This is exactly what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. He has paid a price to defend his flock from the enemy, the sin, with the price of his own blood. This is the image of the Good Shepherd that comforted our Christian ancestors as they faced persecution.
So, who is the Good Shepherd? The Good Shepherd we see in our sanctuary window holds us in his arms. Jesus is our Good Shepherd because he calls each of the sheep. There is an intimate relationship between the shepherd and his sheep, and he loves his sheep and goes after the lost sheep. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, because he has laid down his life for the sheep. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, because he is so strong that he protects us from being snatched out of his hands. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, because he rescues the flock from the mouths of predators. Jesus binds up the wounded and shepherds the flock with justice (Ezek. 34).
As a good shepherd Jesus goes after the lost sheep, us. We’ve lost our center, our wholeness God created us to be. So we have been overlooked, suppressed and lost by ourselves. We all, like sheep, have gone astray. and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6) He puts the confused and exhausted sheep on his shoulders. And he celebrates a joyful feast when he has found us.
This is what it means to be in a relationship with the Christ. Jesus is the Good Shepherd of the catacombs, who stands with us against all the malevolent forces that threaten us; who fights for us, so that we may have abundant life; and who will be with us in the hour of our death, so that we may be risen with the Christ.
Reflection:
Look at the two pictures of the Good Shepherd, the one in the catacombs and the one of stained glass In our sanctuary and compare them. What are the longings on which these pictures are based? Reflect the twenty-third Psalm in the context of today: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing… Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” (Psalm 23:1,4)
Pastor Seok-Hwan
