Values Blog
Being an Obedient Follower
Because there are more than a few references to people being like sheep in the Bible, I thought it would be instructive for me to learn bit about these animals.
After the Resurrection, when Jesus restored Peter (John 21:15-21), Jesus asked Peter if he truly loved Him and called on the zealous disciple to “feed My sheep.” Scripture is consistent: if we do not love the Lord with our whole being, we will struggle with the command to love our neighbors (“sheep”) more than ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40).
Sheep’s natural inclination to follow a leader to new pastures were the pivotal factors in it being one of the first domesticated livestock species. Because of this behavior, shepherds can keep sheep together on unfenced pastures and to move them more easily.
Sheep have a strong lead-follow tendency. There is really no such thing as a “natural born leader” among sheep. The day’s leader among the flock is normally just the first sheep to move.
An Associated Press news story, July 8, 2005, tells of 450 sheep who leapt to their deaths in the Turkish village of Gevas. The chain reaction started when one sheep attempted to leap over a 15 meter wide ravine and instead fell to its death, nearly fifteen hundred other sheep followed.
By the time the 450 had died, the pile of sheep carcasses at the bottom of the cliff had apparently grown large enough to cushion the fall somewhat, resulting in an apparently soft landing for the other 1550.
Despite this, sheep are not as dumb as we have been told. A University of Illinois study of sheep found them to be just below pigs and on par with cattle in IQ.
Yet sheep have no sense of direction and no instinct for finding their way home. A sheep can be totally lost within a few miles of its home. Lost sheep usually will walk around in endless circles, in a state of confusion, and even panic. I imagine that is what troubled folks so much when that lamb followed Mary to school one day. (Hint: Remember the nursery rhyme.)
Sheep spend most of their lives eating and drinking, but they are not careful about what they eat and drink. They don’t know the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous plants. Therefore their diet must be carefully monitored by the shepherd.
When grazing, once they devour their pasture. Since they will not move to a new area on their own, they will continue to eat the stubble of the old pasture until nothing remains but dirt. Soon they will run out of food altogether and starve to death.
Sheep must have clear water that is not stagnant or polluted. It can’t be too cold, too hot, or moving too rapidly. They must be led, as the psalmist said, beside the still waters (Ps. 23:2).
Sheep are almost entirely defenseless. They can’t kick, scratch, bite, jump, or run. They need a protective shepherd to be assured of survival. When attacked by a predator, they huddle together rather than running away.
If a full-wooled sheep falls on its back, often it is unable to roll back onto its feet. In most cases it will simply give up and die unless a shepherd comes to its aid.
When a sheep lies on its back for a long time, its circulation stops. If the shepherd sets it back on its feet before circulation is restored, the sheep will fall over again. The shepherd might have to carry the animal for an hour or more before it is able to walk again on its own.
A shepherd would sacrifice for his flock. His flock implicitly trusts him. Sheep need a leader, even if they don’t know they do.
Peter went on to do great things in Jesus’ name. And in giving his life to proclaim the Gospel, he exhibited the agape love that Jesus expected of him. Yet we are not exempt from this call on our life. Jesus expects us, as well, to “feed His sheep.” God expects more than a profession of faith; He expects His followers to live out their faith.
Comments
1
I very much appreciate this informative discussion of the role of sheep in new testament literature. I do believe that it would have been beneficial to examine the sorts of folks who are called sheep by Jesus as well as the nature of the shepherd that leads them and the path he leads them along. The path of the Good Shepherd leads inexorably to the cross on which he was tortuously executed at the hands of Caesar’s war machine. Sheep that seek to follow such a shepherd ought to do so only after counting the cost of such a life, for it cost Him everything.
