READ: Matthew 18, 12-14
“We
all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each one of us has
turned to his own way.
Isaiah 53: 53:6 (NIV)
Over the years, we have
had numerous opportunities to visit many churches of various denominations and
one common element among them is a copy of the “Good Shepherd” painting hanging
either in the sanctuary or in a classroom in the educational wing. You too, probably have seen this portrayal of
Jesus carrying a lamb draped over his shoulder.
I seldom ever received any satisfactory answer as to why He was carrying
the sheep. Consequently, I decided to do
research on the topic.
I found that sheep lack any good means of self defense and
they will do things that are harmful to themselves such as eating and drinking
items that are detrimental to their health.
Unless they are constantly and closely watched, they will get into
“trouble” as they seem insensitive and unaware of dangers. Another characteristic is their curiosity,
they will often wander off to explore and become lost. Even under a watchful eye the braver or more
foolhardy sheep will wander off. Early
shepherds were known to “cure” the chronic offenders in the flock by pulling
one of the legs out of joint making it impossible for it to stray very far
away. When the flock was grazing in one
spot, this presented no problem.
However, when the sheep were being moved to another feeding area, the
errant one had to be carried.
Consequently, a bond grew between the sheep and the shepherd as it was
being carried and it no longer had a desire to stray. The people during Jesus earthly ministry were
well aware of the characteristics of sheep so were able to understand His
frequent reference to them,
However, we who dwell in urbanized and industrial settings
probably are unable to fully appreciate these nuances.
After my research I came to more fully understand how many
characteristics we humans share with sheep and how much we need a shepherd to
guide and help us through life. A first
step is for us to realize that need and secondly to learn to rely on
that guidance and not to blindly wander off in search of “greener pastures”.