Luke 1:26-38

Youth leaders frequently have an ice-breaker for the youth, asking them  “If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?” So just for a moment, let me ask the child in each of you, if you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?

Now how many of you said, “A sheep?” Raise your hand. Not one person. Isn't that interesting? Because Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd.” We are all supposed to be His sheep. Why don't we choose sheep when we think of an animal we'd like to be? Rev. Devon Huss had what he called the “Three D Theory”. He said, “Sheep are dumb. Sheep are dirty and sheep are defenseless.” So it is not a very attractive thing to be. And yet, Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd,” which implies that we are the sheep.

The essence of this scripture though is not about the qualities of sheep. The essence is about the communication that goes on between the Good Shepherd and the sheep as an analogy. At the time of Christ, shepherds knew their sheep very well. They actually communicated with their sheep using hand signals and voice signals. Every evening, sheep from many different flocks would be herded into a pen. One of the shepherds would then become the gatekeeper of the pen. Jesus said, “I am the gatekeeper” so you don't get into His pen, His church, without going first through Him. Then, secondly, while you are in there, you will mix with other worldly sheep, other worldly people, and at the same time, you will be protected by Christ, the owner, not the hireling. So the analogy is also about protection. The analogy is about communication and protection. And a final thing is, it is about trust. When morning comes, each shepherd comes to the gate and calls out his own flock. The flock knows His voice, the voice of their own shepherd. So the sheep come out and gather around their own shepherd. It is fascinating how they are loyal to the one voice. Jesus said, “I know mine and mine know me.” So the essence is trust. The sheep trust the shepherd. They hear His voice. We are to listen to the voice of Jesus Christ whether it is spoken through the scriptures, whether it is spoken through our circumstances, whether it is spoken through that still small voice that might play within our head when we are in prayer. We are to hear that voice and we are to follow our shepherd.

The book of Revelation says this towards the end, “Jesus will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to living waters and wipe away every tear from their eyes.” This is our hope. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will take away all kinds of suffering. In our day and age, there is considerable suffering with the economics of our country. Some of the elderly have lost their holdings in stocks. Some have lost their homes in foreclosure. Not just elderly but people of all income levels. People are frightened today because of what is going on in our world. We need to know that Jesus is the Shepherd who protects us, that we can put our total trust in Him. In the 23rd Psalm, the very first line says it well. “The Lord is my Shepherd, and I shall not want.” This is our hope. He will meet our every need.