So, what good are sheep?
The Bible references sheep frequently. Jesus is called the Good Shepherd…which makes us…wait for it…his flock, his sheep, the round, fluffy creatures that munch on grass and don’t do much else.
No one has ever given a sheep a Rorschach inkblot test and commented, “Wow! I never knew sheep were so intelligent.”
So, what good are sheep? The obvious answer is lamb chops and a nice wool cardigan. Right?
In truth, Jesus doesn’t want our lamb chops. We’re not much good to him sliced up and served on a plate, but our wool? That’s an entirely different sweater.
Let’s start with the quality of our wool.
2 Timothy 3:16 tells us how to ensure our wool is well maintained:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
Matthew 16:18 describes how our wool can become a Kevlar lining:
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
1 Corinthians 9:5 lets us know two cardigans keep us warmer than one:
“Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?”
Acts 20:28 is clear on our responsibility to the sheep around us:
“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”
Matthew 16:19 is wool on steroids:
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Titus 1:5 gives our wool time to grow to fullness and maturity:
“This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—”
2 Timothy 3:17 tells why we share our wool:
“That the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
Acts 17:11 illustrates the process for producing the best wool in the world:
“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
So, what good are sheep? It’s not about the lamb chops. It’s about what we shear off. It’s all about our wool: our love, deep compassion, a strident longing for the Word, and an ardent belief in doing good for our fellow man.
Who wouldn’t want to be a sheep, one of the Jesus flock, anyway?
When Jesus grows on us, he produces a harvest we can share with the world.
Copyright © 2016 MyChurchNotes.net
Code: FGO.K.05.15b.vp.esv