The first time I thought of people as "sheep" was in Mr. Ison's Composition II class my first year at Fort Hays State University. We read the short story A&P by John Updike. I really liked that story and have read it several times since that discussion one day in the Spring of 1992.
Sheep. Yes, I think that's a good analogy. At Answers.com and Wikipedia.org I found characteristics of these animals and narrowed them into 7 broad statements. Sheep are:
- social. They live in herds and are inclined to follow a leader. When separated from the flock, they suffer stress.
- prey animals. They are vulnerable and defenseless. Even when not killed by a predator attack, they may die of their injuries or just from panic.
- jealous and competitive. There is a pecking order.
- food-oriented but must be led to good sources of food and water.
- extremely unintelligent with a herd mentality. They are easily panicked.
- creatures of habit.
- stubborn and often go astray, needing patient and reliable shepherds.
When scientific "discoveries" are made the offer evidence that contradicts the Bible, it always amuses me. For example, I was reading about the Big Bang Theory just last night. That theory has evolved over the last 25 years so that it barely resembles it's own previous definition. Yet scientists in every year along the way have been fully convinced that this theory was/is absolutely the truth. It will continue to change and they will continue to have absolute and firm faith in their flawed knowledge. And they proclaim their faith with such arrogance! It is laughable.
What makes this dangerous is that many of us sheep listen to them proclaim this absolute and firm faith and follow them. It's interesting that the one sheep that other sheep follow is not the smartest, most reliable, or even most fit--it is simply the first one who moves. With scientists looking for answers to questions only God can answer, they are often the first ones to move.
I have said this before and I continue to believe it: I am not afraid of science. The laws that govern our world were created by God. Science only supports the Bible. It is man's flawed theories of science that contradict the truth.
But there are other sources of wolves out there that attack the sheep...false religions, temptation of sin, and a herd mentality (our current culture) that prefers to worship the created rather than the Creator.
In a quick search, I found that sheep are mentioned 200 times in the Bible. Many of those are direct comparisons to humans. Shepherds are mentioned 118 times. Abraham, Isaac, Rachel, Jacob, Moses, and David were all shepherds. This was NOT a glamorous job! In fact, it was quite the opposite. It was a lowly position requiring reliability and patience. Yet God chose these humble people to accomplish great things.
When Jesus was born God sent His angel, Gabrielle, to proclaim the birth of our Savior. Where did Gabrielle go? One would think that this announcement would come to someone important and well-known...say the king, or the Jewish leaders (Pharisees), or at least the socially and culturally influential.
No. Gabrielle came to the humble, socially inept, and culturally unimportant shepherds. These people were not even named in scripture. After getting past the fear that gripped them when their peaceful evening in the field was interrupted by an angel's voice, they went to see the Baby for themselves. They shared the whole story with Mary and Joseph then left that stable with their lives forever changed...glorifying and praising God. Luke tells us that "Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart." (Luke 2:19) I love this verse. Mary is a new mom! What a beautiful beginning to Mary's new journey as a mother.
Psalms 23:1 tells that the Lord is our Shepherd (Old Testament). John 10:11 tell us the Jesus is the Good Shepherd (New Testament).
There is, apparently, something about this analogy.
We, as sheep, are easily led astray. We do not want to be separated from others, which is what happens when we live counter-cultural lives. It is so much easier just to go with the flow. We are jealous and competitive, trying to raise ourselves up by pecking others down. Compared to God, whether we like it or not, we are extremely unintelligent. The problem is that many of us cannot grasp the fact that we simply do not know the things we do not know. We are creatures of habit with routines, friends, and surroundings that provide us with a nice little comfort zone.
We do, however, have a Shepherd. One that is reliable and patient. In fact, He is so devoted to our care that He gave His life to provide us (the vulnerable and defenseless) with eternal protection. Through the Holy Spirit, He leads us to the spiritual food and water that will sustain us and help us to grow strong in our faith.
With the Holy Spirit within us, then, God expects us to also go into the world and help shepherd his people...our fellow sheep.
When Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him three times between the time Jesus was taken into custody and dawn of the next morning, Peter could not fathom that he would do such a thing. But he did. This trusted friend of Jesus found himself being a scared, lost, vulnerable sheep.
After His resurrection, Jesus talked to Peter again about this incident. Peter was devastated by his own failure. Jesus asked him three questions giving him three opportunities to make up for his three denials. The question: Do you love me? Three times Peter answered positively. (John 21:15-17) After each of the three questions and each of the three answers, Jesus gave him a command.
Feed my lambs.
Take care of my sheep.
Feed my sheep.
In Updike's story, Sammy chooses to leave the flock when he realizes that the herd's beliefs contradict his own. He is warned that life will be harder without the security of the flock (the culture at that time). Strangely enough, Queenie and the others that he is defending neither acknowledge his existence nor realize the sacrifice he made on their behalf. And he goes out into the day knowing that life will be hard.
And it is.
Thank God we have a Shepherd.
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