Better Sheep

A central desire across the emerging microchurch movement is to find a healthier culture of leadership and use of authority.  Every month it seems another church leader is in the headlines accused of abusive leadership creating unhealthy relationships and ending in moral failure.  There must be a better way, but also leaders can’t take all the blame.  Followers have responsibility too.  Perhaps, we need to build a healthier culture for followers too?

In John 10, we read about a relationship between a Good Shepherd (the leader) and His sheep (the followers).  But with any picture Jesus paints for us through His teaching, we must consider the breadth of Jesus’ teaching to avoid drawing the wrong conclusions.  For example, sheep are not thought of as the smartest animals in the animal kingdom, in fact they’re more likely to be considered stupid.  We could therefore draw the wrong conclusion that followers have no responsibility because they’re like stupid sheep!  Jesus clearly doesn’t think His followers are stupid so what conclusions does He want us to draw?

I haven’t seen it for ages, but sheep dog trials used to be a regular feature on U.K. television.  Shepherds would gather from all around the country to test their sheep herding skills against one another.  A Shepherd would stand on the side of the hill, shouting or whistling commands to a dog who would chase the sheep around obstacles and into a small pen.  Although very controlled and incredibly skilful, the motive for the sheep to move was fear.  The fear the dog could get them, caused them to run away.  It was the skilful control of their running that the Shepherd used to get the sheep in the pen.  In John 10 we see a very different picture.  We see a Good Shepherd and sheep who have formed a deep loving relationship, based on mutual trust, respect and responsibility.  Let’s look at some of the responsibilities the sheep have in this relationship.

Sheep follow the Good Shepherd

There is only one Good Shepherd.  Every other leader on the planet is human and therefore flawed and will fail at times.  In fact, many of our most transformative moments happen when we reflect and learn from our mistakes.  Therefore, sheep have a responsibility to make sure they are following Jesus.  The Apostle Paul said: ‘Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 11:1).  I’m in awe of the courage this must have taken for Paul to write when he is so open and honest about his weaknesses. This places a huge responsibility on the leader, but equally on the follower.  We have the responsibility to keep our eyes on Jesus so that when our human leaders fail, we may experience grief and pain, but we are not shipwrecked in our faith.  Instead, we can remain faithful and continue our journey as followers of Jesus. 

Sheep listen well

To listen well is a process.  It means we must fully comprehend and consider all that is being said and then, and only then, respond.  Of course, Jesus was the perfect Shepherd, always good and always right, following Jesus makes sense.  But when we accept the flawed nature of all leaders, followers have a greater responsibility to listen well.  Followers must weigh leaders’ words against the Scriptures (Acts 17:11) and even wrestle in prayer to ensure they are listening to the Good Shepherd and not the voice of a stranger (John 10:5). We need to listen and consider fully what we are being asked to do before we can count the cost and take the decision to follow. 

Sheep know and are known

In this passage the sheep know the Good Shepherd and recognise His voice.  This essential skill must be cultivated by followers over time.  The more we practice, the more we learn and the more confident we become.  As we get to know the Good Shepherd and recognise His voice, we grow in courage to take even bigger steps of faith and follow even when we don’t know the route or the destination.  As followers we are responsible for getting to know the character of Jesus and the sound of His voice if we are going to avoid following the stranger or hired hand.  The Good Shepherd came to serve, not to be served.  He knows the sheep individually by name and knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8).  This knowledge and experience of the character of Jesus helps us discern His voice over the voice of a stranger.

Sheep trust and are trusted

Not only did the sheep trust in the Good Shepherd, but their Shepherd also trusted His sheep to recognise His call and follow.  There was no need for a dog or a stick to create fear to make them move.  Jesus walked ahead trusting the sheep would be lured into following because of His love for them.  It was a risk because it gave the sheep the power to choose.  The outcome wasn’t guaranteed, but it honoured the sheep.  For followers to mature, leaders must love, trust, and honour them.  Leaders must give the power and responsibility to choose whether to follow or not back in the hands of the followers.

Finally, Jesus never considered His followers to be stupid; He saw them as friends and loved them so much that He was willing to lay down His life for them.  Jesus was not only a leader we should follow but imitate.  There’s no dog to run from, no big stick to fear, but a Good Shepherd who leads the way and trusts we will follow into abundant and eternal life.

Featured photo by Andrea Lightfoot on Unsplash