“Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”  Psalm 100:3

Sheep are weird but fun to watch.  My grandpa raised sheep.  I learned much by watching him relate to and work with his herd.  The sheep knew his voice and came when he called—immediately.  Sheep, however only know what is in front of them.  Sheep follow other sheep until the Shepherd comes to herd them to greener grass with a source of water nearby.  The Shepherd knows what the sheep need at any given time.  When one wanders off, he knows he needs to go after it.  The Shepherd counts and examines the sheep often as he protects them from dangers with ways to keep them healthy and strong.  The Shepherd has a unique relationship with the sheep and the sheep know and follow the recognizable sound of His voice. 

Sheep tend to follow their noses as they just want to eat their fill.  Sometimes, the sheep butt heads as they get in each other’s way to the food or water.  The Shepherd will watch to see if He needs to intervene but most times, they work it out on their own.  Sheep do not realize other sheep want what they want, too.

Sheep love to be near the Shepherd who leads them.  Sheep are selfish.  They will sometimes push and shove their heads and bodies as battering rams as they struggle to get attention from the Shepherd.  They have a strong relationship with the Shepherd but do not realize they have a relationship, good or bad, with other sheep in the flock.

Sheep are jealous.  If the Shepherd leaves them for a moment to tend to a wandering sheep, some will wander off too, just to get the attention.  When the Shepherd carries a lost sheep back to the fold, they don’t care, they just want to be fed.  The Shepherd looks for sores or other infections and applies special oils to bring healing before it spreads.  The other healthier sheep crowd around the Shepherd to get some, too.  Amusing, really.

At the end of the day, the Shepherd calms the flock as they rest together.  The Shepherd never leaves.  He is always with them, protecting them, as he watching over them even as they rest.   

Matthew 18, The Message

Work It Out Between You

^12-14 “Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn’t he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn’t want to lose even one of these simple believers.

^15-17 “If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church. If he won’t listen to the church, you’ll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God’s forgiving love.

^18-20 “Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

A relationship with the Shepherd is vital for Life.  He is everything we need.

The Shepherd wants us to know and relate to Him so well that when He speaks, we recognize His voice and follow Him to what we need most.

Our relationship with the Shepherd is directly proportionate to our relationship with others.  As we realize the depth of the relentless love Jesus, the Good Shepherd has for us, our capacity to love each other grows exponentially!  We are in the same herd seeking the same Shepherd! 

Love God.  Love each other.  Jesus says all that we are and all that we do depend first on obedience to these two commandments as number on and two on the Top Ten chart of all commandments! 

The Shepherd recognizes, notices needs and cares for all His sheep.  We don’t need to butt heads over getting what we need.  We will all receive what we need when we need it most.

The Shepherd loves His Sheep so much He laid down His life so that they would all be saved.

It delights the Shepherd to see his sheep play well with others. 

The closer the sheep get to the Shepherd, the closer they are to each other.

The Shepherd is always with us, through thick and thin, good days and bad, guiding us to all that we need.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.  Psalm 23

Thank you, Lord!

In Jesus Name, Amen