Shepherding One AnotherSample

As We Shepherd One Another, We Help Each Other Focus on Our Own Lives

At that moment, Peter’s restoration was complete. He felt forgiven and rested no longer in his own optimism, but in the words of Jesus. He had once again received his commission—proof that Jesus still believed in him. Knowing Peter’s nature, perhaps he also wanted to know how everyone else’s story would end. Whether out of emotion, curiosity, interest in the lives of others, or—at worst—a vain desire to speak for God about someone else’s destiny, we tend to inquire into matters that belong only to a relationship between two. Shepherding one another protects us from that useless game of comparisons. We stop ranking others’ failures, callings, and purposes, and we quit putting ourselves at the center in search of advantage. We must learn to tell one another honestly when we fall into that trap: What about us? What truly matters is our personal connection with God.

John and those who say “we know” remain focused on their own calling. He had no difficulty recognizing Peter’s vocation to lead and shepherd. John joyfully portrays himself as the one who could lean on Jesus’ chest and, from that closeness, ask with trust, “Jesus, what do You think? What do You feel?” It is enough for him to be the figure that understand both the humanity and the divinity of Jesus. That image of resting against His chest is not accidental—it expresses intimacy, like the embrace of a husband entrusting his dreams to his wife. The same intimacy appears in chapter one, where Jesus is described as being in the bosom of the Father, hearing the voice that reveals God’s grace and truth to humankind. And again, in chapter twelve, when Mary anoints Jesus for His burial, because she had listened at His feet and understood what was coming in the week ahead, while others were thinking only about how the money was being used.

When we shepherd one another, we celebrate each person’s calling. Our lives and vocations do not exist to reinforce the role of a leader—they are part of something far greater. A true pastor teaches us to see only Jesus and not to compare our callings. In the church, abusive hierarchies should not thrive, but rather paths that lead us to follow Jesus. A pastor does not train an army to impose his own agenda, however noble it may seem; he longs for each person to play their instrument as beautifully as possible, so that God may create the masterpiece. The pastor who believes himself to be the conductor of the orchestra may end up ruining both the melodies and the musicians. When he teaches, he reveals the Word; when he accompanies someone in discerning their vocation, he asks questions centered on the person and on God.