The Good Shepherd

Good Shepherd

25 Apr 2021

Richardson

I read an article about a band of killers and thieves roaming the Iraqi countryside. As if this country hasn’t had enough problems, now they have these gangs stealing sheep and attacking shepherds. These killers work in well trained teams with each member knowing exactly what to do. To stop them the herders in the local area have taken to arming themselves. They are trying to turn the tide, but it hasn’t deterred their enemy too much. One man told the story of shooting one of his attackers a hundred yards out. He was only wounded but to man’s surprise, instead of running away, the wounded attacker ran towards him. The man unleashed a barrage only to final bring his assailant down just six feet from him.

It’s not Al Qaeda or ISIS. It’s not terrorist or soldiers. These monsters aren’t even human. Its packs of Arabian Wolves. These apex predators seem to have no fear of the farmers. It seems they don’t need to. They grow to 6 feet long, weigh 120 pounds, armed powerful jaws lined with sharp teeth, and can sprint at up to 40 miles per hour. (1)

This species of wolf has roamed the Holy Lands for thousands of years. These are ones David would have faced, or any of the shepherds of the Christmas story, watching their flocks by night.

A wolf kill is not a pretty sight. Unlike lions who suffocate their prey for a quicker death, a wolf just doesn’t have the size or physique to accomplish that. A wolf kill usually dies while being torn apart. Pretty gruesome (2). We’ve all watch National Geographic and seen that it’s not a very pretty sight.

I’ve always wondered why prey animals group up. I would have thought to predator it would look like Wild Kingdom’s Golden Corral. A mobile all you can eat buffet. Meals on Hooves if you will. But, I found a sheep’s best defense against predators is to stay in the flock. Turns out there really is safety in numbers. The reason why is it makes more eyes to keep watch. The animals in the herd can relax and feed as others take their turns on the lookout. It’s also very dangerous for an animal to attack a herd. There’s a much higher risk of getting injured and to a predator; a broken foot or jaw stops them from hunting. Without being able to hunt, in reality the injury means slow death.

With all those animals moving amongst each other, it’s also harder for a predator to pick out an individual animal to attach. So that’s why a shepherd keeps his sheep in a tight flock.

Wolves are tenacious. They will follow a herd for days. Studying them, probing, looking for a weakness. Trying to see who’s the slowest, who might be weak, who might be more likely to be broken off; watching for a chance to get someone outside the protection of the group.

Now that you’ve learned this, imagine you’re one of the shepherds of old when the pack came to scatter the flock, and your only armed with a with a staff. Not even a Louisville Slugger. Knowing they could just as easily tear you apart, would you stand your ground or would you run? Makes John Chapter 10 sound a bit different now:

John 10

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

So if we’re sheep, who’s the wolves?

Persecution is the most obvious wolf. In 2021, there are over 300 million Christians living in persecution, in the world’s 50 most dangerous countries to follow Jesus. This is a growing problem, up by over 40 million from last year, exacerbated by the pandemic. Every day 12 Christians are killed for their faith. Every day, 12 churches are attacked. (3)

There are enemies like Communist regimes. North Korea is the #1 most dangerous place to be a Christian. Just having a bible can lead to death by torture.(4)

China isn’t far behind where Christians are routinely arrested for nothing more than their faith.

The Muslim countries of the world are become increasingly dangerous for us too. Boko Haram in Nigeria, a radical Islamic group, will summarily execute missionaries for nothing more than doing exactly what we are commanded; Feeding Christ’s sheep.

And if you think it’s always in some far off land across the ocean, think again. Mexico is number 37 in the list of 50 most Christian hostile countries. Here’s a place only a couple hour’s drive for us in the Border States. But Priests are attacked and executed by drug cartels for speaking out against their monstrous violence.