What's a sheepfold?

Image by Andrew Leaney at The Lakeland Fells

Every year, the gospel on the Fourth Sunday of Easter is about the Good Shepherd.  This year's text is from John and mentions a sheepfold, like the one in the image above. 

 

A sheepfold is a stonewalled enclosure for protecting a herd of sheep from wild animal attacks in the night. Such structures are still in use today in the Middle East and in the UK.

 

In Jesus' day the entrance to a sheepfold was simply a break in the wall - no gate. Once the sheep had been gathered in for the night, the shepherd would lie down and stretch his body across the entrance - thus becoming the gate to the fold. 

 

 

Now let's listen to Jesus in this weekend's gospel:

 

    "Amen, I say to you,

        I am the gate for the sheep.

    All who came before me are thieves and robbers,

        but the sheep did not listen to them.

    I am the gate.

    Whoever enters through me will be saved

        and will come in and go out and find pasture..." 

Get it? 

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