Easter 4A 2026

THE REV. E. WAYNE ROLLINS

​One winter’s evening, I went to visit a friend. As I walked to the gate to his yard, I heard a sound. It was one of his dogs barking at me as I approached in the darkness. I knew which dog it was, so I called her name. Sophie. The barking turned to whining, and as I got closer I could see her in the light from the street. The back half of the dog was wiggling around enough to make Elvis Presley green with envy. I knew her voice, and she knew mine. 

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. On the Fourth Sunday of Easter, we hear lessons from John 10 telling us about Jesus being the Good Shepherd. The emphasis is on the word "good." Jesus contrasts himself with others who want to or pretend to shepherd the people around them. They may be community or political leaders. They may be leaders in the synagogue. But with the emphasis on the word "good," what is Jesus really trying to tell us? 

We are bombarded by voices claiming to be acting in our best interests. Turn on the news, especially during an election season, and you will hear promises made that we know are never intended to be kept. Listen to commercials where a manufacturer is promising grand results if we will only purchase their product. They may fit a somewhat loose definition of "shepherd," yet are they good shepherds? 
With all the words, all the noise, the constant chatter, the blathering, if you will, how do we discern what is good? 

Last fall I attended a conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, sponsored by the Center for Action and Contemplation founded by Fr. Richard Rohr. During that conference several speakers pointed us in the direction of an answer to my question. There were three criteria presented—is it true, is it good, and is it beautiful? 

As I consider these three criteria, I'm led to add a little bit more to them. For the question "Is it good?" I want to ask, "For whom is it good?" Is it good for a majority of those to whom it is presented, whatever “it” is, or is it good only for one or two people or for a corporation’s bottom line? Growing up I heard a lot about so-called snake oil salesmen; they may not be driving a team of horses pulling a carriage with bottles of elixir, nor may they be Lucille Ball selling Vitameatavegamin or even Professor Harold Hill. Is it truly—and there's that word—good? Will it give life in the abundance that the Good Shepherd promises to us? 

It was only a few weeks ago that we heard the story of Jesus’ trial, where he stood before Pilate, the governor who asked, "What is truth?” In our own time we continue to hear those who defend themselves by saying they have alternative facts. Or they may claim that something is not true even though there is recorded sound and video evidence of their having said the very words they now deny. It’s difficult to tell just what is true these days. Yet as those who follow the Good Shepherd, we are often called to not only live in truth but also point out where truth is absent. And in order to determine what is true, we often have to set it alongside those alternative facts and see which one of them holds up. Sometimes, we need to engage the help of others in order to determine just what is true. 

Sometimes we need to set the words against history. That means we have to know and understand history in order for it to assist us in our judgment. We may need to engage others to help us gain a vision of what is to be in order to determine whether the actions we take and the words we say are leading us into truth. And we also must admit that sometimes it’s only in hindsight that we know whether something is really true. 

Some say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some may claim that beauty is a mathematical formula, a series of equations and algorithms that determine in a purely objective way whether something is beautiful. It’s difficult to define any one of these terms without the assistance of the other, and we must admit the truth that beauty is a matter of opinion in many cases. And what might not be objectively beautiful by some definition may be beautiful in a way that only discerning eyes and hearts can determine. 

So let me return to today’s gospel lesson, because whether something is good or true or beautiful may be determined by answering whether these things give abundant life in the same ways that Jesus of Nazareth taught and promised. He describes himself as the Good Shepherd. He also describes himself as the way, the truth, and the life. All the sheep care about is that there be abundant grass and plenty of water to drink. They're really not concerned whether the shepherd’s family might have mutton for dinner later on that day or tomorrow. Or how their wool might be sheared from them in order to provide warm clothing for their shepherd come next winter. What they know to do is follow. What they instinctively know to do is trust the voice that calls them into the direction they must go in order to have the promised things that the Good Shepherd will provide. 

And so perhaps the lesson isn’t a cute picture of a handsome Jesus holding a newborn lamb. Perhaps the lesson isn't even about our discernment of what is good or true or beautiful. Perhaps the lesson is to learn whose voice we can really trust. 

When we trust the voice calling us to abundant life for all, and not just for ourselves, then it becomes clear just whom we should follow.