Shepherds, sheep or lambs are mentioned 420 times in the Bible. This is because one of the most helpful analogies of the relationship between God and us is the relationship between a good shepherd and his sheep. The TRUE shepherd cares for his sheep and they trust him. This is how it should be between God and us. The 23rd Psalm still seems to convey a deep meaning, even in this industrialized 21st century. Isaiah conveys the tender care of God for His people, whom He loves so much, which ensures that even the weakest are not left behind: “He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40 v 11). John records how Jesus used this analogy when describing Himself as a good shepherd, who was even willing to lay down his life for his sheep, “I AM the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his LIFE for the sheep” (John 10 v 11). In John’s Gospel, Jesus says, “I AM” several times, indicating who He is. This is a reference to God in the burning bush, declaring to Moses that ‘I AM’ is God’s name (Exodus 3 v 14).

Sheep rearing today is very different from that which took place during Jesus’ time on earth. Modern day large-scale sheep farming involves enormous flocks with very little, if any, individual contact with a shepherd. The mortality rate is high and the sheep endure extreme weather conditions and distressing commercial practices such as teeth-grinding and tail-cutting or mulesing. There is absolutely no true comparison with the scriptural image, even when flocks are smaller and under the care of a shepherd.

The majority of sheep in biblical times were not reared for meat, as they are today, but for wool. This meant that the shepherd had a long and caring relationship with them which, usually, lasted a natural lifespan. The good shepherd loved his sheep, guiding them through dangers, protecting them from harm, seeking out green pastures for them and rejoicing at their well-being.

These scriptural images however, do more than describe the depth and width of God’s love. They also tell us a lot about what should be the right relationship between humans and animals. In analogies and parables we tend to concentrate solely on what is being illustrated, rather than on the material of the illustration. This pastoral analogy helps to make God’s love real to us. But the point we often miss is that, if God’s love can be likened to the relationship between a good shepherd and his sheep, then great value is given to that relationship itself. The joy of a shepherd at finding a lost sheep, not only gives us an idea of God’s joy when a sinner repents of their ways, but the earthly joy is the same as the heavenly. God’s love for us, and the shepherd’s love for his sheep, are both part of the same universal love.

By becoming flesh in Jesus, God united earth and heaven and made it clear that there is a similarity between the earthly story and the heavenly meaning of a parable. The love of the father of the prodigal son is of the same kind as that of the heavenly Father; and the joy of the woman who found the lost coin is of the same kind as the angels’ joy over a penitent sinner. Jesus’ love not only illustrated God’s love; it was God’s love, and it was expressed in all the situations of His earthly life; and in the everyday situations out of which He constructed His parables. Jesus is asking us to look for the Kingdom of God within the kind of situations that He describes in His parables.

The relationship between humans and animals is raised to an extremely high level by the frequent use of the analogy of a shepherd to describe God’s love. When David says, “The Lord is my shepherd, therefore can I lack nothing” (Psalm 23 v 1), he is telling us a great deal about the shepherd’s care for his sheep, as well as about God’s love for him. He is saying that, if God is as good to him as a true shepherd is to his sheep, he need have no fear. He is also expressing the complete trust that develops between the sheep and their shepherd. This is what the relationship ought to be like between human beings and the animals that come under their control. When humans show themselves to be trustworthy, both domesticated animals and, to some extent, wild animals will cast fear and suspicion aside.

Whilst some people will say that a shepherd only looks after his sheep in order to make a living for himself, if this were the case, then the biblical analogy would be completely devalued. But Jesus went out of His way to contrast the good shepherd with the mercenary one who cannot be relied on to give consistent care to his flock when it conflicts with his own well-being.

If we look more closely at Jesus’ analogy of the good shepherd, we will see that the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep is very skilfully and beautifully indicated in several ways:

He Knows Them

The sheep and the shepherd know each other – “I AM the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10 v 14). It is the voice of the shepherd that enables the sheep to distinguish him. A sheep might easily mistake the appearance of a shepherd, as it cannot see very far, but it will not mistake his voice. In his book, ‘A Shepherd Remembers’, Dr Weatherhead describes an incident whereby a stranger dressed himself as a shepherd and misled a flock of sheep for a while, but when he opened his mouth and spoke to them, they fled in panic: “they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10 v 5). The same writer also talks of an eastern sheepfold housing several flocks. Every morning the shepherds come for them, each calling his own flock, and the sheep sort themselves out and surround their own shepherd: “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (John 10 v 3).

