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Shepherds and Sheepherders
Good Morning, Good Morning!
Good Morning, Folks! Ready for another break in your routine? Right.
Get that coffee brewing. I’ll wait a second. You, too, Michael. Tea? Green Tea? Ooooooeeeeeee, I don’t think so!
Ready?
Roy Archer was my uncle. At least that’s what I called him. Uncle Roy. Actually, he would have been my father’s uncle…Hmmmm…OK, cousin? Second cousin? My recollection is that he was my grandfather’s first cousin. Maybe one of my relatives knows exactly.
Anyway, however the cousin-uncle thing works, he was my Uncle Roy. Whatever. Uncle Roy had a large sheep ranch in North Dakota. I got to visit him twice. But those two visits provided me with an insight into the 23rd Psalm and the difference between shepherds and sheepherders like nothing else could ever provide.
Give me a second, and I will explain.
You remember how the 23rd Psalm begins. “The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.”
Then there was Jesus. He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I AM the Door of the sheep……I AM the Door: by me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture……I AM the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep….I AM the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”
He preceded these statements by saying, “But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” (see John 10)
Then Peter came along and said, “For you were going astray like so many sheep, but now you have come back to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” (I Peter 2:25 Amplified) He followed that by saying, “And then when the Chief Shepherd is revealed you will win the conqueror’s crown of glory.”
Got the picture, right?
The Scripture talks a lot about shepherds. Mainly, we are given a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ as being a shepherd, like a shepherd, knowing his “sheep,” and his “sheep” knowing Him.
When David began to write the 23rd Psalm, he sat on the hillsides tending to, and watching over, a flock of sheep. He understood the metaphor of the Lord being his shepherd. He, himself, had led his sheep to green pastures where they could feed and eat well. He had protected his sheep from the lions and the wolves. He knew full well the implications of putting his life on the line for his flock.
When I was visiting Uncle Roy, I saw something that surprised me. He didn’t have a sheep dog. Most folks who raise and tend sheep these days have a sheep dog that runs alongside the sheep to keep them on track, to keep them from straying off the path. Most of the folks I’ve seen who raise sheep walk behind them as they head to pasture. The sheep dog keeps them in check.
We call folks who work this way, “sheepherders.” The difference is pretty clear, but let me elaborate.
What really surprised me about Uncle Roy wasn’t so much the lack of a sheep dog, but the fact that when he headed out to the pasture, the sheep followed him. He could whistle, wave his hands, or just call, and they would all come running. I walked with him as we headed out to the pasture. It was really funny to watch the sheep following us.
There were a few sheep, of course that wandered off to the side, and even a few that ran ahead of us. It was one sheep, however, that really caught my attention.
This particular sheep was walking right alongside Uncle Roy. He never left Uncle Roy’s side. We got out to the pasture, and the sheep all kind of scattered like sheep do as they look for the best, the greenest grass. This one sheep, however, didn’t wander away. Wherever Uncle Roy was, he just stayed within ten or fifteen feet and ate the grass.
As we walked back toward the farmhouse, I commented on the fact that this one sheep seemed to be so attached to him. Brother, this sheep was close he rubbed up against Uncle Roy’s
pant legs while he walked.
Uncle Roy chuckled, and he said, “I’ve got a story to tell you about this sheep.”
We got back to the farmhouse, and Uncle Roy sat down on the steps of the back porch. The sheep stayed right there, and allowed me to pet him while the story unfolded.
“When this sheep was just a young lamb, he was always getting into trouble. Man, no matter what I did, he was always getting tangled up in something. One day he fell over a ditch embankment into the creek. He nearly drowned before I got to him in time.
“It wasn’t long thereafter that we were out again, and I saw the lamb headed for another dangerous place. I knew if I didn’t do something, this lamb’s curiosity was going to kill him. He was bound to get into something I couldn’t extricate him from in time.
“You see this staff that I walk with.” He was holding up a kind of bent limb – maybe six or six-and-a-half feet long shorn of all twigs and leaves. It was pretty worn, and I could see that he had used it for a long time.
“This may not look like your regular shepherd’s staff, but it works the same way. It works for a rod, and it works for a staff.
“I caught the lamb before it could get into more trouble. While it was standing in front of me, I took this staff and laid it across the front legs of the lamb, and then quickly struck those legs, breaking them.”
I cringed at the thought. “Oooohh. Ouch!” I said.
“Sound’s cruel doesn’t it? But I was saving the lamb’s life. I picked up the lamb, took it home, and made some splints. Then I carried it from that day forth for several weeks until those legs healed. All the while I carried the lamb, he snuggled up against me. He felt the beat of my heart. He felt my love for him. By the time those legs had healed, that lamb knew me.
“He knew when I spoke to the other sheep and called them. He knew when I reached out to protect them. He knew he was safe with me.
“Ever since I set that lamb down and he began to walk again on his own, he hasn’t left my side. He goes everywhere I go – or everywhere I let him go with me.”
