Sheep
In reality, sheep are often muddy, smelly and caked with their own feces – a far cry from the fluffy white sheep often associated with the pastoral pictures of Psalm 23.
Leer en español después de la versión en inglés
April 30, 2023 – 4th Sunday of Easter
Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:19-35; John 10:1-10
Some sermons are more difficult than others. And, for me, Good Shepherd Sunday each year is a difficult one. The trouble is – I don't know much about sheep. I’m a city boy. My father was a farmer and he joined the army to get away from the farm. And my grandfather was mighty disappointed that I married a BIG city girl – and not a farmer's daughter. In 1965, I spent six weeks on my grandfather’s farm, and I have used that experience over and over again to relate to my rural parishioners. However, Granddad did not raise sheep. So you may want to take comments about sheep with a grain of salt.
What I do know about sheep is this. They tend to stink. They are pretty helpless. They're constantly getting lost. I really don’t like mutton. And wool is scratchy.
So why does the Bible refer to sheep so often? Probably it’s because sheep were so common. And because of that, the images that Jesus used were ones to which the people could relate. However, these images are obviously not as common to us. And, if we’re going to understand what Jesus was talking about, we need to get a feel for why sheep were so important and what a shepherd did.
Raising sheep was and still is a very common activity in Palestine. The shepherd’s task was not only constant but dangerous because he had to guard the sheep from wild animals and also from thieves. The equipment that the shepherd carried was very simple – but also very practical. He had a scrip. This was a bag made of the skin of an animal. He used the scrip to carry his food – probably just bread, dried fruit, some olives, and some cheese.
He also had his sling. It’s little wonder that David would be so accomplished with the sling that he could kill Goliath. He had spent many hours using the sling to care for the sheep that were under his protection. The sling could be used either in defense or offense, but it was also used to keep the sheep from straying too far. A stone placed right in front of a sheep that was wandering off would cause the stray to turn back and join the flock.
He also had his staff – referred to in the 23rd Psalm. This was a short wooden club with a lump of wood at the end and was often studded with nails. It usually had a slit in the handle and through it a leather thong was passed. Using the thong, the staff normally just hung at the shepherd’s side. But this was the weapon that the shepherd used to defend himself and his flock against thieves and robbers.
Finally, there was also the shepherd’s rod which is also referred to in the 23rd Psalm. The rod was the shepherd’s crook. With it he could catch and pull back any sheep which was beginning to stray away. In addition, at the end of each day, it was the custom for the shepherd to hold his staff quite low to the ground and have each sheep pass under it. As the sheep passed under, the shepherd would quickly examine each one to see if it had received any injury during the day.
In Palestine, the shepherd always went in front of his sheep leading them to the next pastureland, and making sure that the path was safe. The sheep in Palestine were largely kept for their wool, not mutton. So, a shepherd would get to know his sheep very well. Almost always a shepherd would name his sheep. Usually they were descriptive names – brown leg, or black ear – something like that. And the sheep literally would know the shepherd by his voice. Often, two, three or four herds would come together for the night in a sheepfold. In the morning, the shepherds would call for their sheep, and unerringly, the sheep would go with the correct shepherd.
It is this sort of image that Jesus was calling to mind. And, without a doubt – we, as human beings are the sheep. Phillip Keller in his fascinating book "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23" says: “It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep. The behavior of sheep and human beings is similar in many ways . . . our mass mind (or mob instincts), our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits, are all parallels of profound importance.”1
Further on, Keller continues: “We don’t want to follow [the Shepherd]. We don’t want to be led in paths of righteousness. Somehow it goes against our grain. We prefer to turn to our own way even though it may take us straight into trouble. The stubborn, self-willed, proud, self-sufficient sheep that persists in pursuing its old paths and grazing on its old polluted ground will end up a bag of bones on ruined land. The world we live in is full of such folk. Broken homes, broken hearts, derelict lives, and twisted personalities remind us everywhere of men and women who have gone their own way. We have a sick society struggling to survive on beleaguered land. The greed and selfishness of mankind leaves behind a legacy of ruin and remorse.” (p. 74)
There are many times in life when we need a shepherd. When things don’t go well – it is to the Shepherd that we should turn. Someone once said: If you can’t sleep at night, don't count sheep; talk to the Shepherd. But Jesus goes even further than that. In the Gospel lesson he says: “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” (John 10:9 NRSV) Jesus is there to protect us. At night the sheep were kept in a pen without a gate or door. The shepherds lay down to sleep in the opening. The shepherd was literally "the gate."
