We Like Sheep?

John 10:22-30

If this were Sesame street I might say that today's service is brought to you by the Sheep. For it is sheep that really link today's readings - except perhaps the lesson from acts which is more or less a continuation of the Easter Proclamation.

At any rate all the references to sheep got me thinking about sheep, so I put on Bach's sheep may safely graze" and began to contemplate what it might mean to be a sheep. Now fairly quickly I came to the conclusion that I maybe didn't want to be a sheep or even be compared to a sheep.

On the more positive side of sheep are the fact that they give wool which is a good natural fiber and can keep you warm in winter even when it is wet. On the negative side of that is the fact that wool is quite scratchy and many people can't or wont wear it next to their skin. So we have a mixed reaction to wool at best. The other redeeming quality about sheep is that some people like the taste - although many do not - so once again a mixed review.

From here things start to look bad for the sheep however, as they have quite the reputation for being a "less than intelligent species" shall we say. When one thinks about smart animals sheep rarely, if ever, come to mind. Dogs, cats, dolphins, monkeys maybe - but sheep - never - they are definitely not included in intelligent animal category. Sheep are also not well equipped to defend themselves and make easy targets for coyotes and wolves. Not a vary redeeming feature. As well, they also seem to always be getting lost - everyone from little bo peep to people in the bible seem to be losing them and having to go looking for them. And despite the little bo peep story - no sheep that I know of has ever made an "incredible journey" home after being accidentally left behind.

All this left me to wonder what aspect of sheep was so attractive to the gospel writers? Apart from our sense that they are a very "pastoral" animal they have seemingly few redeeming qualities. Why then would God and Christ compare us to sheep? And why does the bible make reference to sheep no less than 220 times, which, I believe, makes sheep the most mentioned animal in the bible. There are no doubt many reasons - not least of which is that Israel was very much a nation of herders in which sheep played a significant part. But for us, in today's text, there is a more significant reason that sheep are mentioned. The key to the whole thing is found in verse 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.

This verse points to a significant difference between the way the Hebrew people approached herding and other cultures approached herding. When we think of herding sheep we undoubtedly think of the more western idea of herding. The sheep are moved around by being driven from behind and/or rounded up by dogs or some other such animal. The key, however, is that the shepherd is in the rear driving the sheep in the direction he wants them to go and keeping them all together.

The Hebrew way, however, is much different. The shepherd is at the front of the sheep and leads the sheep. The sheep know their shepherd, the sound of his voice and follow him. This is also the way that the sheep are separated into separate herds after grazing or sleeping together. The shepherd calls the sheep and they come. They need no markings to distinguish them - all they need is the sound of the shepherd's voice.

Now this may not seem to be a big difference - but in actuality it is. The sheep of a western shepherd have no choice in their path - they are driven from behind - they have no freedom to choose if you will. They also have no need to know who the shepherd is - it makes little or no difference who is driving them along the path. Anyone can move the herd form one place to another, given the necessary means.

Such is not the case with the Hebrew shepherd and sheep. The sheep must trust the shepherd and choose to follow him. They also must know the shepherd - so they know who to follow. And they do not readily move from one shepherd to another. As well, the shepherd must know his sheep and be able to anticipate their needs. The sheep ultimately entrust their lives to the shepherd - not just anyone will do.

Last year at this time I was on a study trip to Israel. One of the most impressive aspects of the trip for me was to place many of the stories in the bible in their original geographical and cultural context. The stories often come much more alive when one knows the setting - just like how illustrations often make a book better and easier to relate to. One of the contexts I experienced was what is thought to be the setting of the 23rd psalm.

It is set in the same area as the road from Jericho to Jerusalem - a narrow road now but more of a path in biblical times that winds it way through the desert between the Kelt and Og valleys. It along this same road that the good Samaritan story takes place. All along these hills there are small paths made by Hundreds of years of sheep being herded along the hills and valleys. As you can imagine, the grass is sparse and in short supply - and water is almost non existent. The shepherd is critical to the survival of not only the sheep but also the sparse vegetation. If the sheep are allowed to graze to long in one spot they will eat the grass down to the roots and the plant will die and may never come back. As well the shepherd must know the places where there is water and shade so that the sheep can safely make the trip to the water and back to the camp in one day. Too long without water and the sheep will die. And the shepherd must protect the sheep from predators - wolves and the like as the sheep are essentially defenseless.

So then, when one adds the geographical and cultural context to the 23rd psalm it can take on a new and perhaps deeper meaning.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;

3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff - they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.

Unfortunately the English translation of the last verse lacks much of the nuance of the original Hebrew verse. The Hebrew phrase Irdofuni wehesed is often translated as Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me ; but perhaps is better translated as Surely goodness and God's covenant loyalty, remembering how God keeps God's promise to Israel, or perhaps for us as Christians one might even say Surely Goodness and God's grace shall and not follow, the Hebrew is not passive in this case but rather shall pursue after me. So then we are left with something like Surely goodness and God's abundant grace shall pursue me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the lord forever. Like the shepherd seeks out the one lost sheep so also does God pursue after us in our daily life.

So maybe, just maybe, sheep have a redeeming trait after all - they seem to have the ability to discern who their shepherd is and to thrust completely in that shepherd. Maybe that's why we can aspire to be like sheep after all.

AMEN

Sheep...

Rev. James Hendricksen