John 10:11

The Good Shepherd

I am the good shepherd. John 10:11.

A shepherd in Palestine is a much more common sight than is a shepherd in this country. There a great many people are employed in keeping sheep. That is why we so often find sheep and shepherds mentioned a the Bible. Customs change very slowly in the East, and the shepherds today are so like what they were in Bible times that we get a very good idea of a shepherd's life when we read of Joseph going to see his brethren while they were keeping the sheep, or of David being called away from his sheep to be anointed king of Israel, or of shepherds watching their flocks by night at Bethlehem,

While they are very little, boys, and sometimes girls, begin to take care of the sheep. And they make friends with each sheep, and know the little differences between them (for sheep are not so much alike as one would think). Each sheep has its own name, such as “Brown Ear” or “Lame Leg,” and the sheep know their names.

At first the little shepherds are not allowed to go very far from home. When they grow older they are trusted to care for the sheep entirely and to take them away long distances to find pasture. The pasture is very scarce, especially in the dry season when the grass is dried up with the fierce heat, and the sheep must be taken from place to place wherever pasture may be found. In spring they feed in the plains, but in the heat of summer they are taken up to the mountains.

In appearance the Eastern shepherd is an unusual figure. He wears a large cloak made of sheep-skin, or woven of wool or hair. This coat protects him from the cold at night. In the breast of it is a deep pocket, so big that he can carry in it any poor little lamb that has got hurt, or is too young to keep up with the others. At his side hangs a bag of skin, called a scrip, in which he carries some bread and cheese, also olives or figs and a drinking pitcher. Hanging to his belt is his “rod,” a stout club for defending himself against wild beasts or other enemies. In his hand is a long staff which he uses for walking, and for knocking down leaves for his sheep. Like David, he has a sling with which he can throw stones at an enemy or frighten a lazy sheep.

The shepherd does not drive his sheep before him: he goes in front and calls to them, and they follow him. They know his voice, and if anyone else tries to produce the same cries, they look round startled and begin to scatter.

As there are no walls round the fields of barley or wheat, the shepherd must take care that his sheep do not stray into them, and when they are feeding away from all cultivated lands he must be just as careful,

lest they wander and get lost or stolen. If he sees one wandering, and it does not come when he calls, he puts a stone into his sling and throws it so that it will fall just beyond the sheep and frighten it back.

The same shepherd often has separate flocks, one of sheep and one of goats, and he must lead them where he can find food for both, for they do not like the same food. The sheep prefer the fresh grass of the plains, the goats the leaves and twigs of trees which are to be found on the rocky cliffs. The shepherd must find places where food is to be had and lead his flocks there, and sometimes he must cut down the branches of trees to feed them.

Goats do not mind the heat, but sheep do, and so in the heat of the day a shady place must be found for them to shelter in. Sometimes in the hot season they lie in the fold all day, and feed only during the night. Then they must have water, and the shepherd knows where there is a stream, or a well with troughs round it. He must draw water from the well with a bucket and fill the troughs for his thirsty sheep. A great many shepherds may come with their flocks to the same well, but the sheep never get mixed, because each sheep knows its own master's voice, and will follow no other.

There are many dangers in a shepherd's life. In this country the sheep may lie out on the hills in perfect safety, but in Palestine there are wild animals, against which they must be protected. There are wolves, and jackals, and hyenas prowling about at night, and in some parts leopards are seen now and then. In the holes of the rocks where the sheep feed there are poisonous snakes. All these may attack the shepherd as well as the sheep. Or a great bird of prey, such as a vulture, may swoop down, and carry away a little lamb or a kid.

There are other dangers too. There are wandering Bedouin robbers, who will steal any animal they can find unless the shepherd is brave enough to defend it. The shepherd has often to fight for his sheep, and may have to give his very life for them. It is then that the good shepherd shows his love for his sheep. A hired shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, will run away from the wolf or the robber and leave the sheep to their fate.

To keep the sheep safely at night the shepherd puts them into a fold. It is an enclosure made by building a rough high wall and laying a quantity of furze or other thorns on the top. The flocks of several shepherds may all be put into one fold. The door is guarded by one man, and the others lie down to sleep near. Yet sometimes wild animals may spring into the fold; or a robber may come and climb the wall. Only a robber would do that, for if he were a shepherd the porter would open the door for him. The sheep are counted when they are put in, and when they are taken out. When the day dawns the shepherds wake up, and come for their sheep. The porter opens the door, and each shepherd “putteth forth his own sheep.”

“I am the good shepherd,” said Christ. Yes, He is the Shepherd, and we are His sheep. It is He who goes before us, leading us home to a safe fold in Heaven. He loves us, as the shepherd loves his lambs when he carries them in his bosom. He calls to us when we wander away from Him, and brings us back in case we should get lost. He defends us from our enemies, and, like a true shepherd, He gave His very life for us.

When Jesus had gone up to Heaven, His people loved to remember that He had called Himself their Shepherd. In the earliest Christian pictures, this was how they liked best to show Him. Very soon after His death Christians were persecuted for His sake. In Rome they had to meet in secret in underground burying-places called Catacombs. They cut pictures showing their faith on the rock walls, and on the tombs, and the favorite one was the Good Shepherd. Sometimes He was sitting among His sheep, but often He was carrying a sheep on His shoulders; for they remembered, when they buried their friends, that the Good Shepherd could carry their souls to Heaven, as the earthly shepherd carries home a weary sheep.