Following the Good Shepherd: The Roles
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
John 10:14-15 (NIV)
King David wrote “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”, long before Jesus walked the Earth. He knew in part, back then, what we know now: Jesus is The Good Shepherd. His role is that of a caretaker and overseer. A shepherd would watch over the sheep, protect the sheep, feed and water the sheep, and in every way care for the sheep. They would live with the sheep 24/7. This may have been a smelly, long and hard job for any shepherd on a normal day, but there were also threats against the sheep. Wild animals, like bears and lions, would try and get to the sheep. It was the shepherds’ job to protect the flock. Jesus’ role is to shepherd our lives. He is the one to protect us from dangers, the one to feed us when we are hungry and the one to make sure we can rest peacefully. Jesus goes a step further as a shepherd and sacrifices His own life for that of His sheep. The Good Shepherd’s love for His sheep is obvious and overwhelming.
Our role is that of a sheep - a smelly, needy, defenseless, and unwise sheep. We need a shepherd to watch out for us. Left to its own devices, a sheep will wander with no real sense of direction. They will fall into pits, move far away from sources of food or water, and (worst of all) be vulnerable to all kinds of threats. It might not be a fun exercise to imagine ourselves as sheep, but Jesus shares this analogy for good reason. One of those reasons being that we resemble sheep too easily. Our lives are so busy and filled with important (and not so important) things to do. We lose track of ourselves and our position in life. We hurt ourselves looking at what’s in front of us and we expose ourselves to real dangers. This is all happening within our souls, and, like sheep, we are sometimes too blind to see the consequences until it’s too late.
Jesus’ role is The Good Shepherd. Our role is the sheep. Hopefully, we are ‘good’ sheep. As Jesus states in John 10:14 “I know my sheep and my sheep know me”, our purpose is to know Jesus. That when Jesus guides us according to Psalm 23 to rest, move, eat, or drink; that we listen and obey. To be good sheep, we have to listen to the voice of The Good Shepherd and follow His commands. Some commands will come naturally, some will be difficult but doable and others will feel impossible. Our role as sheep is simple in essence but difficult in practice: follow Jesus’ voice no matter what. Say ‘yes’ to whatever The Good Shepherd is leading us to. Jesus is constantly speaking to us. Wherever you are right now, He has a word for you. A word of peace, guidance, love, and hope. It may not seem like we hear God’s voice speaking to us in any consistent manner. The problem wouldn’t lie with The Good Shepherd but rather the hard-of-hearing sheep.
Take some time right now to meditate on what God has been speaking to you. Turn off the TV, the background music, and your phone. Try and find five minutes where you can sit still and be receptive to God. You can start off with a prayer but make space in this time for Jesus to do the talking. It would be rather odd if the sheep spent most of the time telling the shepherd what’s needed, and no time for the shepherd to share. You may not hear anything but be encouraged! With practice we can begin to follow the Good Shepherd better every day.