Thoughts on sheep

A few years ago, my wife and I spent a week in the countryside of England and Wales. We saw a lot of sheep and that got me thinking about Jesus' frequent reference of us as His disciples as "sheep."

It is NOT a compliment.

You could always tell when you were near sheep, even when you could not hear them or see them. Sheep stink. I do not recall Jesus saying anything about how a sheep smells, but I am pretty certain they smelled about the same 2000 years ago as they do now. They really stink.

One evening, we opened our guest window and there was this one sheep standing by himself and bleating very loudly - BAA! BAA! (long pause) BAA! BAA! (another long pause, then repeat again). I don't know what had this one so agitated, but it brought to mind Jesus' compassion, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36, NIV)

On two separate occasions, we were walking near a flock and as we approached the sheep would freeze in one spot, stare at us intently, and then run in the opposite direction. We cleared two pastures just going for a walk. It reminded me of Jesus' words, "[Sheep] will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." (John 10:6, NIV) The sheep did not recognize us and so they ran.

Once, while driving along a road next to a field, we saw a flock running from one side of a small plot of ground to the other. Nothing was chasing them - they were running before we pulled up. They were just running - 50 feet to the east, stop, turn, run 50 feet to the west, stop, turn, run 50 feet to the east, stop, turn, run 50 feet to the west, stop, turn, run 50 feet to the east, stop, turn, run 50 feet to the west, stop, turn, etc, etc, etc. We watched then do this for several minutes. On one stop and turn, the lead sheep stopped successfully short of a small ditch. The two behind him were a little slower and when trying to stop, ran into his back side pushing him into the ditch. Sort of like the three stooges in wool. How often do we run back and forth in life without a clue as to why we are running or where we are going (of even if we are going anywhere at all)? Sheep without a shepherd to lead them.

Finally, we visited an abbey on a small island. The monks raise cattle which they use to produce milk and butter for milk chocolate made on the island. They used to keep sheep but the sheep kept wandering off the cliffs on the edge of the island. Dumb. Really dumb. So the monks moved the sheep to safer pasture.

We are the Lord's sheep. Having seen sheep up close, I can better appreciate how desparately we need a Good Shepherd. And also, how much the Lord has entrusted to us to care for one another and "feed His sheep." (John 21:15-17).

God bless