Sheep

When I find a reference to the same thing in two different places (not intentionally like research) I stop and take notice. In two places today I read something about The Good Shepherd. While that's not an obscure subject for Christians, I still thought about it in a different way.

The Good Shepherd is a reference to Jesus. In the Book of John, Jesus refers to himself as The Good Shepherd. If you search the Bible, you find numerous references to sheep and shepherds. In one of the earliest, Joseph on his death bed says that God has been his shepherd. All this has led to tons of sermons on the subject.

I don't know about you, but I've often been told the story about how stupid sheep are. That's why they need a shepherd. And the conclusion is that human beings are also stupid and therefore need Jesus to shepherd us. I'm not doubting that we need Jesus, but I don't think people are stupid. (Generally speaking, that is!)

I didn't find that "stupid" reference in the Bible. If I missed it, would someone please show me? I don't think we're called to be stupid. Just the opposite: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." ~Matthew 10:16 NIV

It seems to me that it would be much easier to follow a shepherd if you were completely stupid. Having a mind to think and reason, like we do, makes it harder to trust. We think we know we better and that gets in the way. I don't think you have to throw away all your intellect, however. God gave us a mind. He did not make us....sheep, for instance. There is just something about sheep that He used as an illustration.

©2010 Cindy Thomson

Of course there are multitudes of sheep in Ireland, so I had the opportunity to observe them every day when I was there. I didn't really study them, but just noticed a few things. It was obvious that because they didn't know us, they moved away from us when we drove or walked by. This one did not move too far away from his meal, but he was ever observant of me.

Sure, sheep can make poor decisions and easily be led astray. I get that analogy. But like most things, there is more to the story. Any sheep experts out there willing to share their insights??