Mary had a little lamb. And that lamb did just what sheep and lambs are good at doing - it followed her. Apart from that one skill, it is hard to find creatures more stupid than sheep.
Mr. Chege is a farmer in Kenya, Africa, who has several hundred sheep. He has plenty of land for the sheep to graze on and a good barn for shelter, but for sheep this is certainly not enough.
Sometimes the sky is heavy with the threat of rain, but the sheep never lift their heads until the great drops begin to fall. Then there is panic. They don’t run for the barn; they hide their heads under one another’s bodies while their woolly fleece gets soaked right through. This often results in colds, then pneumonia, and finally a flock of dead sheep.
What can Mr. Chege do?
His plan is to put among the sheep a good, strong billy goat who will lift his head and sniff the coming storm and head for the barn. Usually, the sheep follow the leader straight for the shelter. If they fail to notice the leader, the shepherds will come with sticks and sheep dogs and smack them into line and keep them headed for the barn. No stick and no dog means dead sheep. They are just that stupid.
Why then does God compare people to sheep? We are not woolly, four-legged creatures, and surely we are not so stupid. Well, no. When clouds threaten rain we know enough to carry an umbrella. But what do we do when God tells us that “all we like sheep have gone astray,” and that the judgment of God is coming upon us because of our sins? Do we flee for refuge to the Lord Jesus Christ? or do we keep our eyes right down upon the earth and ignore God’s warning? If we ignore Him, wouldn’t you say that we are just as stupid as sheep? or more so?
The truth is, we need a Shepherd. The Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd must lay down His life for the sheep. He willingly went to Calvary’s cross to give His life for us, who have gone astray. It is wonderfully safe to belong to Him now.
Sometimes Mr. Chege’s sheep get mixed up with other flocks, and he must be able to identify them without an argument. For this reason, each of his sheep has a brand mark in the ear where it can easily be seen.
Does the Good Shepherd mark His sheep too? Certainly not with a brand mark. Perhaps His sheep sometimes choose a visible mark themselves, such as being a member of this or that church. But the Lord Jesus gives His sheep a more wonderful mark, and we are responsible to let it be seen by God and man. He says, “My sheep hear MY VOICE, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Isn’t that a most wonderful mark for our ears and our feet? And He knows His own sheep. He adds, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall NEVER perish” (John 10:28). He NEVER finds a flock of dead sheep because He failed to save them.
Our Shepherd has no sheep dogs. He does have shepherds under Him who love and care for His sheep, but they do not bark and bite and drive the sheep into a frightened huddle. And they do not say “my flock,” and tell us to follow them. No, they urge us to follow the Good Shepherd.
It is also true that Mr. Chege’s sheep must even be watched when they come to drink. The lambs must be held back because they sometimes rush in and are drowned. Our Good Shepherd loves to refresh us all together from His precious Word, the Bible, and to guide us by His Holy Spirit that we may use it correctly. Even the oldest sheep need His watchful care as we drink from His Word.
I am sure that Mr. Chege could not name all his sheep. But the Good Shepherd never loses sight of one of His, although His flock is far greater than I could count. He calls each of His sheep by name - every one of them, including you if you have been washed clean from your sins in His precious blood, and even if you stray from the Good Shepherd. These words are true of you. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28).
ML-11/10/1996