A shepherd was looking after his sheep one day on the side of a deserted road, when suddenly a brand new Porsche comes screeching to a halt.
The driver, a man dressed in an Armani suit, Cerutti shoes from Paris, Ray-Ban sunglasses, a Gucci wrist-watch, and a Pierre Cardin tie, gets out and asks the shepherd: “If I can tell you how many sheep you have, will you give me one of them?”
The shepherd looks at the young man, and then looks at the large flock of grazing sheep and replies:”Okay.”
The young man parks the car, connects his laptop to his mobile, enters a NASA Webster, scans the ground using his GPS, opens a database with 60 Excel tables filled with logarithms and pivot tables, and then prints out a 150-page report on his high-tech cordless mini-printer.
He turns to the shepherd and says, “You have exactly 1,586 sheep here.”
Rather surprised the shepherd replies, “That’s correct, you can have your sheep.”
The young man takes an animal and puts it in the back of his Porsche. Just as the man is about to drive off, the shepherd asks him:
“If I guess your profession…will you return my animal to me?”
The young man answers, “Sure, why not?”
The shepherd says, “I suspect you are an IT consultant.”
“Why did you know – to guess that?” asks the young man.
“Very simple,” answers the shepherd.
“First, you came here without being called. Second, you charged me a fee to tell me something that I already knew, and third, you don’t understand anything about my business, at all.”
“Now, may I please have “my dog” back?”
We might think looking after sheep is a simple task but it really-truly isn’t. Looking after sheep is a highly specialized job. It takes a “good highly committed shepherd” years to learn his trade – and so, it is often passed down from father to son…from father to son…for generations…
Shepherding actually becomes a way of life. It is different. It separates you from the rest of your community. Shepherds were a “dime a dozen.” Shepherds were “everywhere” in Israel. Shepherds were “common place.” Sheep and shepherds were a common metaphor for the people of God…especially in the Hebrew Bible.
Everyone knew the metaphor. Everyone could envision both the sheep and the shepherd.
But the shepherd was ostracized, considered to be ritually unclean. He was dirty and un-kept. Shepherds could not protect their families – seeing as they were never home at night. Their families pretty much grew up without a man in the family. They usually lacked common every day social skills. They conversed more with their sheep then they did with people. They were considered to be dishonest and cheaters. Because of their jobs they were prevented from worshipping with the “whole people of God.” Shepherds also “smelled” exactly like the animals that they cared for and kept. It was a smell that was difficult to get rid of…
So the idea of a “good shepherd” was kind of like an “oxymoron” for a lot of people. It was not to be expected.
Was it even possible for there to be such a thing as a “good” shepherd?
The shepherd was forever taking care of someone else’s sheep. They were not his own. They did not belong to him. They were owned by someone of wealth and means. The shepherd was merely their caretaker. The middle man. The hired guy. He didn’t care much for the sheep.
Nobody in their right mind would ever call a shepherd – good. But Jesus did.
And during this season of Easter we do celebrate Jesus as being the “GOOD” shepherd, the shepherd of the sheep.
Jesus did not run away from the wolf. He faced the wolves head on. Jesus more than cared for the sheep. He had compassion on them. He was there for them. Jesus loved his own and his own loved him. And very much “unlike others,” he was willing to lay down his life for the sake of the sheep.
As a matter of fact in this brief little section of John’s gospel we are told on three separate occasions that Jesus was more than willing to lay down his life for the sheep. Three times for emphasis sake… Three times so that you remember. Three times so you do not forget that Jesus did this for you!
Jesus also knows the sheep and the sheep know him. It is a mutual relationship. He knows them. They know him. It is a mutual commitment. With Jesus it is personal…very personal.
So the fact – that Jesus laid down his life for us – is what makes this an Easter Lesson! And the good news is that he was raised up – to new life. And the promise of the resurrection is ours, too!
Because of Jesus – the Good Shepherd we are in a relationship, not only with Jesus, but with his Father-God, as well.
Amen.