Jesus was at the climax of his life. He was on the Mount of Olives with his disciples. Then he said to them, “All of you will be scandalized because of me this night; for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.”

The Lord was referring to the moment of his arrest and the reaction his disciples, his sheep, would have. He was forewarning them that all would stumble out of fear at that moment and would flee, leaving their Master completely alone.

The shepherd would be struck, not because he had lost control of the situation, but because this was his purpose in coming to this world.

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life to take it up again.”

This tremendous demonstration of love and sacrifice had extraordinary results in his sheep, the disciples. Once Jesus died and resurrected, he met with them and restored them. They rose from their failure and received the charge to be shepherds for many more sheep.

Since then, the Lord continues to form new shepherds, loving and sacrificial. People who care for their families, their communities; individuals willing to reach out to the last scattered sheep.