What We Are – SHEEP (part 4b)
What We Are – SHEEP (part 4b)
In the first part of this lesson on sheep, I began to share how we have been compared to them over and over in the Bible.
Not to insult anyone’s intelligence, but
humans like sheep at times aren’t the smartest beings in all creation.
Even though we have acquired a tremendous amount of facts, knowledge,
and wisdom, part of the definition of intelligence is, applying that knowledge to our life. And many times that’s where we fall short. .
As I began to talk about sheep last week, I
also mention the fact that they can become a bit restless at times.
Some will just wander off not only from their food source and water, but
also from the rest of the flock. Sometimes they will even lead others
astray with them. (Does that sound like anyone you know?)
This is dangerous because #1, sheep have no
sense of direction and will get lost easy, and #2, because they are
totally defenseless they are easy prey to their predators.
In Isaiah 53, it states that, “we like sheep have all gone astray”.
My two favorite discourses concerning us
being like sheep are seen in Psalm 23, which is written by David who was
a shepherd before he became a king, and Jesus’ discourse in John
chapter 10.
These two accounts not only address us as
sheep, but more importantly they speak of our relationship with a good
Shepherd, our Lord.
Recently I read this story: ‘Two
men were called in a large classroom, to recite the 23rd Psalm, one was
an orator trained in speech Technique, and drama. He repeated the Psalm
in a powerful way. When he finished the audience cheered and asked for
an encore that they might hear his wonderful voice again.
The other man repeated the same
words, “the Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” But when he
finished, no sound came from the class. Instead, people sat in a mood of
deep devotion and prayer.
Then the first man stood to his
feet. “I have a confession to make,” he said, “the difference between
what you have just heard from my friend, and what you heard from me, is
this: I know the Psalm, but my friend here knows the Shepherd.”
Of all the things that Jesus could have
called Himself, ‘the King of kings’, ‘the Almighty God,’ ‘the Lord of
Lords,’ He simply calls Himself the Shepherd here – the good Shepherd.
And we are his flock, his people, in his pasture.
Read: John 10:1–18 (Click on verse to read)
Two caretakers are mentioned here in this
text, the hired hand, and good Shepherd. The hired hand has no real
connection with the sheep, he is just a hired laborer. It’s just a job
for him. And then there’s the good Shepherd. More than likely he is the
one that owns the sheep. He has a special a relationship with them. Most
owners did not have a lot of sheep. A flock of 100 sheep was considered
huge number. Most flocks were no larger than 25 sheep.
Sheep were more like valued pets. Do you
remember the when Nathan went to David and told him the story how this
man had a lamb and how they treated that lamb like a part of the family,
bring it into their home. But then how a rich neighbor who owned many
sheep, came and took this lamb, and butchered it to serve a visiting
guest. That story infuriated David and he was ready to kill that rich
man. You see David knew exactly how important that lamb was to that
family. But then David was floored and shocked into repentance when
Nathan told him that he was the culprit when he took Bathsheba away from
her husband having many wives of his own already.
Most of the time sheep were precious and
prized possessions to the owners. They were important and they had a lot
invested in them. It is said that of all farm animals sheep require the
most care and attention. Jesus, our good Shepherd, paid a big price for
us as well on the cross. Therefore we are very precious to Him. So He’s
going to continue to watch over and take care of us. Just as the a
shepherd knows what his sheep needs to flourish, our Shepherd knows what
we need.
So let’s look at a few more facts about sheep:
In the last lesson I mentioned the fact
first of all that – they are not very smart. – They can also be a bit
stubborn – they get restless and will wander – they get lost easy
because they have no sense of direction. – and they are weak and totally
defenseless against any predators.
Here’s something else I did not know: When their fur or wool gets thick
and heavy, they can get a bit top heavy making them clumsy on their
feet. As a matter of fact, if they fall down they might not even be able
to get up by themselves. They just lay on the ground with your feet up
kicking and squirming around and they need the help of the Shepherd to
put them back on all fours. If they don’t get help, they can die like
that. Sometimes they will stumble and fall into pits or off cliffs. That
is why the Shepherd has a staff with a hook, so he can reach down into a
pit and pull them out.
It amazes me how we as Christians can also
become overburdened and stumble about. We get so burdened by things in
our life, many times we crash and fall and we need a Savior to get us
back up on our feet. Thank goodness we have Jesus. You may not even
realize how much you need Him until you are there and you feel so lost
and hopeless.
Initially, He did not save us with a hooked
staff but rather with a wooden cross, and He continues to help us over
and over. I believe that is why its important to appoint good shepherds
in the local church; they are to be the Lord’s hands in the field.
In Matt 11:28ff Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” God does not want to burden us. We do that to our self.
Sheep also need plenty of water and green grass.
I would imagine in arid areas, like the holy lands, and considering how
warm that wool coat must be, sheep probably need plenty of water. I
also read that they have a very hard time drinking out of fast running
water because the water would shoot up their nostrils. That is why a
good Shepherd will lead them to still waters.
