In this series of lessons which I have titled ‘What We Are’, so far we have seen that Jesus referred to us as salt, light, and a branch.
In the next two lessons, I would like to discuss the significance of the Lord calling us sheep. We are referred to as sheep over and over in the Bible.
The Bible makes no less than 220 references to sheep. I am by no means an expert when it comes to sheep. Even though there are many sheep throughout Washington County, I don’t know anyone who owns any. I therefore had to read up on sheep to prepare for this lesson because sheep were very important and significant to those who lived during Bible times. So in order to understand the figures and analogies made to sheep I had to learn more about them.
Many of us are drawn to interesting stories about animals in nature. There is even a channel on cable TV called, Animal Planet. But when I read this story about sheep I have to admit, I was a bit stunned. It goes like this.
It concerns of real news story that came out of Turkey. It went on to report that hundreds of sheep followed oneanother right off a cliff in Eastern Turkey. Hundreds plunged to their death while shepherds looked on with dismay. The first 400 sheep walked off the cliff and fell 15 m or about 50 feet to their death in a ravine in Vin province, in eastern Turkey, near the Iranian border. But fortunately the first 400 broke the fall of another 1100 animals who follow them over the cliff.
What had happened is that the shepherds (or the hired worker that we suspose to watch the sheep) neglected the flock while eating breakfast leaving the sheep to roam free. One sheep wandered off the cliff and 1499 others followed. After the first 400 fell, the pile got so deep at the bottom of the cliff it became like a big fluffy pillow which cushioned the fall of those to follow which saved 1100 sheep that took the same plunge.
After reading this story I thought it was interesting that the Bible would refer to us as sheep. From Psalm 23 where David wrote that, “Lord is my shepherd,” to the last day and a judgment scene in Matthew 25, where we are told that all the people of the Earth will stand before Jesus but will be separated into two lines; one to the left like goats, and to the right like sheep. The Bible refers to us as sheep over and over.
At first I was a bit put off with the analogy that we are sheep because quite frankly as you can see from this true story from Iran, sheep are not exactly the smartest creatures out there. As a matter of fact they are considered a fairly dumb animal.
But after I took the time and honestly thought about it, I thought maybe we are more like sheep than we’d like to admit. And you may think or feel we aren’t as dumb as those sheep. And I say, ‘Oh really, consider this!”:
– How many of us have heard about the of the danger of smoking or drinking too much alcohol, or the danger of drugs, or even driving too fast, or driving intoxicated, or using your cell phone to text or talk? Yet every day we see people with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths, or hear about others who ruin their life or die from drinking too much, or from taking drugs, or from reckless driving with a cell phone in hand or, driving too fast. For some reason we just don’t learn from others mistakes. The definition of intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.
– We are told over and over how to eat right and take care of our self and the benefits of exercise, and the importance of removing stress from our life, but we still go to McDonald’s and eat Dunkin’ Donuts. We stress ourselves out by doing too much. We take on to much at and run around like chickens with our heads cut off, running late all the time or worrying about our future. And even though we know exercise is good for us we still don’t do it.
– We are told not to touch. But what do we do, we reach out and touch anyway. We are told that something is unsafe and dangerous for us to do but what do we do? We go ahead and do it anyway. We are told that a certain lifestyle is wrong, is sinful, will rob us of joy and peace, but what do we do? We do it anyway. We are told not to look at certain things and not to get involved with certain things, or hang around certain people because they may be dangerous or hurt us in some way but what do we do? We follow them anyway. And just like the sheep, we find ourselves jumping off different cliffs just like everyone else. We may acquire knowledge but we do not seem to know how to use it. I figure this makes us a bit less than intelligent because even though we have acquired facts and knowledge, we are nto very good at apply it.
– And have you looked at how people entertain themselves or what they consider us fun now a day? I’m not sure about these people who take their bikes to the top of the mountain and decide to drive it down a rocky path. Or those who jump out of the helicopter onto the top of the mountain and ski down it on the snowboard jumping off cliffs in avalanche prone areas. Or what about those young people who take their skateboard and jump up onto the handrail of a cement staircase and try slide down it. Haven’t they seen those programs on TV where people wipe out and hurt themselves?
When it comes right down to it, we really aren’t that smart, at least when compared to God, and Jesus, and even compared to the devil. Yes we may have our intellectual moments, but I won der. The same guy who may have four college degrees, who is an engineer or someone who can design a rocket ship or build a computer from scratch, that same guy may not even be able to talk to his wife or kids or keep his marriage together.
He may not even be able to do the simplest things around his own home to take care of himself. Many are book smart but have no common sense. I don’t think we are as smart as we think. Despite all the evidence, millions do not even believe that there is a God in Heaven.
In first Corinthians 3:18-19 it says, that the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God.
Some of you have read the book of Job. If you remember the very end of the book God questions Job but after questioning him Job cannot answer. All that Job could do was repent in dust and ashes for thinking and speaking arrogantly and foolishly as he did throughout that book.
I am not here to insult anyone with this message today, but sometimes we need a reality check. In Romans 12:3, the apostle Paul wrote “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment.”
