Unholy Sh+t: Boy, do I feel sheepish

A few years ago, during the height of a certain president who is the embodied antithesis of Jesus, I found myself in a little debate with one of his supporters. This fellow was claiming that America is a Christian nation. I countered a few key points, and then the guy hit me back with, “This is why I follow Trump; I don’t want to be a sheep like you.” 

I heard the word sheep used as a pejorative a lot after that. Believe in equal rights? Sheep. Trust science? Sheep. Like eating fresh grass? Okay, that one probably makes you a sheep. But you get the point.

Being called a sheep has become synonymous with snowflake, NPC, and all the other fun words that, ironically, they all kept saying in unison. But being called a sheep isn’t quite the insult that they thought it was, and more importantly, they are telling on themselves.

Unholy Sh+t: An Irreverent Bible Study

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Today’s reading: John 10:1-10

Jesus is known for a great many things: providing food to the poor, standing in the gap for the oppressed, and healing the sick (some restrictions apply: see amputee). Yet, for all the things Jesus has done, he is best known for being an intentional pain in the a$$.

Listen, I don’t know if it’s just because he was neurodivergent or maybe it was the Daddy issues (I could make solid arguments for both), but Jesus was not great a giving people a straight answer to anything. His favorite way to be snarky was when he would tell parables. Boy, did he like a good parable. And listen, I get it; we all went through a vague posting faze at some point in our lives.

Jesus: things are kind of weird rn. Feeling a bit… betrayed.

Peter: oh no! I hope everything’s okay.

John: not sure I understand what this post means, but I love you more than anyone else.

Judas: I’ll see you soon and give you a 😘

It’s kind of sad what has happened to the parables after Jesus taught them. I blame the editors. They always felt the need to say, “And when Jesus said this, folks were very confused” at the end of every parable. Like, we get it; Jesus was edgy. 

Yet, there is something especially unique about the stories Jesus would tell about sheep. In his other cryptic tales, he was always like, “And this is why the world will be set on fire at the end of days” or “So, imagine there was this guy, and he was really super cool and good looking, and probably God, someone might try and nail him or something (winks at John).” 

This isn’t the case when discussing sheep or the concept of him being the Good Shepherd. There is a tenderness in those parables that doesn’t exist in the others. Typically, he told tales about the end of the world, his own death, or the wealthy being trapped in Hades watching beggars drink water. Then he’s suddenly all, “Basically, I’m a shepherd, and these are my adorable little lamby lambs.”

The part of this parable that really sticks out to me is that Jesus talks about his sheep will know his voice. They will recognize him and know that he is safe because the shepherd wants to make sure that they are cared for and fed. He is basically explaining that if the sheep are part of his flock, they can’t be duped into following another shepherd. They’ll know it’s really someone who has come to steal them. 

As a kid, I always thought I couldn’t go astray. I believed the same thing about those I loved. But like so many over the last few years, I’ve watched my fellow Christians abandon the Jesus message of love for another Messiah; an anti-Christ, if you will. 

So how do we know the difference? Well, Jesus made that very clear in the parable, even though it confused many then, as it has now.

He said, “The thief comes to steal, slaughter, and destroy. But I have come so that you may have life and live it abundantly.”

In a world that has increasingly become full of chaos and fear, we know that this isn’t what Jesus wanted for his sheep. He wanted to protect them from the wolves and the thieves that would cause harm. See, during the time of Jesus, if you went out with ten lambs but only came home with nine, you were a failure. You were supposed to risk life and limb to protect the herd. That is the role of a shepherd. He doesn’t endanger his flock; he will sacrifice himself if necessary to protect them.

This is why we know that the rise of violent nationalism and draconian laws are not coming from Christians but from those sheep who’ve chosen to follow the wolf because these laws don’t wish to give people an abundant life but to slaughter and destroy while robbing them of joy.

Because perfect love casts away fear.

So next time someone is mocking you by calling you a sheep, just remember that this means you must be embodying a life full of love, hope, and striving for peace. It means that you are listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd, and they can see that in your life.

I think this is why we are called to love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us. Instead of being insulted, we should pity them because that means they are following the thief straight to the slaughter because they forgot the shepherd's voice and started following the wolf instead.