A good Shepherd also goes out of his way to
lead his sheep to places that had the greenest pastures for his sheep
to graze. But sheep cannot stay in the same pasture for an extended
period of time to graze. Otherwise they would consume parasites which
were left behind in their own stools would cling to the remaining
grasses. A good Shepherd will move his sheep and not return to that
pasture where they’ve been for at least 60 days so that they will not
get sick. But he will return to that pasture because that the manure
will make its grass even greener.
The analogy for us may be
that we need to go to the green pastures to feed God’s Word is the
richest places we can feed ourselves spiritually. But we also have to be
careful not to focus and feed on only one doctrine or listen only to
one teacher or preacher because that could cause us to fall into
spiritual error if they are in error. I think it’s important to examine
all of God’s word for our self and not just focus on some parts or hang
on to one man’s words..Time and time again we need to go back to the
Bible and reread it because certain verses may even be more nutritious
for us at a later time.
Green pastures, and green grass is living
food and not stale, dry, or dead. And like many other animals, sheep
prefer fresh grass. And likewise we need to feed on fresh spiritual food
as Christians. If we do we will keep coming back to the pasture for
more. That’s why I like to preach new, original lessons, and not the
same old ones that are preached over and over in churches. That is why
it is also good to read and listen to new spiritual material to enrich
your life. Otherwise all this church stuff can get a little stale.
In Psalm 23:2, it states that the good Shepherd will make his sheep lie down in green pastures.
Sheep are ruminants – they have four stomachs and they chew their cud.
They do not have teeth like we do. They have bottom teeth that tear the
grass up and then they grind it against their hard palate.
Initially the food is only lightly chewed
and combined with saliva to form a small ball or bolus of food which
they swallow and it enters their first stomach. Then later they
regurgitate the food (or cud) into their mouth and chew it very
thoroughly and then swallowed again. Chewing this cud takes place off
and on throughout the day and takes about six hours to accomplish. After
that the food passes through the next three stomachs which break it
down even more. Because of this process, sheep can digest cellulose that
humans cannot. The good Shepherd gives them time to relax digest their
food.
The analogy here is that
after we feed on spiritual food (God’s Word or a good lesson), it is
good if people take time to meditate on what they’ve taken in so that
they can properly digest it. Many claim that this is achieved better in a
smaller setting, like in home churches rather than in a big
congregation where people simply hear lessons and run out the door after
church and go to lunch. Taking time to talk or discuss a subject in
Bible study or after church is very beneficial and something that good
Shepherd’s should provide.
Sheep were not only companions, they were
used for sacrifice, and for their meat and milk. Sheep skins and their
wool were considered their cash crops. But it did not come without cost.
A lot of time, energy, and care go into raising sheep. Sheep skin is full of oil called lanolin.
The lanolin comes through the skin and coats the coat of wool to
condition the wool so that the animal is protected from the elements,
especially cold weather. But this oily wool is also a very effective
dirt magnet. Every time they lie down, or brush against something they
get covered with grass, burrs, dirt, dust, and everything else including
dung. If you even seen sheep out in the pasture they are not fluffy
white puff balls, rather their coat looks clumpy and dirty. And they do
not have any way to clean themselves like a cat or other animals. A good
shepherd will clean his animals and make sure no parasites are no them
as well.
And sheep do not shed their own fur, or wool.
They have to be sheared to be freed from that heavy burden. This all
kind of reminds me of how Jesus, our Shepherd, cleanses us and removes
our burden of sin. There is nothing we can do about it on our own, so He
does it for us. I don’t care how dirty you are or what you’ve gotten in
to, He can clean you up.
Here in John 10, Jesus
uses the metaphor of being the Shepherd as he attempts to teach his
followers and the Pharisees as to His role in their lives, as well as
his future with them.
Verses 1-10 Jesus refers to himself as the
gate that separates the sheep from danger. During this time in history
there were different kinds of sheep pens some actually had walls. But
here Jesus was letting them know that He was the gate and no one was
going to get to His sheep unless they came through Him.
He is the good shepherd and he loves his
sheep and He goes on to say in verses 11 – 18, that He is different than
hired workers because He was willingly to lay his life down for his
sheep. He is not like the hired man who would simply run away at the
first sign of danger.
When it came close to His time and He knew
He was on His way to the cross, Jesus could have turned and ran. He
could have headed for the hills. But no, He goes right into Jerusalem
and laid down His life for His sheep.
He also tells them here in this text, that
He has other sheep that are not of that sheep pen. He said that one day
He will bring them into His fold, and it will be one flock with one
Shepherd over them all.
I believe he is referring to all of us,
from different nations, of different nationalities, over the generations
that would hear His voice calling and who respond in faith to Him as
their Lord and Savior.
He goes on to say that He would lay His life down for all of us, but would take it up again, I believe, to lead us on to even greener pasture in the Glory land of Heaven.
I believe these discourses on us being
sheep are less about our weaknesses as humans, as it is about the fact
that we are precious to Him. We are like that coveted baby lamb that He
loves and want to care for.
I would like to encourage you to find peace
and solace in this fact. He want you clean you up and remove those
things that burden you; because if you remember, there in John 10 He
said that He came so that you can have life, and life to the full, not
onte that stinky and burdened.
We are so blessed to have a a God who care for us so.
For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566
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