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Easter Season · Year A

Fourth Sunday of Easter

April 26, 2026

Christ as the Good Shepherd, Unknown (Catacomb of Callixtus)
Christ as the Good Shepherd, Unknown (Catacomb of Callixtus), 3rd centuryCatacomb of Callixtus, Rome
A third-century painting on a catacomb ceiling, the earliest Christian image there is of the shepherd: a young beardless figure with a sheep across his shoulders.I am the gate for the sheep: John 10 is the chapter, and this is the oldest surviving picture the church made of it.Catacomb of Callixtus, RomeA burial complex on the Appian Way holding nine early popes, and some of the oldest Christian paintings anywhere.Catacomb of Callixtus, Rome
Revised Common Lectionary
GospelJohn 10:1-10Jn 10:1-10
Epistle1 Pet. 2:19-251 Pt 2:19-25
Old TestamentActs 2:42-47
PsalterPs. 23Ps 23

Overview & Insights

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

There is no break between this discourse and the healing of the man born blind, so the figures land on the Pharisees who have just expelled him: thieves and robbers who enter otherwise than by the gate, and strangers whose voice the sheep will not follow. Verse 6 calls the speech a paroimia, a term John uses only here and at 16:25, 29, closer to a riddling saying than to a parable. The imagery does not stay fixed. Jesus first identifies himself as the gate (v. 7), the point of legitimate access, and only from v. 11 as the shepherd, and both claims are heard against Ezekiel 34, where the Lord indicts the shepherds of Israel for feeding themselves. The fold described, a walled enclosure with one opening and a hired doorkeeper, is ordinary Judean husbandry, which is what gives the abundance promised in v. 10 its concreteness.

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Take it further: John 10:1-10

Commentary

Commentary on John 10:1-10Commentary on Jn 10:1-10 Working Preacher (Luther Seminary)

Lutheran reading situating the gate/shepherd discourse after the healing in John 9.

John 10:1-10 CommentaryJn 10:1-10 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching

Reformed preaching commentary on this exact pericope.

Abundant Life: SALT's Commentary for Easter 4 SALT Project

Ecumenical reading of 'good' (kalos) shepherding and abundant life.

4th Sunday of Easter (Year A) Catholic Productions (Dr. Brant Pitre)

Catholic voice on Jesus as gate and shepherd across this Sunday's readings.

Whose Voice?, Easter 4 (A) Sermons That Work (The Episcopal Church)

Episcopal preaching voice on the Good Shepherd calling his own by name.

Background & Word Study

Gospel of John Summary, Part 1 (John 1-12)Gospel of Jn Summary, Part 1 (Jn 1-12) BibleProject

Overview video covering the section of John containing chapter 10.

John 10 InterlinearJn 10 Interlinear BibleHub

Greek interlinear for word study of the gate and shepherd imagery.

The Church Fathers

Catena on John 10Catena on Jn 10 catenabible.com

Patristic comments on the gate/shepherd discourse.

Sermons & Reflections

I Am the Gate Journey with Jesus

Lectionary essay keyed to the 'gate' image specific to John 10:1-10 (Year A's assigned verses).

Worship & Prayers

Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year A - Preaching Notes UMC Discipleship Ministries

Per-Sunday worship and preaching planning notes on abundant life in Christ.

Podcast

Sermon Brainwave #353 - Fourth Sunday of Easter Working Preacher Sermon Brainwave

Podcast episode on the Year A texts, discussing the 'gate' image of John 10:1-10.

Art & Music

Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year A - texts and art Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary

Vanderbilt's per-Sunday page pairing artwork with the day's texts.

Study Hub

John 10:1-10 resource indexJn 10:1-10 resource index Textweek

Curated link index for further study of the Good Shepherd Sunday gospel.

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