I Looked up the nature of sheep the other day. It was very interesting. I can’t remember which sites I looked at, but this is roughly what I found out.
They like to see other sheep – to be in visual contact of each other. (much like people). They rely on their sight, (like people do), but they have poor depth of vision and can struggle to assess the width of a gap or gate.
Sheep have excellent hearing and can find where a sound is originating from, but they are alarmed by loud sudden noises. (Like most people, although we do laugh at ourselves when we realise we are safe).
They have an excellent sense of smell, (better than people), and can smell their predators. They also locate their lambs etc by smell as well as good pasture.
Sheep like to follow the leader. If one moves, the rest will follow – (again, although we may not like to adimit it, people do follow the crowd or a dominant personality), which sometimes leads to tragedies when the ‘leader’ takes a dangerous route. There will usually be a dominant sheep who leads the flock.
A sheep or lamb that is isolated from others can be a signal that they have health issues. (As with people, especially when we have mental health issues).
Healthy sheep love to eat and will follow a farmer with a bucket of food. They will eat foods that are not good for them. (Remind you of anyone?)
They will grind their teeth when in pain. (As we do).
They learn their names and will come when called, (as we do), and will follow someone they trust but will avoid a stranger. (something we are not always good at).They recognise their owners voice if called from a flock of mixed owned sheep.
Twin lambs separated when weaned, will miss each other, and can recognise each other even after a couple of years of being in different paddocks.
They do not like to move into a dark space and will remain in one field or area where they feel safe or where thy have been trained to graze. They can get into difficulties when trying to reach food or water that is not close or safe enough to get to. (People will take risks for many reasons, getting food for our families is one very strong reason men take risks).
Family groups will graze together in a field. (People will sit in family groups when out, even when at family parties you find smaller groups of close families will sit together).
Rams can be aggressive, (isn't that true?), especially in rutting season and are not trustworthy as pets. Avoid touching their heads in case they see it as a challenge. (We can all see things done in innocence as a challenge to ourselves or our way of life and get offended). When you work with sheep, a ram will try to dominate you as part of his flock. (Males natural strength and leadership tendencies can be misused in family or work life if not checked).
They often need help when giving birth. (As do women).
In short. Sheep need a shepherd. (As do people)
Jesus used sheep and shepherds to illustrate his meaning because many people in Israel kept at least one sheep. They would choose one person from the village to take the flock up the mountain to graze, and the shepherd would stay up there with them to protect them from predators. They would also bring the sheep into a walled pen at night and the shepherd himself would physically sleep in the door/gateway so that nothing could get to the sheep without him knowing about it.
Jesus refers to himself as the good shepherd and those who follow him as his sheep, because when we go away from God, we are in as much danger as a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Jesus says he is the owner of the sheep and loves them. He also promises to stay with the sheep and protect them, even give his life to save them – which he did. He shows us how much he loves us and how much he is prepared to give for us.
We are his flock. We are the sheep of his pasture. We need him, and he will come again to call his sheep to himself to take them home. We need to be prepared for that day.
Waiting for him can seem to take for ever, and many other ‘shepherds’ will try and steal us away from him, saying “Where is he? He doesn’t care for you… come with me and I’ll show you a better place to stay.” But his sheep know his voice and will go only to him, and they will wait for him patiently.
So, as his flock, we need to get to know his voice. Ask for his guidance to hear his voice, and always look to Jesus for our safety. He will come again and get us home safely.
This is how I understand my God.
See John 10:1-14
Read for yourself, see what you think.