Last sunday’s sermon
was about sheep, and their shepherd.
Ann Barnhardt has a thing about the shepherd, and what his life is like. it’s pretty good, you should read it- unfortunately she doesn’t have a way to link to individual posts.
Anyway, after I listened to the sermon, I thought to myself, “You’ve never even been anywhere near a sheep, have you?”
There isn’t very damned much that’s more obstinate than a sheep. Shepherding is not standing around and watching a half acre of wool graze peacefully, it’s like babysitting thirty five kids in a room full of sharp scissors, lit candles, gunpowder, and rusty razor blades. They will find new and ridiculous ways to get lost, get caught up in something, get hurt, get killed or eaten, and the moment you save their asses, they’re off to some new disaster.
The lesson of the Good Shepherd is not how he loves his sheep and how they love him. It’s how he loves his sheep and they’re all sons of bitches. Look around you, and know the truth of it.
17 comments Og | Uncategorized
Having raised sheep throughout my youth (2 different breeds) for several years, there is only one thing you really need to know about Sheep.
They are STUPID! Possibly the most stupid creatures on the face of the planet, with the exception, of course, of human beings…
All The Best,
Frank W. James
Truth.
Never had to deal with a whole flock but I helped out on a family friend’s hobby farm for a few year. Friend’s wife liked animals and they had the room so…
Horses I like.
Miniature burro, no problem.
Fainting goats, wanted to crack upside the head with a crowbar.
The two (2!) sheep…..
Calling the terminally unaware and clueless sheeple is so appropriate it hurts.
BGM
Lord, truer words were never spoken.
Yeah, I guess there’s a reason they trained and bred dogs specifically to herd sheep….
I have said that perhaps the only thing dumber than a sheep was a chicken. Now I have had a few chickens, I think sheep are definitely dumber.
I was helping a guy trim hooves on his sheep. The door of the shed was open about 3 inches. The sheep must have sensed on some level that they couldn’t fit through that crack. But they had a solution. They got up a full head of steam and jumped as high as they could. With sheep logic, the solution to fitting through a narrow crack is to jump as high as you can.
Giraffe: Sheep Logic is my new favorite expression.
You’ve explained one heckuva lot in a short space. Cannot expect any sheeple to see the plain logic of it though.
Yep, terminal stupidity is pretty much the definition of sheep…
A chicken’s lentil-sized brain is still more complex than a sheep’s. Our pastor slipped up and called “the priests and deacons are the wolves…” (:oD ) before he caught himself. “Sheep for brains” takes on a whole new meaning…
Turkeys are almost as bad as sheep, but don’t muster the brainpower to be quite such a nuisance.
My pastor (and friend) looked after sheep as a kid.
He said it was not enjoyable.
And that they were stupid.
Yes sheep are as you described. but if you have a good sheep dog, it can be almost fun. but…you got to have a good dog! And poor ol’ Jesus, didn’t have a dog, did he?
And then too, my father herded sheep for his father as a child. He always said when he retired he wanted to herd sheep. But then, Mom would never let him. He died a sad, sad old man…. well, no he really didn’t, but that sounds better doesn’t it? :-)
And thinking of farm animals….
Long horn cattle are NOT for the hobbyist or those wanting pets. A fence that many professionals would consider overkill for horses won’t even be noticed by the perambulating porter house.
BGM
I spent a couple of years of my youth around sheep and never thought them all that dumb. Maybe that’s because they were all dressed and my herding consisted of moving them from a freezer truck to a reefer and then from the reefer to a bandsaw.
A remarkably insightful little post.
It also occurs to me that not only does the Good Shepherd love his sheep despite their obnoxiousness, he loves them because his plan is to eventually enjoy Rack of Lamb.
[…] Og makes an excellent point. Â It’s not that the shepherd loves the sheep because they love him. Â He loves them in spite of the fact that they act like sheep. […]