Are We Such Sheep That We Need a Good Shepherd?

The idea of Jesus as a Good Shepherd looking after us as a pastor looks after his flock is so firmly established in Christianity that I doubt if anyone really questions it. The concept is not restricted to Catholics but other Christians and there must be thousands of Good Shepherd churches of all denominations across the globe.

The concept is understandable. What´s not to like about having this comforting presence nearby, caring for us, feeding us and getting us out of danger when we stray? The Good Shepherd leads his sheep to “green pastures and still waters”, knows each one of them individually, is ready to die for them, unlike the hired hand who flees when a wolf comes near, and will reach out and rescue them from trouble.

At the risk of spoiling this idyllic picture I would like to ask why a shepherd looks after his flock in the first place. Does he do it because he likes standing around on a bleak hillside in miserable weather surrounded by bleating wandering sheep? Does he like sitting up all night during the lambing season helping ewes give birth? Does he really like to “smell of the sheep” as the late Pope Francis so memorably put it?

Maybe he does because he likes his job but his ultimate aim in protecting his flock is ambiguous. Sure he looks after them but one day when the sheep reaches a certain age it is sheared of its wool and sent out into the cold wind naked and unprotected. Even worse, it may be herded onto a truck and driven off to the slaughterhouse and end up as mutton.

As Adam Smith wrote in "The Wealth of Nations": "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest."

Bertrand Russell in "The Problems of Philosophy" uses an analogy with a chicken to illustrate the problem of inductive reasoning. The chicken is fed every day by the farmer and associates him with food. However, one day instead of feeding the chicken the farmer grabs it and wrings its neck. The chicken learns too late that the farmer was not feeding it out of altruism but for his own selfish purpose.

I once tried to explain my difficulty over this issue to a priest but he gave me a condescending smile, shook his head as though the matter was of no consequence, tut-tutted and reassured me that “things don´t work that way.” Maybe he thought I was being too literal minded and did not see the big picture. Maybe he did not like the idea that, as a priest, he might be reduced to playing the role of Jesus´s sheepdog and keeping the flock in order.

Jesus used the parable of the Good Shepherd because he knew his audience would relate to it instantly as they were familiar with pastoral life. There are references to sheep in the Old and New Testaments. Jesus himself was declared “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” by John the Baptist.

The concept of the Good Shepherd has often been questioned in modern times, rightly in my view, as it´s a good example of how we accept so much in our doctrine without asking basic questions. For example, if we are presented as sheep does that mean we have no minds of our own and need to be guided every step of the way? Does it mean we cannot be critical of authority and have to accept it? Do we have to be meek and accept everything even if we are led like lambs to the slaughter?

The Good Shepherd may have a relationship with us but do we, as sheep, have a relationship with him? If we get “lost” is it our fault or the fault of the shepherd who was perhaps occupied with other members of the flock or was not very good at his job. In any case, whose fault is it if we get lost – his or ours?

How realistic is it in our age for the Good Shepherd, i.e. the priest, to know each member of his parish which may number thousands? How far is he prepared to go personally to rescue or save us?

The Idea of the Good Shepherd and the lost sheep reminds me of the parable of the Prodigal Son. In one case the sheep wanders off on its own and gets lost. When the shepherd notices it is missing he abandons the other 99 that have caused him no trouble. When he finds the stray he is filled with joy. In the other case, the prodigal son deliberately deserts his responsibilities and family and goes off to squander his inheritance. When he comes back he is received with joy by his father while the faithful son is given scant credit.