He Calls Them

So the description of the relationship between Jesus and His followers is developed. He knows His sheep; He calls to them. In the Bible, God’s call and mankind’s vocation to respond to His call is a basic conception. God is constantly calling people to follow Him, and His call is always an enabling one. His call includes the whole of creation, too. The intimate concern of the Creator for His creation ought to be the basis of our own reverence for creation. It should be impossible for those who truly believe in God to misuse His creation or, if they do, they should be in no doubt that they are doing wrong.

He Calls Them By Name

However we take the Genesis story which describes God as bringing the different animals He has created to Adam for him to give them their name, the eternal truth that is conveyed by this story is that mankind has a responsibility for the animals and is appointed to be their guardian. In the first chapter of Genesis it is God who gives names to the various parts of His creation, but in the second chapter Adam is asked to name the animals and birds. This is meant to show mankind’s special responsibility for them.

In the Bible, calling by name always implies a very special relationship, so the deep understanding between shepherd and sheep is again emphasized by Jesus, “He calls his own sheep by name” (John 10 v 3). Whilst all sheep look alike to us, in biblical times, a shepherd could not only distinguish between all of his sheep, but often had a name for each. This gives us an important analogy as, in these days when life is highly de-personalised, one of the marks of Christianity is that it upholds the importance of individual persons.
It is interesting to note, as an actual example of Jesus’ personal call, that when God “brought again from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13 v 20), the first person to see Him was Mary Magdalene. But, because of the change in her Lord’s resurrection body, she didn’t recognise Him; until He called His own sheep by name – “Mary!”, and then she recognised Him with great joy.

He Counts Them

References to counting add a final touch to this picture portraying God’s concern for His creation. The shepherd counts his sheep and, if just one out of a hundred is missing, he is not satisfied. Jeremiah longs for a day of restoration when, “flocks shall again pass under the hands of the one who counts them” (Jeremiah 33 v 13). “Not one is missing” (Isaiah 40 v 26); the law of God’s creation is completeness. Even the sparrow’s fall is marked by God. Jesus describes His own love for His people in terms of a shepherd’s love for his sheep when He says, “none shall pluck them out of my hand” (John 10 v 28); and later, when He prays for His followers, He emphasizes the fact that He has held together His little flock: “I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition” (John 17 v 12).

So the tender loving care of Jesus for His followers is described in this way. He knows His sheep, He calls them, He calls them by name, He counts them. And all the time, BOTH sides of the analogy must be considered. If ever mankind’s concern for sheep or for animals generally were to disappear, then this analogy would become pointless. And, not only this, but mankind would be denying his vocation to love and care for the animal creation, a vocation which is implied in the use of this analogy.

Denial Of Vocation

There is plenty of evidence of this denial of vocation. Billions of animals are today suffering dreadfully in systems such as factory farming, vivisection, bloodsports, fur and skin trading, entertainment etc. Harmless creatures are beaten, bludgeoned, boiled, burned, ground or skinned alive; continually forced to perform or work; de-hydrated; dragged by their ears or tails; electrocuted; exposed to extreme weather conditions; extracted of bile; hanged; hunted; imprisoned and unable to turn around; inflicted with disease; kicked; physically or psychologically tortured; poisoned; punched; repeatedly force-fed or plucked of their feathers or fur; slaughtered without effective pre-stunning; starved; torn away from their family; trapped in agony for hours – the list goes on and on!

Animal Pain

Some people seem to ease their conscience by assuming that animal pain is not comparable to human pain. There is however, scientific evidence showing that all mammals have the same nervous system as human beings for transmitting pain sensations. It would, therefore, be surprising if this did not produce similar results in animals to those in humans. If we add to this the fact that animals show obvious signs of pain, and also of mental distress, it becomes difficult to believe that all this evidence of pain can be discounted, especially when we remember that its purpose is to provide a signal of danger to life.

