“Jesus, the Good Shepherd”

     I don’t know very much about sheep and shepherds, do you? I do know a few things, and thought we could share that today.   A group of sheep is called a flock and the people who look after them are called shepherds.  Sheep graze on grass and need a large area to wander around to find enough to eat.  To get a flock of sheep from one pasture to another, shepherds needed to get a few moving in the right direction, and then the rest would follow.  It could be quite a job to keep all the sheep together, as they would wander off, perhaps to chew on a tasty clump of grass, or get a drink from a little stream.  They seem to have trouble paying attention to where they are supposed to go!

     When Jesus was teaching, preaching, and helping people here on earth, everyone knew about sheep, how they behaved, and what shepherds did to keep track of them and keep them safe.  Jesus told people about his Father in heaven, who was their Father, too, and how they were loved and forgiven of their sins.  He explained that they could show God’s love to other people by being kind and helpful, and also telling them about God’s love for everyone.

     Since everyone knew about shepherds and what they did, Jesus taught them a lesson by telling a story about a very good shepherd.  

     “When a shepherd brought his flock together for the night, and realized that one was missing, he went searching for it.  Even though all the other sheep needed the shepherd’s protection from wild animals, he went looking for the one that was lost.  When he found it, he was very happy, and brought it back where it belonged.”  

     Jesus went on to say that the man was a good shepherd because he cared for every one of his sheep, and this is how our Father in heaven cares for every one of his children.  Then Jesus told his listeners, “I am the good shepherd,” and that he cared for all of his believers, just as a shepherd does his flock.

     Jesus told this story to teach us that people can be like sheep who get distracted, wander off and lose their way, and he is the shepherd who cares about them so much that he searches everywhere until he finds them and brings them to safety.  So now we know a little more about sheep and shepherds, and we know, too, that Jesus loves us all and even if we get lost, he will come find us.

Your St. Andrew friend,

Mary Rogers

P.S.:  If you would like some Family Sunday School this week, go to ministrylinks.online, and click on Faith Formation.  Scroll down to a feature “Spark Family Sunday School” and you’ll find a choice of presentations for the past few weeks to share as a family.