On our trip to Israel a few years ago, we were surprised to see a number of Bedouin shepherds still out in the fields doing their thing. They still live in tents and practice their nomadic lifestyle, with permission from the authorities to graze their flocks in rural areas around Bethlehem and Jerusalem. These rugged shepherds know perhaps better than anyone the meaning of the phrase, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
They know what it’s like to leave the village and go out into the open country, where you're all alone and on your own. No police protection, no cell phones, no one to come help in case of thieves, robbers, or an attack by wild animals. Most of us don't live in that kind of world. Even those of us who live out in the country still have neighbors not too far away.
One of the great experts in the ancient Near East, Dr. Ken Bailey, lived in that kind of world when he was living in Lebanon in the 1970s at the time of the civil war there. There was no electricity, no water, and no telephones. The police had disappeared, the army had fallen apart, and the national guard didn't even exist. The only protection they had were little groups of people that huddled together and tried to protect themselves. The only real protection in a situation like that is, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” When you get right down to it, that's the only real protection we have in this life as well, especially from our enemies of sin, death, and the devil.
One of the great fears we all have is the fear of what the future will bring. Will we be safe? Will we have enough? Will our needs be met? Will we be able to provide for our family? As Christians we believe that God will provide for us. We trust in Him and believe that He will keep His promise to never leave us nor forsake us, to be with us always, to the very end of the age.
Jesus the Good Shepherd says, “Follow me.” If we're going to follow Jesus, we are going to need to hear his voice, and in order to hear his voice, we need to listen to his word.
Bad shepherds in the Middle East use rocks and sticks on their sheep. Good shepherds don’t do that. Good shepherds are out in front of the flock, using a little call or whistle to round up the sheep. Dr. Bailey tells of a Palestinian shepherd he knew of who had 500 sheep with no dog and no assistant. He would just slowly walk in front of the flock, and every minute or so he would give his little call that his sheep knew so well. The good shepherd knows his flock, and the sheep know his voice.
But sheep do go astray from time to time, and when a sheep is lost, the shepherd goes after the lost sheep. Shepherds will tell you that when a sheep is lost, it becomes afraid and finds a bush to hide under and starts bleating loudly hoping that it will be found. The shepherd knows this, and knows that he has to get there quickly, because wild animals will also hear the bleating sheep, and it's only a matter of time until something bad happens.
Once the shepherd finds it, it will probably be too scared to move, so he has to pick it up and put it over his shoulders and carry it back to the village. You've probably seen a picture of Jesus carrying a sheep over his shoulder. It’s one of the oldest and most beloved icons from the early church … the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
He leads us and feeds us, guides us and leads us. Why does He do it all? For his own namesake. It's who he is. It's what he does. Not because of any inherent goodness in sheep like us, but simply because he is the Good Shepherd, and we are the sheep of his pasture.
In Israel today, it's still possible to witness a scene that the disciples probably saw 2000 years ago. That is of Bedouin shepherds bringing their flocks home from the various pastures they have grazed during the day. Often those flocks end up at the same watering hole at the end of the day around dusk. When they all gather together, several small flocks suddenly turn into one big one. But the shepherds don't worry about the sheep getting mixed up. When it's time to go home, each one has his own special little call, and when they hear it, the sheep withdraw from the crowd to follow their shepherd home. They know who they belong to. They know their shepherd's voice, and he is the one they will follow.
"I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. I lay down my life for the sheep." - John 10
+++
