Sheep Need a Shepherd - September 28
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 97, 99, [100]; PM Psalm 94, [95]; 2 Chron. 29:1-3,30:1(2-9)10-27; 1 Cor. 7:32-40; Matt. 7:1-12
Today’s Reflection
Know this: The Lord himself is God; he himself has made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. –Psalm 100:2
This past Sunday afternoon, being exceptionally tired out, I did something I rarely do—I stretched out in the living room and turned on the TV. I was in the mood for something British. I thought maybe Pride and Prejudice, but after a few minutes decided against it. I considered Peppa Pig, which puts me to sleep every single time (the characters’ voices and the theme song are very soothing), but decided against that because I didn’t want to fall asleep immediately. Finally, I turned to see if there were any new episodes of the Grand Tour (the Amazon version of Top Gear), but finding none I settled on a new series featuring one of the Grand Tour guys, Jeremy Clarkson.
If you’re familiar with Jeremy Clarkson, then you’ll know that the whole premise of the series Clarkson’s Farm is meant to be ridiculous. Clarkson, having made many millions of pounds over the years as a Top Gear presenter, owns a 1,000-acre farm in the Cotswolds. The premise of the show is that his farm overseer is retiring, and he wants to learn to run the farm for himself. So, he goes about working with local farmers, Cotswolds born and raised, ostensibly to learn about how to do things like use tractors and farm equipment to prepare soil, plant seeds, and harvest crops (episode 1, “Tractoring”). While it had some humorous moments, the “Tractoring” episode put me to sleep and next thing I knew we were at the beginning of episode 2, “Sheeping.”
Here’s the main thing I learned from watching Jeremy Clarkson trying to raise sheep: both Jeremy Clarkson and sheep are quite difficult to herd! So, when I read in Psalm 100 that we are God’s people and the sheep of his pasture, it puts me in mind everything Clarkson learned about raising sheep. First, you need to give the sheep some boundaries. Clarkson figured he could just rely on the traditional stone walls that mark off sections of his farmland—but he learned that sheep, though they seem docile and unathletic, in fact are quite capable of jumping over walls. And once one sheep jumps over a wall, all the rest of the sheep will follow.
Farmer Clarkson also learned that one needs to provide sufficient food for the sheep, especially once the ewes are expecting their lambs. While the whole sheep farming venture began as a means to mow some of his fields naturally, in fact the sheep so quickly eat the grasses in a pasture that he then needed to purchase expensive hay to supplement his farm’s grass. He also learned that sheep get injured and require expensive veterinary care. Overall, sheep are animals who are difficult to herd and cost much more to raise than the amount he would make from selling off the lambs—and certainly much, much more than it would have cost to just hire someone to mow his fields!
Like sheep, we need boundaries to keep us in the safe pasture where God would rather us be. Like sheep, we need extra attention and nourishment to keep us healthy and well. Like sheep, we need someone willing to look out for us and keep us within those safe boundaries and focused on what is most essential for our life and well-being.
And like Jeremy Clarkson, we are stubborn and wrong-headed! We think that surely our more complicated way of doing things will somehow be better than the simpler, tried-and-true ways of tending the flock.
I, for one, am quite glad that God is my shepherd (and not Jeremy Clarkson). Because, as amusing as it was at times to see the very un-farmerlike Clarkson ostensibly trying to learn about sheep farming, what is needed is someone truly committed to guiding and nurturing us. God himself has made us and we are his, the sheep of God’s pasture.
—Becky+
Questions for Self-Reflection
Reflecting on yourself, in what ways are you like a sheep in need of a shepherd? Who have been some good shepherd figures in your life? What have these shepherds done to gently keep you in a safe pasture?
Daily Challenge
Learn more about sheep and shepherding in the Bible and art by reading this article on Bible Odyssey.