This metaphor of sheep and shepherd is confusing to me. The Lord is my Shepherd, so doesn't that mean I'm always a sheep? How does a sheep become a shepherd? I think I'd be more comfortable being a sheep that is closer to the Shepherd, and then some of the other sheep could follow me as I'm following Him. But that's not what the scriptures say; they say we're actually supposed to be shepherds (1 Peter 5:2 is very clear - be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers...) I may be overthinking this, but I'd love any thoughts.
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Yes, as I said, you'll always be a sheep under the LORD.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the metaphor breaks down: a sheep doesn't somehow transform into a shepherd, learning to walk upright on his two hind legs, developing thumbs from hooves, develop a more sophisticated voice box, cerebral cortex, etc. Yeah... no. Think of it this way: there's a gigantic, globe-sized field, with a Giant Shepherd watching over the whole thing. But he's assigned little deputy sheep out there to do what he'd do if he were physically in their part of the field. They're still sheep (so their authority can't be absolute; we can all see that they're just sheep like us) but they have a special responsibility from the Shepherd. So they carry out his intentions. If they do their job well, the sheep they're looking after will trust the Shepherd more and more, because they've experienced his heart and care through the actions of this deputy sheep. Does that help?