About the Fourth Sunday of Easter: The fourth Sunday of Easter is often called “Good Shepherd Sunday” because the readings traditionally center around the image of Jesus as a shepherd. Even in the book of Revelation, Jesus is pictured as a shepherd – here a sort of ironic shepherd, a Lamb who is a shepherd. The least of the flock, the young lamb, is pictured here as leading a great multitude of all of God’s people in the last days. The realities of living in a sinful world are pictured all around those who are the flock of the Lamb, but the message of hope is clear – the realities of a sinful world will end, but the reign of the Lamb-Shepherd will not.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:9-17 ESV)