A Shepherd's Selflessness

Psalm 23 is one of the most well-known chapters of the Bible. It’s probably only rivaled by one verse: John 3:16. In the highly unlikely chance you’re unfamiliar with it, I’ll post it here.

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Now that you’ve re-familiarized yourself with it, I want you to think about the qualities of what makes a good shepherd. Let’s not mince words: Sheep are dumb. If they weren’t, there’d be no need for a shepherd and then this whole metaphor wouldn’t even work. But let’s list a few words that might come to mind, shall we? For me, they are strong, kind, strategic, protective, and calm. You might even liken them to a parent of sorts.

There’s something comforting about the image of someone whose sole purpose is to watch over and protect what’s in their care. Even if you had a wonderful set of parents (or, shout out to the single parents who pulled double duty…I see you), I think we all have an innate desire to know someone always has our backs. As we grow up, we often look for this kind of protection and comfort from either a significant other or an incredible friend. If you’re really blessed, you’ll have both.

However, one of the aspects of a shepherd I personally feel is overlooked, especially in studies about this famous chapter, is selflessness. We might admire them for their dedication to their job, but do we ever consider what really goes into protecting a whole flock of sheep? At times, I think it might be too much for just one person. The shepherd not only has to ensure the flock is fed, he also has to fight off any enemies that might come to try and either hurt or steal the animals under his care. This means the shepherd may even have to put his life on the line to battle a bandit, lion, or bear.

As a matter of fact, when David was a shepherd, he did this very thing. When speaking to King Saul about fighting Goliath, he says: “…Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it” (1 Samuel 17:34, 35).

It takes some guts to be a good shepherd. Humans have an inclination to focus on self-preservation. “But what’s that got to do with me? It doesn’t affect me. Me, me, me.” It’s all about me, myself, and I most of the time. Can you name a single person (Jesus doesn’t count) you know that you would call truly selfless? If you can, I applaud you because they are few and far between.

When we look at Psalm 23, we certainly see some beautiful imagery. But if you delve just a bit deeper, you’ll realize it’s mainly focused on what the shepherd is doing for his “sheep.” He’s always acting in a way that ensures the “sheep” are taken care of. He keeps the “sheep” calm, makes sure they can rest without worry, comforts them when they have to make a treacherous journey to the next pasture, and ensures they have more than enough to eat and drink. In this chapter, everything is about them, them, them.

We know the shepherd in this psalm represents Jesus. It’s pretty obvious. But my hope for you is you can take it upon yourself to emulate this example and use it to witness to others through your calm, courageous, selfless actions. We’ll never be perfect, and that’s ok. It’s important to care for ourselves, too. But we have to remember Jesus didn’t make the ultimate sacrifice for us to say “Oh wow, thanks,” and keep moving on with our day. We should reflect often on how our lives have been changed by His selfless sacrifice and strive, within reason, to do the same for others.

John 13:35 says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” I’ve quoted this verse quite a few times in various blogs on this site, and there’s a reason for it. Many of the “Christians” who get air time are the ones who are too loud for the wrong reasons. It’s no wonder people don’t see us as, for lack of a better term, “Shepherd’s helpers.” Sheep hear a loud, unfamiliar noise and race in the opposite direction. We don’t want people to fear us as if we were a carnivorous beast waiting to gobble them up and spit them out. We want them to experience what it’s like to live life under the comforting, selfless gaze of a Good Shepherd.