Making the Simple, Simpler
What must I do to have a real relationship with God? A relationship that helps me overcome the weaknesses in my life and allows me to practically involve God in my daily decision making and in determining my future. The simplicity surrounding the special relationship God ordained when He created man, has become complicated and confused. Man allowed himself to be subtly seduced by corrupt creeds practiced by pagans and people in rebellion against God's benevolent offers of friendship and love. The Son of God was sent to dispel all the darkness surrounding the truth of what a relationship with the Almighty Creator and Controller of the universe entailed. He used symbols and illustrations which were familiar to, and easily understood by the common folk, yet challenging and confrontational to the pious religious bigots throughout time. These symbols come as a refreshing and renewing revelation to all who will pause to read and reflect on them.
 

The Shepherd and His Sheep
Jesus uses the beautiful symbol of the Shepherd and His sheep to describe the type of relationship that each believer is to have with His Father. A relationship that mirrored the relationship that Jesus himself had with His Father. This symbol is found quite a few times in the Old Testament:
 

Psalm 23:1, 2
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides the quiet waters, he restores my soul."

Isaiah 53:6
"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Ezekiel 34:15, 16, 31
"I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak . . . You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord."

Micah 2:12
"I will gather all of you, O Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people."

Micah 5:4, 5
"He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace."
 

In John 10:11-16, Jesus re-introduces this beautiful symbol by saying, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and care nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep." How does this passage persuade me to practically bring the necessary changes in my understanding of my relationship with God? Is there something that I can learn from this symbol?
 

The Standard of Society
As I look around me at the trends and attitudes that make up the fabric of society around me, I have to take a hard look at whether I have been caught in the mainstream or not. Society openly instructs individual success, individual sufficiency, and individual security. From an early age children are schooled in order to bring them to where they can be independent and competent to individually work out the details of their lives in the most efficient manner possible. Education is encouraged to the highest level possible so that their knowledge can be used to be successful in everything they attempt to do in their lives. Education is a process whereby individuals are not only taught the content of a specific subject, but how to independently gather and process information when dealing with future projects or problems. What is the measure society uses to stipulate whether it's citizens have been schooled successfully? Generally an individual's success is measured in what they have achieved during their vocation, what they have accomplished with their families, and what they have accumulated or acquired with regard to their finances and their possessions.
 

Society's Standards of Success = Achievement, Accomplishment, Accumulation, Acquisition
 

Instant approval and admiration is gained by an individual who has acquired wealth, a good position, and a high level of education. Young ambitious individuals strive toward this universal goal set in place by the Standards of Society. Is there something wrong with this standard? Does the Good Shepherd contradict the Standards of Society?
 

"Sheepish" Standards
The answers to these questions are quite startling. Yes, at the foundation of the symbol of the Shepherd and His sheep is a striking contrast to the standard set by society. The first principle that the Shepherd of Salvation teaches is that of total dependence in both the physical and spiritual realms. In Matthew 6:25-33, the Good Shepherd teaches that He will supply every need and that we, His sheep, must look for Him, and His kingdom before anything else in our lives. He says that we must be like sheep. A quick visit to a sheep ranch will soon teach us the lessons of how dependent sheep are when it comes to their daily survival. In earlier days, in the middle east, where the Bible authors mostly wrote from, there were no fenced in ranches with electrified protection. The sheep were dependent on the shepherd's commitment to lead them--and they would follow him--to green pastures, away from wild animals, and back to the sheep pen. Not one day could go by without the shepherd's presence to guarantee the survival of the sheep. To adopt the "sheepish" standards that the Good Shepherd wants, calls for a total change from the standards of society. The story is told of how sheep farmers amuse themselves at sheering time. They tie a rope across an opening in a fence. They then get the sheep dogs to chase the sheep through the opening. The first lot of sheep jump over the rope to get through the opening in the fence. The farmers then untie the rope and drop it flat on the ground, but the rest of the flock keep jumping over where the rope used to be. Yes, sheep are dumb animals. Without their shepherd, they would run straight into the jaws of a wild animal, fall off the edge of a cliff, or die of starvation or disease. Sheep are said to only see for a distance of about 40 feet. They can't distinguish a clear path ahead of themselves. For their survival, they need to follow, they must be dependent, and have to be watched and protected constantly.
 

The Shepherd Himself Becomes a Lamb
In order for the Good Shepherd to perfectly illustrate the nature of the relationship that existed between Him and His sheep, He became the "Lamb of God." He practically lived out the symbol for each of "His sheep" to follow. The prophet Isaiah included this beautiful and moving passage which foretold the nature of this "Lamb" hundreds of years before He came to this earth.

