On the traditional one-year calendar, the Second Sunday after Easter highlights the theme of Christ the Good Shepherd (the three-year lectionary delays this theme for a week). In the Gospel from John 10, Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life and takes it up again to save His sheep, whatever fold they may be part of.
The theme of Jesus Christ as a faithful Shepherd also occurs in the epistle selection from I Peter 2:19-25. In other recently read preceding passages from 1 Peter 1 and from 1 Peter 2:1-10, the Apostle refers to Christ's Resurrection, faith, hope, and the implications for the lives of believers. Thus, our passage in 1 Peter 2 is based on faith in the risen Lord Jesus. With this in mind, Peter is doing more than offering some practical advice about life. He is teaching that those who believe in Christ's Resurrection should live in accord with what they profess. The tribulations that come in this world should remind us of Christ's own innocent sufferings and His victory over them. He is the Suffering Servant who has triumphed over pain and death. He has risen from the dead, and He offers believers new life. He is the shepherd and overseer of our souls. Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, nothing should destroy our Christian hope.
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