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Sheep that REALLY Follow Their Shepherd

May 25, 2012 10 Comments

“In many countries, sheep spend their lives in fenced-in pastures where they spend their time grazing and milling about.

In Israel, however, where grass has difficulty growing in the arid soil, sheep must know their shepherd, following him obediently from pasture to pasture.

There, shepherding is a much more active task. Some sheep come running as soon as their shepherd calls, but some struggle to obey his lead, going astray whenever temptation strikes. It takes a lot more energy to follow a wandering shepherd than to be cooped up in a pen.

…We are called to be disciples of a Rabbi who is always on the move, one who wants us to go with him, making disciples to the ends of the earth. We need to learn how to recognize his voice, to go where he wants us to go, and to serve and imitate him so that we can share his good news with the world.” (From Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, 64-65, edited)

If you want to get a sense of what this commitment might look like, check out this video of a shepherd leading his flock through downtown Amman, Jordan.

How good of a sheep are you?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Discipleship, shepherding

Comments

  1. Mary Stutzman says

    May 25, 2012 at 3:21 pm

    Wow! now this is to me a visual of our Good Shepherd leading us through scary times or seemingly strange circumstances!

    Reply
  2. Rena says

    May 26, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    Help us to know how close we need to be to the Good Shepherd so we will not stray into danger.

    Reply
  3. Tom says

    June 8, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    And isn’t it cool that the shepherd LEADS (with the sheep hearing and obeying) instead of the shepherd pushing from behind – with a stick?

    Reply
  4. Sharon says

    June 9, 2012 at 11:17 pm

    I like what Tom says; ‘Hearing and Obeying’.
    That sure is where the rubber meets the road.
    Not only that, the sheep are in total trust, of their obviously skilled shepherd. They don’t appear nervous nor upset, and not in the least distressed!
    A good signpost from which to watch, listen, learn and own!
    Such wisdom in such a humble creature!

    Reply
  5. Melissa B. says

    June 26, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    I also love to see how close the flock sticks together. They were all bunched up together! Isn’t it easier to follow the shepherd when we stick close to our flock, the church, as we follow Him?

    Reply
  6. Lois Tverberg says

    June 26, 2012 at 4:00 pm

    Very true – there’s safety and numbers.

    What do you think of: “…Yea, though he lead me across busy highways, I will fear no evil…” !

    Reply
  7. Devin Anthony says

    November 14, 2012 at 8:10 pm

    Wow… just wow i want to be like those sheep following their shepherd im tired of always going astray its time for me to obey Fully!!!!!

    Reply
  8. Lucas VanHeest says

    January 27, 2013 at 11:01 pm

    I’ve always been intrigued by the analogy of how a sheep follows his shepherd then we as christians should follow Jesus. This video really puts into perspective the complete trust we need to have in Jesus when we follow him.

    Reply
  9. Elliot Slenk says

    January 30, 2013 at 4:51 pm

    I’ve always heard the analogy of the shepherd and his sheep as I grew up in a Christian home. However, this idea of moving through rough terrain to get to a new pasture is so easy to apply to my own life. Sometimes I have a hard time following what Jesus calls me to do. In addition, Jesus has led me through some hard times. However, I trust that Jesus will lead me to green pastures.

    Reply
  10. Barbie says

    September 14, 2013 at 10:40 am

    Thank you so much for the video. I’ve been reading much lately on sheep and shepherds because I’m working on teaching a ladies group using “a shepherd looks at PSALM 23” by Philip Keller. The Lord has been bringing so many wonderful thoughts to me and also many articles – now this video and the nine awesome comments which I will also use. The more I study the more excited I become to teach these WONDERFUL truths to my class. HE IS INDEED MY SHEPHERD AND I AM ONE OF HIS CONTENTED AND BLESSED SHEEP – WITHOUT HIM I WOULD NOT MAKE IT.

    Reply

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