The message that we receive from the lessons for today is – God loves us and cares for us as if we were God’s sheep. We have a shepherd that is constantly looking out for us. A Sunday School superintendent once asked: "Who can tell me what a yoke is?" "Something they put on the necks of animals," answered a ten-year- old girl. Then," asked the leader, "what is God's yoke?" There was silence until a four-year-old raised his hand and said, “God, putting His arms around our neck.”
The Good News this Sunday is that we do have a shepherd who is there to look out for us. Our shepherd is willing to put up with our stench. People are not always lovely. Lives can get pretty messy. But Jesus is willing to meet us as we are. Jesus keeps his sheep from danger. If we would pay attention, and follow him, what a difference that would make in our lives.
The shepherd never tires. Again and again, he brings his sheep together after they have gone astray. And no matter how many times we continue to go astray, he’s still there leading us in the paths of righteousness. The shepherd cares for his sheep. He knows them by name. He cares for each of them deeply. The shepherd provides for his sheep. “I shall not want.” “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” The shepherd is never afraid to roll up his sleeves and pitch in to help his sheep. He helps the lamb be born. He gets the sheep out of the tangled bush.
The challenge that we face today and every day is to turn to the shepherd rather than ourselves. May we ever know the Shepherd more and more.
1Keller, W. Phillip, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23: Anniversary Edition, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1970, p. 21.
2Ibid., p. 74.
Paul Burrow is a retired elder in the Iowa Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. In retirement, he serves two small rural churches (with retired farmers who raised sheep). He and his wife, Nancy, live in Indianola, Iowa.
Ovejas y Pastor
Memorándum para los que predican
30 abril, 2023 – Cuarto domingo de la Resurrección
Hechos 2:42-47; Salmos 23; 1 Pedro 2:19-35; Juan 1-10
Por Paul I. Burrow (burrowpi@yahoo.com)
Algunos sermones son más difíciles que otros. Y, para mí, el Domingo del Buen Pastor cada año es un domingo difícil. El problema es – no sé mucho acerca de ovejas. Soy hombre de la ciudad. Mi padre era granjero, pero ingresó en el ejército para escaparse de la granja. Y mi abuelo fue tan desilusionado cuando me casé con una chica de la ciudad grande – y no una chica de la granja. En 1965, pasé 6 semanas en la granja de mi abuelo, y he usado esa experiencia una vez y otra y otra para relacionarme con mi parroquianos rurales (aunque tengo que admitir que no hice esto con mis parroquianos latinos/hispanos porque casi todos vinieron de la ciudad). Pero, mi abuelito no crió a ovejas. Así que, Uds. pueden tomar lo que digo hoy con pinzas.
Lo que sí sé de las ovejas es esto. Huelen. Casi no pueden ayudarse a sí mismos. Siempre se pierden. No me gusta la carne de carnero. Y la lana rasca el piel.
Entonces, ¿por qué aparecen las ovejas en la Biblia tanto? Probablemente porque las ovejas eran tan comunes. Y, a cause de eso, las imágenes que Jesús usó fueron imágenes que la gente podía comprender. Pero, estas imágenes no son tan comunes a nosotros. Así que, si vamos a comprender lo que dijo Jesús, necesitamos saber por qué eran tan importantes las ovejas y qué hacían los pastores. El criar las ovejas era y todavía es una actividad muy común en Palestina. El trabajo del pastor no era solamente constante sino peligroso, porque también tenía que proteger al rebaño contra animales salvajes, y siempre había ladrones listos para robar las ovejas. El equipo que llevaba el pastor era muy simple – pero también práctico. Tenía su cédula. Ésta era una bolsa hecha del piel de un animal. Usaba la cédula para llevar su comida – probablemente solamente pan, fruta seca, unas aceitunas, y queso. También tenía su honda. No es nada maravillosa que David sabía usar la honda que podía usar para matar a Goliat. Había pasado muchas horas usando la honda para cuidar a las ovejas bajo su protección. La honda se usaba defensivamente y ofensivamente – pero también se usaba para que las ovejas no iban demasiado lejos. Una piedra puesta exactamente delante de la oveja, y la oveja se juntaría otra vez con el rebaño. También tenía su bastón como en el Salmo 23. Ésta era una clava – con claveles al punto. Tenía de ordinario un agujero con un hilo de cuero. De ordinario, el bastón fue colgado del cinturón del pastor. Pero, al atacar ladrones, ésta es la arma que el pastor usaba para defenderse. También había la vara del pastor – también como en el Salmo 23. La vara era el gancho del pastor. Con ella el pastor podía agarrar y tirar a la oveja que iba a ir demasiado lejos. Más, al fin del día, el pastor ponía su vara muy bajo a la tierra para que cada oveja tuviera que pasar debajo de la vara. Mientras que pasaba cada oveja, el pastor rápidamente la examinaba para ver si se había dañado durante el día.
