Mark 6:30-34… 53-56 — The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things… When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
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In Jeremiah 23:1-4 God declares: “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture… I will bestow punishment upon you for the evil you have done… (and) I will place (other) shepherds over my sheep, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified.”
The familiar 23rd Psalm begins with “The Lord is my shepherd,” and goes on to describe all the good things a shepherd does for his sheep.
And in the above verses from Mark six it says that when Jesus saw the large crowd of people waiting for him, he had compassion on them “because they were like sheep without a shepherd;” and everyone in those days knew that sheep needed a shepherd.
Shepherds are a big deal in the Bible. The word appears over a hundred times in Scripture, oftentimes telling stories about shepherds, like David or Jacob or Amos. The Bible also uses the word to illustrate God’s care of us, as in the 23rd Psalm, or to describe those leaders God has placed in charge of the care of his people, as in the verses from Jeremiah.
When I was a student at Luther Seminary, I had a friend named Yadessa Daba who was from Ethiopia. When he was a boy, Yadessa was a shepherd, tending to his father’s flocks in the remote and desolate Ethiopian wilderness. I have known a lot of farmers, but not too many shepherds. All the farmers I have known would just let their animals out into the pasture to roam freely within the confines of a fence. But a shepherd has to stay with the flock all the time, because there are no fences. Shepherds have to lead their flocks in the right paths, and find for them green pastures and still waters. They have to protect them from all evil, even in the darkest valleys, and be ready with their rod and staff to fight off dangerous animals or thieves. Yadessa experienced first-hand all those things that we are used to hearing about in Psalm 23.
When he was a little boy, Yadessa went to a Lutheran mission school near his home. He loved it there, and he came to believe in Jesus as his Savior. But when he turned twelve, Yadessa’s father said to him, “That’s enough school for you; now you must be a shepherd.” Yadessa’s teacher pleaded with the boy’s parents, telling them what a gifted student he was, and how he could one day go to the university. But his father saw little need for that. He needed a shepherd boy, so that is what Yadessa did for the next three years. Then his father died. Yadessa’s mother remembered the teacher’s words, and took Yadessa back to the mission school. They received him with open arms, and he continued to thrive as a student. He graduated from secondary school, the university, graduate school, and seminary. Yadessa became a pastor, and later, the president of the Lutheran church in Ethiopia and vice-president of the African Council of Churches. But he never forgot what it was like to be a shepherd. He always knew that everyone in his congregation depended on him for their spiritual needs, just as his sheep and goats depended on his leadership and guidance and protection for their physical well-being. The work of a shepherd was well-known and familiar to everyone in Bible times. It is not so well known now in a time when farming is so different, but Yadessa made it more real for me.
Shepherds, by definition, protect and provide for their animals, making sure they are safe and always have enough to eat and drink. And we all think it is quite nice that God, good shepherd that He is, takes care of us that way.
But shepherds also have to be in charge. They guide and direct the sheep, and the sheep must follow them. But who wants that anymore? Some might even say, “Who needs a shepherd?” We do want to be on our own, think for ourselves, listen to our own inner voice, be independent, and not be answerable to anyone. “I have my rights and my freedom; it’s my body and my life,” we say. And when it is all over, we admire the person who can say, “I did it my way.”
But the Good Shepherd said, “Follow me.” And Paul said, “You are not your own; you were bought for a price; therefore, honor God.” And Moses said, “Be careful to follow every command I am giving you, walking in obedience to God and having reverence for him.” To all that, many people these days are saying, “No thanks.” Reading the 23rd Psalm adds a nice touch to a funeral, but many people do not want a shepherd in their life. They would rather wander around on their own. (continued…)
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