"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
John 10:11, HCSB
Shepherds spend their entire lives in service of animals less intelligent, and they have to take years (literally) to gain the unfailing trust of the flock they watch over. The shepherd, when properly attentive, is mother, father, leader, provider, sustainer, and protector. Each sheep has a specific temperament, and the shepherd knows them all. Likewise, each sheep knows the voice of the shepherd that they follow.
Going to a familiar verse from Psalm 23, we know that the Lord is our Shepherd, just as David put it. And as I once taught to a group of young men, if the sheep in this analogy could sing praises and shout their gratitude, there would be a magnificent musical presentation with true Broadway flourish and style. A single sheep (probably female, because the girls always get the best solos) would step forward to give an account of how she wandered away, but was brought back to the fold by the love of the Shepherd, and a chorus would then augment her sound and move the listener to tears in seconds. The lights and the sounds and the passion in it all would be breathtaking! Can you see it yet?
However, sheep cannot do all that crazy stuff. They can do only one thing, and that is respond to their instinct. If things are good, they feel it, and they stay there. When things are less than good, they feel that, too, and they'll run. Therefore, their only form of "worship," as it were, is to follow the one that protects them. This is their right and reasonable response. They know that he will bring them through dangers, provide them with green pastures and slow-moving waters for drinking. The sheep know that he will protect them from wolves and bears and lions and wild cats. And do you want to know the best part? They know all of this because they can FEEL it.
You see, we can sing and shout and put on a production, and there are some that do a wonderful job of it, to be honest. However, what happens when we come off stage? Do we maintain that same level of intensity? Are we as powerful without an earthly audience? Further, are we aware that our only audience is an audience of One, and that His glory is all that matters? I feel that I must tell you that I do fail in this, and I would bet that you do, as well, if you'll be open and honest about it. We all do... we're human. We can only do one thing, when left to our own devices, and that is fail.
Now, are you ready for the real kick in the complacency? We consider ourselves enlightened and intelligent, especially compared to sheep. However, to put this into proper perspective, we must acknowledge Christ as our Shepherd, and recognize that we are merely sheep (and probably lower, honestly, because we have and use the power to rationalize almost any behavior, good or bad), and we are just as we see them: instinctual, foolish, strong in numbers, but prone to wandering away for no apparent reason at all. Grasp this, loved ones... we are not so smart as we think, and we are not now, and will never, ever be, smarter or even smart enough to navigate these dangerous roads without our Shepherd.
To sum up, I'll tell you that our response to Christ's Atonement for our sins should be two-fold. First, we should follow the Shepherd that calls us. Second, we should admit that we are mere sheep, and do our best to learn and grow and enable others to do the same.
Baa... baa... baa.
God bless you all!!!
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