“The Good Shepherd”: The Readings for the Fourth Sunday after Easter

This Sunday the lectionary turns our attention to John 10, where Christ describes himself as both the “door” of the sheepfold and (perhaps more famously) as the good shepherd.

These two images are key to understanding the selection of the first and second readings, which focus on (1) Peter’s speech, highlighting the way salvation is found in Christ and (2) a reading from 1 Peter which climaxes in a description of Christ’s role as the Good Shepherd.
Let us look at these readings more carefully. . .