"He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom they hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not . . . He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."
Isaiah 53:2-3; 7.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him on a certain day, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (See John 1:29, 36). John the Revelator, in vision, finds himself at the center of the throne room of the Almighty God. From the throne comes flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In the right hand of Him who sat on the throne was a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. A mighty angel proclaimed in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" But no-one in heaven or earth was found worthy. Only one was found worthy--the Lamb of God, who was standing at the center of the throne. (Revelations 4:2, 5 ; 5:1-3, 9)

Yes, the Good Shepherd became a timid, helpless lamb, to illustrate the kind of life His sheep need to live in order to come into the ideal and ultimate relationship with His Father. One of the best clues that the "Lamb of God" gives to us as fellow sheep, is found in John 5:19, where He says, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." To translate this into language that fits into our illustration of the Shepherd and His sheep, this statement would probably read like this: "A sheep can do nothing by itself, it can only do what it sees the Shepherd doing, because whatever the Shepherd does, the sheep also does." Jesus Himself specifically compares the symbol of the Shepherd and His sheep to the type of relationship He has with His Father. In John 10:14,15 he says, "I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father."
 

The Standards of the Shepherd and Society in Conflict
The practical example which Jesus Christ set as "The Lamb of God," and the symbol He taught about "The Shepherd and His sheep," conflicts with the standards set by society. Where the Shepherd Symbol teaches dependence, society teaches independence. Where the Shepherd Symbol teaches selfless serving to others, society teaches that to be served is the ultimate goal. Where the Shepherd teaches that happiness comes only by sacrificing self, society teaches that happiness comes from satisfying self. As the Lamb of God, Jesus introduced the ultimate challenge to all those who would become sheep of the Good Shepherd. He sacrificed self to the where He gave up His life. Paul summarizes how the Lamb of God sacrificed self most accurately in Philippians 2:1-8.

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, have the same love, being one in spirit and in purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself to become obedient to death--even death on a cross!"
 

The Shepherd's Standards of Success = Sacrifice, Surrender, Serving, Sharing, Selflessness
 

What a striking contrast to the dictates of society and of the instincts of human nature--both of which profess and practice self sufficiency, self enrichment, and self gratification.
 

The Practical Benefits to My Daily Life
Can the symbol of the Good Shepherd and His Sheep help me in my practical problems from day to day? Oh yes it can.  If I will unconditionally implement the following principles into my thinking, I will gain the happiness and contentment  which I have been searching for my whole life:
 

1. Knowing His Voice
The way I become dependent like a sheep--that is dependent on the "voice" or the "word" of the Shepherd in all I do and all I say, is by not satisfying myself by watching entertaining TV programs or socializing with friends till late at night. I get to bed an hour and a half earlier so that I can spend this time before the next day starts, listening to the Shepherd's voice in meditation, prayer and study of the Scriptures. (See John 10:14). In doing this I allow myself to follow His cues throughout the day, instead of determining the course of my day by my own independent thoughts and actions.
 

2. Sacrificing Self
As the Lamb of God made Himself nothing, so I make myself nothing and only do and think what He tells me to do. I focus my full attention on His life and teaching--a life of constant giving to others and to God. Any tendency I have to satisfy myself I see as coming from the teaching of Satan, and prayerfully I turn from any such thing. I realize that true, lasting happiness only comes from sacrificing self, as the Lamb of God practically illustrated in His life.
 

3. Unmoved Confidence
As a sheep, I need to have absolute and unmoved confidence that the Shepherd is leading me along the very best paths in my life. I must never doubt that He is in complete control, and that I will "not want" while "He leads me besides the still waters." (See Psalm 23:1). I am to be convinced and certain that He is not only the Good Shepherd, but the Creator and Controller of the universe, and His ultimate plan for my life is to prosper me and bring me to ultimate happiness.
 

4. Freedom
Because I can do "nothing by myself," and can "only do what I see the Shepherd doing," I am free of the burden of trying to be a better person, of trying to give up certain bad habits, and of trying to live up to the standards that the church holds up for me to do. John 8:31, 32 says, "If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." When I follow the words of the Shepherd, and make them part of my life, I don't have to worry about changing anything in my life. His words will do that for me, and free me from the burden of trying to do it by myself.
 

5. Peace of Mind
The Good Shepherd is also "The Prince of Peace," and when I accept and implement His life and teachings into my life, I receive a calm, confident, and composed state of mind which the Bible calls peace. My mind is no longer at war with the confused and conflicting issues that have constantly tried to conquer it. It is at peace.