Being a shepherd was not a very respectable profession in Judea at the time of Jesus. Nonetheless he prefers to be called a shepherd and son of man rather than be called King of Jews. He clearly says that he has sheep which are not of this sheepfold. Jesus's work is not confined to a generation or a population. My first encounter with Jesus was before I knew Him, knew Him as a God or my personal Savior. To me He was the baby in a manger whose birth we celebrated every Christmas. It was a good fairy tale. But when Jesus came to me in a blinding flash of light and spoke to me I somehow knew the voice. It is the voice of the shepherd.The sheep knows the voice. Initially I chalked up that feeling to hallucination, mental exhaustion, depression even schizophrenia. Then I read the Bible and I read about Paul's encounter on the road to Damascus. I often wonder if he went through the same bewilderment and seeking that I did. He did require a miracle. Ananias explained the miracle to him and afterwards he was missing for almost three years. It appears that he did go through the same phase of seeking answers and fighting against preconceived notions. Paul's biggest challenge was that he was the persecutor of the Christians. My greatest challenge was being a 2% minority in a country overrun with idols. Paul had Barnabas but my partner in faith was yet to be brought into the sheepfold, yet to be called. So I kept on seeking for years. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. No wonder it wasn't a profession of much pride. You are not dying for a nation, honor, pride but for helpless animals. Helpless animal is what we are without Jesus.
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The One Thing
SpiritualFor years, I have served as a useful source to those seeking inspiration, help, or advice. I finally decided to own that role and be intentional about it. I started writing about my passions, my thoughts, and curious wonderings about our world. I f...