Lots of things made sense when I heard Uncle Roy’s story. The significance of the statements in the 23rd Psalm really became clear.
“The Lord is my Shepherd.” No kidding. Ever notice the difference between shepherds and sheepherders? Shepherds lead. Sheepherders drive. Shepherds are gentle. Sheepherders use force.
Again, it’s one of those things that differentiate between Jesus Christ and Christianity, and the religions of this world. Jesus is a gentleman. He never forces Himself on anyone.
He looks out for His own. He is protective and loving. Religion and religious leaders generally compel people, often using force.
“The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.” Watching that one particular sheep who walked next to Uncle Roy, as well as all the other sheep that followed him, was a perfect example. Those sheep never had to worry about being fed, being protected, or having their needs taken care of.
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” Right. Those sheep were always led to the greenest grass. They never had to worry about a sufficient amount of the most nourishing food.
It’s the same with Jesus. He ensures that we are fed from His word with all we could possibly want or need. There is no need that He can’t and won’t meet.
“He leadeth me beside the still waters.” I realized that Uncle Roy didn’t allow the sheep to wander down the embankment where the stream was mucky and muddy, and where cows and horses often crossed. He led the sheep some distance away where the stream widened out, where the water was deeper and ran very slowly. You could see the bottom easily. The silt and sediment had dropped to the creek bed, and the water was easy to drink from.
For me, this was a picture of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit doesn’t roil, doesn’t muck things up. The Holy Spirit works in us to water the word and to make it become life. He gets us ready for all the work He needs to do in our lives.
“He restoreth my soul.” I don’t think there could have been a clearer picture of restoration than Uncle Roy carrying that lamb next to him everywhere he walked. He had to use his staff to break the lamb’s legs because the lamb was getting into trouble. That lamb had a personality and a will of its own; and that will was to do everything that could lead him to injury and likely death. Carrying that lamb for those weeks changed the character and personality of that lamb. It no longer was willful and obstinate.
Wow. I can see that this story could easily get very long with these illustrations, and it wasn’t my purpose to go through the 23rd Psalm today. I just got started, and things sort of took off. Maybe I’ll get a chance to come back to this topic and deal with things a little more substantially.
I was with some friends from Barrow, Alaska a few years ago who own farms and ranches in Indiana and Kansas. We took some time to check on those farms and see how the caretakers were doing. At a ranch in Indiana, I was surprised to find that they raised sheep. The fellow who was taking care of the sheep sure wasn’t an Uncle Roy. He was a sheepherder. He had a couple of sheep dogs. When we got to the ranch, the sheepherder was gone with the sheep, so we tracked him down in some pastures and drove the truck out to where he was with the sheep.
As we got there, I saw him holler at some sheep that were over next to the neighbor’s electric fence. They didn’t respond to his shouts, so he ran toward them waving a whip in his hand. They just stood there. I heard him shout, “Dumb! Stupid! Move it.” He cracked the whip down on them and they jumped and ran.
He had seen us drive up and came over to talk to the owners. I took the opportunity to say to him, “Why did you use the whip on the sheep?” He looked at me with this ‘you poor dummy, you just don’t know anything’ look and said, “Awww. They are just dumb animals. They don’t know any better.”
Uncle Roy’s example stood out in glaring contrast.
Again I saw the difference between a shepherd and a sheepherder. Brother! What a difference in spirit and attitude.
It was – again – a clear example of what differentiates true Christianity from religion. Jesus doesn’t threaten us. He doesn’t holler at us. He doesn’t condemn us. He doesn’t whip us into submission.
He does warn us of the consequences of our actions, our sin – if you will. But he doesn’t beat us over the head with it. He leads us in love to a prosperous life, a life of peace and security, a life where every single need is met. He protects us from danger and goes after our enemies – particularly, the enemy of our soul.
Religion and religious leaders have it exactly backwards. They threaten, they use force, and they attempt to beat folks into submission. Everything with religion is performance-based. You either measure up, or you are condemned. If you miss keeping some law or commandment, brother, are you in trouble!
Jesus uses only one yardstick in His dealings with us: Love. Our relationship with Him isn’t performance-based. It isn’t based in whether we screw up or not. Our relationship is based in love. Love does correct. Love does admonish. But Love also goes before us with the standard. Love isn’t driving. Love isn’t forceful. Love doesn’t try to get its way through threats and intimidation.
Shepherds use love. They lead. Sheepherders use anger and force. They drive.
Personally, I’d a whole lot rather be led than driven, thank you very much. Thank you, Jesus!
Finish your tea, Michael! Hey, I tried it today. It sounds worse than it tastes. The rest of you finish your cup of coffee, and we’ll talk more tomorrow.
Have the best day of your life, folks. Blessings on you!
Regner A. Capener
EKKLESIA HOUSE
RR-15, Box 6180
Mission, TX 78574-9589
(956) 583-5355
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