Sheep

I've seen several versions of that video of a sheep running into a wall.   It's usually used as evidence that all sheep are stupid.

Does that mean that one person tripping and falling is evidence that all humans are clumsy?

Here are some ‘sheepish’ facts:

• Sheep tend to stay close with other sheep. If they get separated they become quite agitated and uncomfortable. They know that when they are together as a flock they are more protected from predators.
• Sheep recognize sheep faces -- and human faces to some extent. They recognized sounds and can even recognize the voice of the shepherd who tends to the flock they are part of.
• Sheep know how to choose the kind of food that will give them the best nourishment based on the season and their dietary needs.
• Sheep are simply pretty intelligent mammals.

Shepherds -- on the other hand, can be good for, or not so good for, their flock. If they care for the sheep and seek to protect them from trouble, they do what is good for the sheep. If they try to lead them astray and run at the first sign of danger -- they don't.

Maybe it's all too simple in this one. In this week’s  Bible reading from John 10:11-18, the words of Jesus say, "I am the good shepherd." A shepherd that cares deeply for the flock and does not desert them when there is trouble. The good shepherd has a connection with the sheep that someone who doesn't care about the sheep can never have.

So in a very simple way of looking at things, we're the sheep -- intelligent and in need of a shepherd -- and Jesus is the good shepherd.