The Heart of a Shepherd
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May 6, 2017“A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (Jn 10:11)
A shepherd once told me he frequently had nightmares about finding his sheep dead when he checked on them in the morning.
There is all the difference in the world between a shepherd, whose physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing is yoked to that of his charges, and a hired hand or a helper. The helper pitches in an hour or two, a day or a week in exchange for some fresh air, a tan, a little exercise and the kind of natural therapy that comes from caring for animals. The shepherd, rather, is windblown, sunburned, bone-weary, bearing the burdens of responsibility by day and anxiety by night.
The sheep belong to the shepherd, but not in the sense that a bicycle, toothbrush or pair of long johns belongs to its owner. They depend on the shepherd for their most basic daily needs: food, water, shelter, safety from predators and, not least, foot care. When the shepherd comes in after having been absent for a while, the sheep respond with palpable exuberance. There is an emotional attachment on both sides. And this mutually enriching relationship between humans and animals is seen to be part of God’s creative plan, when he called Adam to name the animals (Gn 2:19-20).
From the earliest days of the people of Israel, the hands-on experience of patriarchs, prophets and psalmists with the care of animals has colored their language about God. “Shepherd of Israel” is a title used both of God and of the king, to express their care and leadership of the people in good times and bad.
But Israel’s shepherds did not always live up to their divine call, as Ezekiel declares:
“Thus says the Lord God: Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them.” (Ez 34:2-4)
God is the true shepherd who steps in to rescue his sheep:
“I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.” (Ex 34:15-16)
Jesus takes this metaphor upon his shoulders: “I AM the good shepherd – I am everything you have expected and longed for in a faithful keeper of sheep, and more, for I lay down my life for the sheep.”
St Benedict instructs the abbot or abbess of a monastery to be like this Good Shepherd. She is to keep in mind, with Jacob, that: “If I drive my flocks too hard, they will all die in a single day” (Gn 33:13; RB 64.18). She must go in search of the wandering, the lost, the marginalized, the isolated, and carry them home on her shoulders. She can afford to spare no effort in seeking ways to heal the wounds of those under her care. To each one she gives what they most need, whether this be gentle encouragement or firm rebuke or the challenge of a seemingly impossible task (Cf. RB 2, 27, 64).
This shepherd can expect to be no less windblown, sunburned, bone weary and burdened by responsibility and anxiety than her literal counterpart. The sheep are hers, which means that she belongs to them: her time, energy, creativity and love are intended for them. This is what it means to lay down one’s life.