Let’s face it we can barely keep ourselves from getting in trouble. Yes maybe we are more like sheep than we realize. That’s why I believe it’s so important for us to have a look at sheep and the need for our Shepherd Jesus
Besides sheep being a bit dumb, they also have a tendency to become a bit restless so they are prone to wander and get lost. Even if you give them everything they want and need (the green pastures and the still waters),sooner or later they will just wander off. They will not only wander off from the green pastures, but also from one another. It is the shepherd job to hold them together, guides them, give them direction and give them what they need. And when a lamb goes astray, the shepherd will go and look for it and bring it back to his flock. Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way.” As you know, we also have a tendency to go astray. Psalm 119:176 the author wrote, “I have wandered away like a lost sheep come find me.”
Some sheep even take or lead others astray as they wander off. That is why so many fell off the cliff in our opening story. But a good Shepherd has a solution for those sheep of who are prone to lead others away. It may seem drastic, but it usually solves the problem. Here’s another story I came across that illustrates what he does.
A woman visiting Switzerland came to a sheepfold on one of her daily walks. She saw the shepherd seated on the ground with his flock around him. Nearby, on a pile of straw lay a single sheep which seem to be suffering. Looking closely, the woman saw that its leg was broken. Her sympathy went out to the suffering sheep and she looked up inquiringly to the shepherd as to what happened. “I broke it myself,” said the shepherd sadly and then explained. “Of all the sheep and my flock, this was the most wayward. It would not obey my voice and would not follow when I was leading the flock. On more than one occasion, it wandered off to the edge of the cliff and not only was it disobedient; it was leading other sheep astray.
Based on my experience with this kind of sheep, I knew that I had no choice, so I broke its leg. The next day I tried to bring food but it tried to bite me. After letting it lie alone for a couple of days, I went back to it and it not only eagerly took the food, but also licked my hand and showed every sign of submission and affection.
And now let me say this. When this sheep is well it will be a model sheep to the entire flock. Instead of leading the others away, it will be an example of devotion and obedience. In short, a complete change will come over the life of the wayward sheep. It will learn obedience through its suffering.
So the shepherd literally had to break that defiant lamb’s leg to protect it and the other sheep because they can get in trouble real quick. They not only get lost easy, they can fall in pits and are not able to defend themselves from potential predators.
When was the last time you saw a sign that said “Beware of sheep” hanging on someone’s house. Or have you ever seen wide-eyed animals fleeing for their lives at the bleating of sheep. It’s not going to happen. Sheep simply aren’t dangerous. They are virtually defenseless.
Their best defense is to stay close to the shepherd and remain in the flock. The same is true for us. When we are out of fellowship with God and isolated from other Christians, we are most vulnerable. We need the shepherd’s wisdom and strength to survive, as well as the comfort and encouragement of our brothers and sisters in Christ; even if he has to break us a little.
Maybe you wonder why some people seem to get all the blessings, the big houses, the nice cars, the good jobs and big bank accounts, and you as a Christian struggle so much, be financially, or physically, maybe emotionally, or maybe even with your relationships. The answer may simply be that you are one of his sheep and those others are not.
In Revelation 3:19, the Lord said, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.”
Do you think that Joseph enjoyed the years he spent as a slave in Potiphar’s house, or the years he spent in prison despite the fact he was an innocent man? He probably prayed ‘Why Lord why?’ countless times.
Only God know how to prune and groom us so that He can really help us and use us to bless others. In the last lesson we read that even if we bear a little fruit the Master gardener (God) will prune us so that we will become even more fruitful.
We have to remember that God is a whole lot wiser and smarter than we are. He is the good and wise Shepherd. He is wiser than smarter than we ever will be. He knows exactly what will happen if he gives you that big house and that money, and those other nice things if you are not ready for them.
As a boy Joseph was not ready to lead Egypt, and at 40 years old Moses was not ready to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Like David, God would use the hardship of living in the lonely wilderness with sheep to help him become a leader and a man of faith.
The Good Shepherd also knows what will help us become the man or woman of faith we are meant to become.
In the Sermon on the Mount, the first beatitude Jesus said is, ‘Blessed are those who are poor in spirit.’ As I have said before, being poor in spirit refers to having a humble attitude which may come from being broken. I’ve compared it to a wild stallion that bucking bronco full of his own proud spirit.
It isn’t until the rider breaks that spirit that the horse becomes trainable and useful. Only then can he become useful to his master and others.
So maybe we are not the wisest or most intelligent creatures in the universe. We do make mistakes. We don’t apply what we know. We get lost at times. We are unsure about what direction we should go in life. But it’s nice to know that we have someone who is watching over us, someone who has our back and is protecting us behind the scene. He prompts us and guides us, and provides what we need, disciplines us, and does things that may seem hard… but in the end they will help us be more useful in some way.
Don’t be the one who is defiant and cause others to go astray and stumble. Jesus said that it would be better if such a person had a millstone tied around his neck and get thrown in the sea than to cause anyone to stumble, especially the little ones.
We need to remember, we are His sheep and He loves us. And to prove it He already died for us to save us. So my encouragement is to trust in Him, Trust in His leadership. Listen to Him when He speaks from His holy word or in your heart. And even it you keep doing dumb things and mess us, He’ll always be there for you.
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