Following the fourth Wiseman- The wool of the sheep

The soft wool of our traveler’s vest brushes against his cheek as he tightens his collar against the cold night air. The bleating of a far off flock reaches his ear and he recalls the words of the Messiah. Words he had been told by another who had been blessed to hear the words first hand.

John 10:11-15 ESV
[11] I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. [12] He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. [13] He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. [14] I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, [15] just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Our traveler smiles. What beautiful words. What a comfort to know that the King is willing to become a shepherd so that His lost and frightened and confused flock, will hear His voice and follow Him.


Jesus referred to Himself as the ‘good shepherd.’ He often used sheep and shepherds as His metaphor. Being from Bethlehem, and most likely returning there for the census from time to time, Jesus would have seen lots of sheep. In this He saw their simple and wayward ways and how they were like His people. He saw how the shepherd would take on injury and hardship for the sake of his sheep, and how the shepherds were like Himself in this manner. Many will come and claim to care about us, but when true hardships come they abandon us. They are not our shepherd. Some may stay by our side, but they are not the shepherd either. They might even fight for us. But they are still not Him. No, the shepherd is the one who dies for His sheep. All of them. Even the ones who run away. Even the ones who spit at him and kick him. Even the ones who nail Hin to a cross. The shepherd loves His sheep and will never leave them alone.