Love one another. It sounds so simple, doesn't it? Of course, if you've ever really tried it, you know that this love stuff is incredibly hard. I guess that's why Jesus made such a big deal out of it, because he knows how hard it for us. Love one another. It's his big commandment. In the gospel of John we hear Jesus saying it in as many ways as he possibly can. But he does more than just say it. He also shows it.

In today's gospel passage, Jesus teaches his disciples about the good shepherd, saying quite plainly that he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Now, the people who first heard Jesus say these words may have thought he was speaking metaphorically about actually laying down his life. But after the cross, they realized that he meant it literally. He is the sh…