the diseases of sheep
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:15 pm
It sounds as thought sheep are prone to many problems! And so are we as God's sheep. The one aspect of this metaphor that troubles me is that the sheep that we treat as pastor-shepherds will sometimes not take their medicine. The under-shepherd's voice (and the Great Shepherd's!) is just one of a multitude of possible avenues to find help. Some sheep really doubt that they are sick; they don't believe that their horns are growing into their own heads! There is a volitional component to the ills of human sheep, which includes the human shepherd. We are blinded by sin, deceived by it. We often don't accept that we have a sin problem, and we don't want a remedy for it. It is easier to say that this is just the way things are, just who I am. The shepherd needs also needs patience in helping the sheep see their situation.