The Shepherd, the sheep, the wolf, and the dog

In John 10, Jesus uses yet another set of metaphors to illustrate how things work in His kingdom:

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The 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. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

There are many lessons to be drawn from this passage: Jesus' love for us, the inclusion of Gentiles in His plan, Jesus' deity...but I want to focus on the roles mentioned here: The Shepherd, the sheep, the wolf, and the one not mentioned, but surely present, the dog. I have problems from time to time getting my role straight.

It's not the Shepherd I want to be. That job is too big. I gladly cede that responsibility and sacrifice to Jesus. I don't aspire to be the wolf either, and I don't think I have been. I have no desire to harm the sheep, and I certainly don't want to engage in conflict with the Shepherd.

No, even though, clearly in this passage, I'm a sheep, I'm too often not content with that. All that following around, surrendering my will to the Shepherd all the time. "I'm smarter than that," I tell myself. What was Jesus thinking here? Who wants to be associated with sheep?

I want to be the dog!

Yep, that's right, the dog! The dog is smarter than all the sheep and acts as the "assistant" to the Shepherd. Sometimes I get myself into trouble, arrogantly assuming the Shepherd needs my assistance to "herd" those stupid sheep.

But then I wander off myself; I get lost, and I remember. If I were the dog, I wouldn't have been dumb enough to leave my master's side. If I were the dog, I'd have enough sense to find my way back to Him. But I don't.

Just like all the other sheep, I need my Shepherd to come rescue me when I wander off.