Humbly,
David
posted at 6:11pm on July 10, 2008 by David Montgomery
2
David, I appreiciate your comment although it immediately raised a couple of thights as I was reading it. 1. “To examine the sorts of folks who are called sheep by Jesus”, just look around. They are still everywhere. See John 10:3-5
posted at 8:07pm on July 15, 2008 by Terry
3
Hey Terry, thank you for your request for clarification, I realize that my first post was pretty vague. In regards to your first question, my comment on the nature of those who are called sheep by Jesus was based largely the description given in Matthew 25:31-46 which seems to me to be an extremely troubling passage considering the state of many global north evangelical churches. You are right to point to John for further description of Jesus as the Good Shepherd and as I read I was troubled by the question of whether or not that same Christ, if he were to appear today as he did two-thousand years ago, would be recognized by the religion built around his life.
posted at 1:00pm on July 16, 2008 by David
4
I apologize if my words seem harsh or overly critical. Please believe me when I say that they are not written above all hopefully. Any criticism is not directed towards you or the person who took the time and effort to post this blog and I greatly appreciate this space as a forum for discussion. As for your second question (which I feel to be of profound significance), my reference to “counting the cost” was made in regards to the sort of life of the sheep that follow the Good Shepherd. To follow after Jesus of Nazareth means that we are gracefully allowed to participate in his life - that particular life that culminated in the eruption of Yahweh’s kingdom into this fallen world. To follow Jesus means that we go to those to whom he went. We identify with those with whom he identified. We wander, as he wandered, living as a breath of hope in a world where hope is trampled out.
posted at 1:03pm on July 16, 2008 by david
5
And when we find that there are those in this world who are made to live in the margins, who are pushed off the page, who time and time again are thrown into the ditch, we find those for whom the person and life of Christ is particularly real. It was to these lost causes that Jesus went and, if we are to have any hope at all, still goes in particular. This is the direction that he leads his sheep, timid as they may be. It is not a life to be envied, at least not according to those who set the generally accepted standard for enviable lives. It is a life lived to the fullest, for in Jesus Christ is the fullness of everything, everything, everything. The path of the Good Shepherd is the path of identification with victims and kindness towards enemies, even to the point of the cross. I hope this has helped to clarify my woefully inadequate comment above. Thank you for taking the time to read and reflect.
comment posted as three because it is long-winded and wordy :-)
posted at 1:04pm on July 16, 2008 by david
6
1of2 David, Thank you for taking the time to read and reflect also. In response to your reference to Matthew 25:31-46 When was the last time you visited a shelter for the homeless…or interacted with them as your brother (or sister)? If I understand you correctly, I agree. I doubt seriously that when Jesus returns, He probably won’t show up at the big church on the corner. If He does, it’s probably NOT a good time to be there! In the past few years as I had transitioned from being “a believer” to having “ a relationship” with Christ I have come to realize many things I thought I knew about “religion” were really only vaguely understood (or misunderstood). One very crucial point I have come to understand better now is that there is nothing, nothing on this earth, no situation or circumstance that is not covered in Life’s Instruction Manual, in which every word is God breathed. If it is His will and in His time, He will reveal more than you might ever imagine.
posted at 10:08pm on July 17, 2008 by Terry
7
2 of 2 (You can’t put God in a box and limiting to 1000 characters makes it harder!)
With that being said on the previous entry, I’ll try to make this brief by scattering seeds rather than rattling the leaves with long wind. I call these scripture seeds, not necessarily in reference to Mat 13:32, but I’ll throw them out here and you can water them. :) I don’t know who you refer to as the “global north evangelical churches”. But… Mat 10:11-15 and John 21:21-22 therefore Gal 6:1-3
YBIC, T
posted at 10:11pm on July 17, 2008 by Terry
8
I’ve just realized that there is a pretty nasty error in the second part of my long post above. Where it says “…they are written NOT above all hopefully,” there isn’t supposed to be a “not” there. It should be “…they ARE written above all hopefully.”
posted at 12:50pm on July 19, 2008 by David
9
Terry, I’m wondering if you might be able to clarify your last post, I’m having trouble following you.
posted at 4:48pm on July 22, 2008 by David
10
Which part? As I tried to limit what I was saying and keep it brief, I kept having to rewrite it because I kept exceeding the 1000 character per entry. We (not you) just can’t put God in a box. (Have you ever heard that phrase?) And trying to talk about Him in a box that is limited to 1000 characters is difficult. I tried to be brief by using scripture rather than explain everything. See if you can apply those scriptures to the previous entries. I hope that helps. Let me know.
posted at 10:09pm on July 23, 2008 by Terry