En Palestina, el pastor siempre iba delante de las ovejas conduciéndolas al próximo apacentadero, y asegurando que la senda era segura. En Palestina tenían las ovejas para la lana – no para el carne – y por eso un pastor conocía muy bien a cada oveja. Casi siempre el pastor nombraba a las ovejas. De ordinario, eran nombres descriptivos – oreja negra, o pata blanca – algo así. Y las ovejas literalmente conocían al pastor por la voz. Muchas veces, tres o cuatro pastores se juntaban para protección durante la noche. Pero, por la mañana, cuando llamaban los pastores, sin error – sin equivocación – las ovejas seguían al pastor suyo – porque podían oír el sonido de su voz.
Es tal imagen que Jesús usa en la lectura hoy. Y, sin duda, nosotros somos las ovejas. Phillip Keller en su libro fascinante Un Pastor Mira el Salmo 23 dice: “No es por casualidad que Dios ha escogido la imagen de la oveja para nosotros. El comportamiento de la oveja y la conducta de los humanos son semejantes en muchas maneras. El actuar en grupos grandes, nuestros miedos, nuestras tonterías y a veces nuestra estupidez – todos son semejantes a las ovejas.”1 Después Keller continúa: “No queremos seguir [al Pastor]. No queremos los caminos rectos. Preferimos nuestras propias sendas. Queremos seguir nuestros camino aún si nos lleva a situaciones peligrosas. Y no aprendemos muchas veces de nuestras equivocaciones. La oveja que no aprende – muere. Algunas veces lo mismo nos pasa a nosotros, pero otras veces nos creamos situaciones peores. Pero, no seguimos al Pastor.”2
Hay muchas veces durante la vida cuando necesitamos a un pastor. Cuando nos enfrentamos con dificultades en las vida – debemos ir al Pastor. Alguien ha dicho: “Si no puedes dormir por la noche, no cuentes las ovejas – sino habla con el Pastor.” Pero Jesús va aún más allá. “ Yo soy la puerta: el que por mí entre será salvo; entrará y saldrá, y hallará pastos” (Juan 10:9 RVR95). Jesús está con nosotros para protegernos. Por la noche las ovejas dormían en un corral sin puerta. El pastor se acostaba en la apertura. Literalmente, el pastor era la puerta.
La Buena Nueva este domingo es que tenemos un pastor para protegernos. Puede aguantar nuestro olor. Nuestras vidas son feas a veces. No somos personas bellas siempre. Pero, a Jesús no le importa. Jesús nos quiere como somos. Jesús asegura que no entremos en el peligro. Si ponemos atención, si lo seguimos – ¡Qué diferencia hace en nuestras vidas! Nuestro pastor nunca se cansa. Una vez y otra, ayuda a sus ovejas. Y una vez y otra nos conduce por los caminos rectos. Tratamos de ir por nuestros caminos, pero Jesús nos conduce por el camino bueno – el camino real. Nuestro pastor cuida a las ovejas. Conoce a cada oveja por su nombre. Y cada oveja le es muy importante. Nuestro pastor provee lo que las ovejas necesiten. “Jehová es mi pastor, nada me faltará.” “En lugares de delicados pastos me hará descansar.” Nuestro pastor nunca teme ayudar a sus ovejas. Ayuda a nacer el cordero. Salva la vida de la oveja en peligro. Y ayuda a la oveja vieja morir en paz.
El desafío hoy y cada día es depender del pastor en vez de nosotros mismos. Que nosotros conozcamos más y más al Buen Pastor – nuestros Señor – Jesucristo.
1 1Keller, W. Phillip, Un Pastor Mira el Salmo 23: Edición de Aniversario [A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23: Anniversary Edition], Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1970, p. 21.
2Ibid., p. 74.
Paul Burrow es presbítero jubilado en la Conferencia Anual de La Iglesia Metodista Unida. En su jubilación, sirve a dos iglesias pequeñas y rurales (con granjeros jubilados que criaban a ovejas). Él y su esposa, Nancy, viven en Indianola, Iowa.