Sally Sheep was given as a birthday gift to Aunt Phyllis by her brother Jerry when they celebrated their 98th and 92nd birthdays in 2018. He thought she would think it funny since they both grew up on a Nebraska farm. Violet had just turned one, so Phyllis gave it to her, and we have had fun with her ever since. Violet gave her the name Sally; she gets all her checkups with the vet; hence, notecards hung around her neck!
I used to think a shepherd had an easy life. Not so. My perceptions changed after I read Phillip Keller’s book, A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm. Shepherds had it rough for three reasons: 1) They were classified as outcasts in society, often vilified as thieves and unreliable witnesses; 2) they lived isolated lives, separated from community for long stretches of time while they guided their flocks through valleys and plains; and 3) the flock depended on its shepherd completely, for food, water, and safety.
When the sheep were resting and feeding at home, the village would have a common walled-in area in which sheep could safely spend the night. The shepherd watched and protected them by lying down across that gate. The Hebrew word for shepherd literally means “one who feeds and nourishes”, so is it any wonder that Jesus is called the Good Shepherd?
The meaning of God using shepherds as the first witnesses to the birth of Jesus is not lost on me. The vision told in Ezekiel 34 predicts what they already knew: This baby, the predicted Messiah, would go to the uttermost lengths to rescue us; that’s why He entered the world. The shepherds knew about fast and loving rescues of cast sheep or those who wandered to the edge of dangerous cliffs. They knew how to “make haste”! They heeded the angels’ message, and you can bet they took their flocks with them!
I imagine a raucous, joyous image of them, exhausted from their travels with their wooly companions, yet so happy they couldn’t hide their enthusiasm from others; they were the first witnesses to the birth and the first messengers of the good news about the Messiah. What are you “making haste” over these days? May we all recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd who says to each of us, “Follow me.”
