The Shepherd And His Sheep

In John 10, Jesus taught about being the Good Shepherd. John 10:11 says,

"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays His life down for His sheep."

I heard something a while back that has kept me thinking for some time. Bestselling Author, speaker, singer and Bible teacher, Sheila Walsh, was a guest on Life Today and she said something that was, in my humble opinion, pretty profound. She said this...  

"God is the Good Shepherd and we are His sheep. It's not the sheep's job to get home, it's the Shepherd's job to lead us there. God always goes BEFORE us. Our full dependency needs to rest in Him."

This is MORE than good news friends! This means that God is taking care of us. It means that He is our teacher, He is our protector, He is the one who is guiding and steering our paths.

In the book, They Smell Like Sheep Dr. Lynn Anderson says this,  

"Think of it. Jesus left the comforts of heaven and came into our universe, our pasture, to smell like sheep!"

 He goes on to say,

"Jesus sweated like we do. He walked our pathways, braved our wolves, faced our temptations, and shared our struggles. The Holy One of Israel came in Jesus Christ to be our good shepherd."

I did some studying on shepherds and have noted some characteristics of those who hold this humble job title....

• They live with the lambs their entire life

• They protect their flocks

• They caress their sheep

• They feed and water their sheep

• They lead their sheep

• They protect their sheep from dangerous situations

Notice that in all of the above references, I have referred to the sheep as "theirs". Meaning that the shepherd takes personal responsibility for each animal. They BELONG to the shepherd... just as we belong to our Heavenly Father. He takes ownership of us... we belong to Him. We are His precious ones.

The model we see between Shepherd and Sheep revolves around one word and that's relationship.  

"When a tiny lamb was born into the wilderness world", says Anderson, "the shepherd took the trembling newborn into his hands, warming it and caressing it. Among the first sensations felt by the shivering lamb was the tender hands of the shepherd. The gentle voice of the shepherd was the first sounds to awaken the lamb's delicate eardrums."

The shepherd is not a dictator. He is not one who sits in the comforts of his cozy couch forming teams of controlling, power-hungry shepherd wanna-be's to do the work for him. He doesn't leave his sheep alone in the wilderness to fend for themselves. In fact the opposite is true. He loves them. He protects them from the dangers of other animals and harsh weather elements. He guides them onto the right path... sometimes gently correcting along the way... but always gently. Always loving. It's his job to get them home safely... but often times it's a job that requires getting a little dirty.

He smells like sheep.

"With the whole flock examined and bedded down, finally the shepherd himself would lie down, stretching his body across the opening. So, the shepherd literally became the door! His body kept the sheep in and the dangers of the night out. No sheep could wander into danger because the shepherd's body held them in. Wolves and robbers could enter to harm the flock only over the dead body of the shepherd. Some claim that even in modern times, morning will occasionally find sheep, without a shepherd. Upon investigation, a bleeding, battle-worn shepherd will often be found somewhere nearby - sometimes even a dead one. The shepherd would literally lay "down his life for the sheep."

I love this.

When we are in relationship with Jesus, He is our shepherd and we are His sheep. I love the message version of Isaiah 53:6...  

"We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on Him, on Him."

He is taking care of that financial mess you're in.
He can erase the doubt you have.
He is handling your marital crisis.
He is taking care of your wayward child.

He's gone before us and yet walks beside us.

That doesn't give us permission to sit by passively and do nothing. Instead we must listen to the Shepherd's voice and go where He's directing us to go. We must yield to His calling. We must obey His commands. But, friends, it's His job to get us home safely, and if we allow Him full control of our lives, He will do it for us.

Jesus says in John 10:14,  

"I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me."

He knows us. Intimately. And the more time we spend cultivating our relationship with Him, the easier it becomes to know His voice and trust His leadership.

1 Peter 2:25 calls the Shepherd,

"... the Overseer of your souls."

Without the Shepherd, we are helpless sheep. Wandering the wilderness. Tired, lost, hungry, alone and confused. But God has provided a Shepherd to care for His sheep. The battle is being fought for us... help has been provided. We have a Shepherd who is "willing and able to do accomplish infinitely more than we could ever dare to ask or hope." (Eph 3:20)

Listen for His voice... He's calling us home!

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,