John 9:1-41
When I was in seminary, one of the more interesting classes I took was called Biblical Archaeology. We learned a great deal about the world that Jesus lived in while he walked the Holy Land. One of the concepts that the professor taught us was the secondary products revolution. You see, up to a certain point in time, all people were hunters and gatherers. If they needed clothing, animal skins filled the bill. It would have been difficult indeed to chase down a wild animal and shear its fur, to spin into yarn. But what happened was that mankind learned to domesticate certain animals; horses, cattle, dogs, and sheep. Caring for the animals became a specialized type of employment. Some people became herdsmen, others became shepherds. A herd of sheep became a lasting resource; it was not necessary to kill the animal to harvest its wool. In fact, a sheep was more valuable while it lived, because it could be sheared over and over again, and could even make more sheep.
In the Jewish culture of Jesus’ time, shepherds were ritually unclean. That is, they were unclean until they had gone through the proper washing ceremonies that would render one “clean” in a religious sense. They lived with the animals, touched newborn lambs immediately after birth, and even worse, worked on the Sabbath. So when Jesus declares himself to be the Good Shepherd, many must have thought that is was something like saying “I am the healthy leper.” Those two things just didn’t go together.
But Jesus meant exactly what he said. He was the good shepherd, who protected his flock, fed and watered them, and led them to new pastures. In those days, there were quite a few predatory animals roaming Palestine, including bears, foxes, hyenas, wild dogs, even lions. A sheep would have been a good meal for one of them, and a shepherd might have to do battle with a vicious animal to protect his flock. I remember watching a TV documentary about Afghanistan, between the most recent wars. A shepherd was shown tending a flock of sheep high in the mountains. When a snow leopard appeared on the heights, the shepherd flung rocks at it with a sling, something which I imagined David, ancestor of Jesus, would have done. A shepherd with rudimentary weapons going up against a lion is not exactly an even match, and I am quite sure that some were killed while defending their flocks.
As Christians we know our Shepherd’s voice and listen for Him. We watch for him to lead us. As the 23d Psalm says, even the valley of the shadow of death holds no terror, for we trust our guide. And on this journey with our Shepherd, we worship Him. Not just in church, and not only in formal ceremonies, but every day, in everything we do. Our entire lives are the living sacrifice we offer, purified by the blood of Christ, holy and acceptable to God. Amen
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