11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
We can examine who or what we regard as our authority. Jesus calls us to be discerning seekers of truth, and He tells us that He is the way, the truth, and the life. He has given us His principles, and intends for us, as His followers, to live by them. We can trust Him with our lives because He loves us, He knows what's best for us, and He wants to express His character through us, so that in all things God is glorified. The life lived for Christ is undoubtedly a reflection to the world of His goodness and truth.
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The Bible warns against spiritual sleepiness, not allowing the lure of the world or the power of sin to delude us from God's best for us. Romans 13 says, referring to walking in God's law of love:
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
There was some news out of Spain recently about a wandering flock of sheep running loose. The reason: a sleeping shepherd!
This was no small flock, according to a report on the website, The Telegraph. There were 1,300 sheep. City authorities said that the police were alerted to the presence of the extremely large flock as it attempted to negotiate the streets in the center of the city of Huesca at around 4:30 in the morning - a local resident had called the emergency number.
The sleepy shepherd was supposed to be keeping watch until 7:00, at which time he was supposed to guide the sheep through Huesca towards the Pyrenean uplands where his flock would be grazing during the summer. When police found the shepherd, he was still asleep. Fortunately, he and the police were able to collect the sheep and direct them back to their pastures.
Huesca is located on an ancient herding route, known as a "cañana real." These routes can be found throughout the country, and one day a year, shepherds actually fill the streets of Madrid with their flocks to commemorate, as the website says, the "herding tradition."
Oh, my, this story is chock full of spiritual analogies. Of course, the obvious deals with the curious case of the sleeping shepherd, who shirked his responsibility. Now, the Bible generally refers to shepherds in the pastoral sense, but I would contend that anyone with responsibility needs to take that responsibility seriously. If there is an assignment God has given you, don't fall asleep or go into a slumber - literally or spiritually. Lead the people over whom you have been given authority and don't allow distraction or complacency to put you in a state of being less than your best.
The sheep are obviously dependent on their shepherd, and this throng of 1,300 was no exception. They were, as the hymn says, "prone to wander." And aren't we? That's why we need to submit to reliable authority and direction for our lives. Jesus referred to Himself as the "good shepherd," and we can depend on Him to provide the wisdom we need as we follow Him wholeheartedly. We can place the Scriptures in a position of authority and guidance for us.
Finally, the Bible tells us that the time has come to awaken from sleep. Believers are called to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, who will energize us to walk in the will of God. There are influences that can place us in a state of being "asleep," in a sense, but we are called to be alert - watching, waiting, listening, discerning - we can pray, calling out to God and be attuned to His response.
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