Picture of the day - February 18, 2006

Sheep Grazing In Washington County, Va

Down through the ages, human beings have relied upon sheep for their livelihood. Their meek nature and gentle disposition made sheep the farm animal of choice back in the days before the advent of fences. In a nutshell, they were relatively easy to control and protect from predators - so easy in fact that children were often assigned the chore of shepherding the family's herd of sheep. In the days of Christ, there were herds of sheep virtually everywhere that humans existed. Their wool was sheared and made into warm garments that protected people from the winter cold, and their meat was the basis for many a meal. These gentle animals have truly played a major role in the history of mankind. Sheep have played a prominent role in Christianity as well. The Lord Jesus Christ himself made frequent references to sheep in his teachings and sermons. He wanted humans to take on some of the characteristics of sheep - such as meekness and the willingness to follow their shepherd. In John 10:11, Jesus said "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." The lamb (a baby sheep) has long been considered a symbol of perfection and total innocence, leading others to use the term "lamb" to describe Christ - the only truly perfect and completely innocent person to ever walk upon the face of the earth. John 1:29 says "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." Every time I see a herd of sheep grazing in a pasture field, I think about what it must have been like living some 2,000 years ago. Humans depended on their sheep to keep them warm and fed while the sheep in return depended on their shepherd to lead them to greener pastures and keep them safe from predators. Today, we humans could get along just fine without sheep if we wanted to, but we still need The Good Shepherd to lead us and keep us safe - since we are in fact His sheep.   Picture Of The Day Homepage | Submit a photo Interesting Articles