Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32
In scripture, the use of the word 'sheep' is a term of endearment. In the world, the use of the word 'sheep' is an insult. In the world, people referred to as 'sheep' are those who are easily influenced and manipulated by another person, institution or government. In other words, they are accused of being blind followers.
But in scripture, sheep is connected to the word 'shepherd'. The two go hand-in-hand. The sheep choose to follow the shepherd, the shepherd chooses to lead the sheep. The sheep follow the shepherd for provision and protection. The shepherd leads the sheep to provide and protect.
The sheep are not blind followers; they actively follow the shepherd because they trust Him, and they trust Him because He has provided, protected and led them well. The same is true for Jesus and His followers. Just as Jesus is an active shepherd, they are active followers. They do not blindly follow, they follow because they have seen and walked His path; He is verified.
- THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP
10:1-8
Not all are welcome into the sheepfold; in Matthew 10:16, Jesus warned the disciples that they would be sent out as sheep in the midst of wolves. There are some who want not to be part of the sheepfold, but to ravage the pasture. There are some who want to glean the benefits of the sheepfold despite their rejection of the shepherd. Jesus is able to distinguish between the sheep and the wolves. In fact, He is a door through which a wolf cannot pass.
Jesus is a door in that He is the way. None can reach the Kingdom of God without emulation of Jesus. But wolves try. False persons, prophets, and preachers try to scheme their way into what scripture metaphorically refers to as the sheepfold. In Matthew 7:23 Jesus assures both the sheep and the wolves that God Himself will reject such workers of iniquity. But the sheep will be claimed and called by name; they will recognize the voice that calls them, because they have followed it all life-long.
The sheep loyal to the shepherd will not follow a stranger. That stranger's voice, their message, is unfamiliar to them. It is contradictory to what Jesus, the True Shepherd, has taught them; they will not walk through that door, the den of the wolves, disguised. Because sheep in scripture do not blindly follow for, Matthew 10:16 continued: they are wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
- AND WILL FIND PASTURE
10:9-11
Jesus has graciously volunteered to be our shepherd. In doing so, He has become our savior. As savior and shepherd, He provides pasture. By His own explanation, He does so that we may have life, and life more abundantly. To be a sheep in Jesus's pasture is not only to be safe physically, but to be saved spiritually. We are safe from the teeth and the devices of the wolves.
Jesus dedicated His life on earth not to enforce the word of God but to proffer it. Assuredly the will of God prevails; because of Jesus, each individual has the opportunity to choose to live in accordance with the prevailing will of God by living in accordance with the word of God. And that choice comes with not only a shepherd, but also a lush, sprawling pasture. Jesus's objective is to provide life, abundantly. His pasture is fertile for God's blessing; Jesus has come so that we would have access to it; to God, through Him.
Based on His promises and assurances, the characteristics of an abundant life include love and joy, protection and provision, compassion and charity, truth and justice, mercy and renewal, Jesus and God, life and death...and life again, abundant, in the Kingdom of God. It is a blessed field for a sheep, a follower of God.
- THE GOOD SHEPHERD
10:12-21
Jesus gave His life for His sheep. Often preachers and students focus on the fact that Jesus died for us, but He came here and lived for us too. It is equally gracious of Him to dedicate His limited time and unflagging effort in order to exemplify righteousness in men, serve as compassion in action, and simultaneously, be God-with-us. No other shepherd has or will ever do that for us. For that reason, Jesus warns us to be wary of hirelings: false people, preachers or prophets who, for some personal gain, pose as shepherds but abandon and even endanger the sheep.
It is critically important that we choose and firmly establish Jesus as our shepherd. Other shepherds, even those with good intentions, can lead us astray or cause us to be scattered. Our leader, ultimately, must be Jesus. We must not allow the varied leaders of the world to claim us into their sheepfold, whether they be people, ideologies or institutions. Rather, we will consciously walk through the door of Jesus into the sheepfold of Jesus to be led by the shepherd, Jesus. Because other doors, even if they do not open into the den of the wolves, are not the sheepfold. They will not provide the spiritual nourishment of the pasture of Jesus. Therefore keep the word of God as the foundation of your life, the measuring stick in your hand, the judgement in your mind, the guide in your heart and the path of your feet.
- THE WORKS BEAR WITNESS
10:22-30
Jesus's works verified Him as savior, shepherd and Son of God. His works also qualified Him to distribute access to the Kingdom of God, eternal life. He led the sheep so righteously, so compassionately, so capably, that God gave Him the sheepfold. Then, now, and eternally. Shepherd and sheep cannot be separated; they are fused by the unrivaled, illimitable strength of God.
We are Jesus's sheep; God refers to His children as 'little flock' (Luke 12:32). Though we may never understand how their wells patience and tolerance run so graciously deep for us, they do. But the only way to discover that is to endeavor toward the door, toward Jesus. To read about Him, to learn from Him, to talk to Him and ultimately to trust in Him. It is a natural, unfailing process when it is undertaken wholeheartedly, steadfastly (Jeremiah 29:13). Just as Jesus's works established Him as shepherd, so will your works establish you as sheep. And no matter who you are, you want to be in His sheepfold, His pasture. So learn His voice, let Him hear yours. When God says "never fear, little flock", let that reassurance belong to you.
Scripture: John 10:1-30; Matthew 7; Matthew 10; Luke 12; Jeremiah 29