The Lord is my Shepherd...but...

This past Sunday, our church celebrated Good Shepherd Sunday.  To paraphrase (rather poorly) our pastor, "it’s a chance to mash up all of our Shepherd motifs into one Sunday.”  And that’s what tends to happen in most celebrations of this Sunday.  We sing hymns about shepherds, read the 23^rd psalm and recount the many examples of Jesus as the loving, caring shepherd. The good shepherd imagery in Christianity is so entrenched in the church we still call our leaders, “pastors”.  Some of our most endearing artwork tends to depict gentle shepherds in idyllic fields.  Our bishops still carry shepherds’ crooks as reminders of their role as leaders of the flock.

It’s all well and good, this imagery of the Good Shepherd. It’s very comforting and serene. But as our pastor reflected, there has to be more to it than that. For instance, if Jesus is the good shepherd, who are the sheep?  We are quick to say, “we are the sheep” and even quicker to move on.  We don’t tend to dwell on the other half of the analogy.  I suspect that there are lots of reasons why we don’t explore the analogy more. 

First and foremost, to be called sheep isn’t very flattering. Sheep are docile and not very bright.   They are easily spooked and tend to frighten easily.  Sheep are victims and are rarely the aggressors, which our culture seems to value more and more.   Even on the farm, when barriers are broken, sheep are the usually last to leave the pens unless spooked.  Pigs, horses, cows, and even chickens will tend to wander before sheep. It’s not very awe-inspiring on this side of the analogy is it?

I suspect, there’s another reason beyond the flattery aspect of the analogy. There’s the rather unpleasant carnal reality of sheep herding. After all, shepherds don’t tend to sheep because they’re cute or they make good props for pastoral scenery.  Sheep provide wool, milk and meat for the shepherds and the community.  In Jesus’ time, sheep were also often the animals most used for sacrifice in the Temple because they were affordable to even the poorest people and easily transported without iron fetters or collars. You can literally lead a sheep to the slaughterhouse with a single switch. (I’ve actually seen this part before).

If we are to compare Jesus to the Good Shepherd, then we must admit our “sheepishness” and accept that we are led, tended and cared for, not because we’re “cute”.  We are loved so that we may be “consumed” by and through the work of the Good Shepherd.  Like a lamb that provides warmth and sustenance to a cold and hungry world, we are set aside for a purposeful utility in the world. Like the lamb set aside for the sacrifice, we are tended to so that we might be of service to others and a glory to God.  I suspect, we don’t like to dwell on this aspect of the analogy because it requires more from us than “laying down beside still waters” and being coddled. 

To accept Jesus as your shepherd is to accept your place as a whole sacrifice to be used for Jesus’ mission. We are often reluctant to depict that part of the analogy.  And that’s what the shepherd’s crook is for, to lead the sheep where they don’t wish to go.