It has been said that animal suffering is probably increased, as ours often is, by fear and terror. Also, there is enough evidence to suggest that animals can both remember the past and fear the future; that the interests and activities of animals are linked with awareness and feelings in the same way as our own, and may be just as vivid.

Factory Farming

There is no doubt that the factory farming of animals today causes horrific suffering and distress. When animals are handed over to machines and treated as machines, we are at the opposite end of the scale from the personal care described in the good shepherd analogy.

Numerous studies on the assessment of pain and distress in animals show that there is no doubt that all animals with whom the farmer is concerned have a pain sense similar to that of humans, and that the disrupting of their social life, constitutes a serious deprivation. Severely restricted conditions lead to physical deformity and to restrain an animal for its entire life, so that it cannot use any of its normal behaviour patterns, is extremely cruel.
If an animal welfarist were to compare Jesus with a modern day shepherd or factory farmer, they would understandably resent this picture. Yet, if they were to compare Him with a good shepherd from biblical times, they would see a totally different picture, as beautifully illustrated in this excerpt from an article written by May Tripp in my book, ‘Animal Welfare: Through The Cross’.

‘The Lord Is My Shepherd, I Shall Not Want’ (Psalm 23)

. . . In this psalm, David describes how the shepherd fulfils all the needs of His sheep, finding them green pastures, not an easy task in that biblical terrain; and finding, or creating for them, still pools of water by the fast rushing and intimidating hillside streams. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters”. He describes how the shepherd leads his sheep on the, “paths of righteousness for His name’s sake”. The Biblical shepherd always led his sheep so that he might guide the flock safely and so that he might be the first to face any oncoming danger. It was a matter of conscience and honour for him to do this.

Whilst crossing the narrow and dangerous valleys where wild animals threatened, the shepherd would use the safer mountain trails and lead his sheep single file. His rod was a weapon to ward off enemies, but it was also a comfort to his sheep who brought up the rear, for as the shepherd walked he would strike the dry walls of the valley and the ringing sound reassured and guided his flock. His staff, or his crook, now adopted by the Church as one of the insignia of a bishop to signify his pastoral ministry, was so shaped that it could be gently used to pull back a straying sheep: “For thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me”.
Another of the shepherd’s weapons, not mentioned in this psalm of David, was his sling. This will be well remembered as David’s weapon when, as a small shepherd boy, he conquered the mighty Goliath. The good shepherd was very skilled in the use of a sling in the defence of his sheep, but this was useful also for guiding them. In the sling, a small stone could be placed and this could be gently lobbed just ahead of, or to the side of, a straying sheep to warn it back on to a safe course.

The rod, weapon and comforter in the valley, also had another use. At night, the shepherd would find a sheepfold where his flock could rest together in warmth and safety. The sheepfold was a dry stone construction, having only a gap for entrance. Here the shepherd would count his sheep into the fold to ascertain that they were all safe. As he held his rod across the gap, one by one the sheep would pass beneath it. The good shepherd would examine each sheep for thorns or injuries and he would assess its needs. Any sheep obviously suffering from thirst would be given a drink from the shepherd’s own water bottle: “my cup runneth over”; and any sheep which needed relief or protection from the ravages of the blistering sun would be treated with oil: “thou anointest my head with oil”.

Once all were inside for the night, the shepherd would lie down across the gap, thus closing the sheepfold. He himself would become the door and any threat to the sheep would first of all be faced by the shepherd, even at the risk of his own life . . . “I AM the door of the sheepfold” (John 10) . . .”

Looking back to where we began, with the relationship of mutual trust between humans and animals – Jesus’ words about the good shepherd imply that His care for us is immensely deep and personal. They also imply that that care can be adequately described in terms of the care of a shepherd for his sheep. Our task then is to see that this analogy does not collapse entirely, by ensuring that our concern for the animal kingdom is not de-valued, either by active cruelty or by allowing scientific developments to continue turning animals into machines.
Surely, the comparison of Jesus with a good shepherd must be the greatest image we have of Him. In fact, it is the image which He most frequently used of Himself.  

“I AM The Good Shepherd…. and I lay down my LIFE for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10 v 14-16).

Thank you for reading! Your comments are always welcome! ~Roslyne Smith

Article originally published February 2, 2015