This week, we will be hearing from John 10, where Jesus famously says, “I am the good shepherd.”
It is one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible. It also reminds me of the story of a shepherd who once saw an expensive sports car speed toward him and then come to a screeching halt only a few feet from his large flock of sheep. Out stepped a young, well-dressed man wearing expensive sunglasses and a very nice watch. The young man asked the shepherd, “If I can tell you exactly how many sheep you have, will you give one of them to me?”
Amused, the shepherd nodded.
The young man immediately pulled out his cell phone and laptop, running several charts and consulting satellite imagery before looking up and confidently saying, “1,347.”
The shepherd nodded again, and the young man triumphantly moved toward the flock to select his sheep.
After the young man returned to his car, the shepherd quietly asked, “If I can name your profession, will you return the animal to me?”
The young man agreed, and the shepherd said, “You are a consultant.”
Astonished, the young man asks, “How did you know?”
The shepherd replied, “Well, you came without invitation, told me something I already knew, and then charged me for it–all while knowing very little about my business. Now, can I have my dog back?”
Of course, the joke is silly. But the question remains: In a world saturated with voices, opinion, and information, what makes a person worth listening to?
Not only does Jesus teach us the criteria, he also shows us how to follow that kind of leader into freedom.
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