IN THE ARMS OF THE SHEPHERD

"Some years ago, it was my privilege to visit the country of Morocco as part of an official United States government delegation. As part of that visit, we were invited to travel some distance into the desert to visit some ruins. Five large black limousines moved across the beautiful Moroccan countryside at considerable speed. I was riding in the third limousine, which had lagged some distance behind the second. As we topped the brow of a hill, we noticed that the limousine in front of us had pulled off to the side of the road. As we drew nearer, I sensed that an accident had occurred and suggested to my driver that we stop. The scene before us has remained with me for these many years. 

An old shepherd, in the long, flowing robes of the Saviour's day, was standing near the limousine in conversation with the driver. Nearly, I noted a small flock of sheep numbering not more than fifteen or twenty. An accident had occurred. The king's vehicle had struck and injured one of the sheep belonging to the old shepherd. The driver of the vehicle was explaining to him the law of the land. Because the king's vehicle had injured one of the sheep belonging to the old shepherd, he was now entitled to one hundred times its value at maturity. However, under the same law, the injured sheep must be slain and the meat divided among the people. My interpreter hastily added, "But the old shepherd will not accept the money. They never do". Startled, I asked him why. And he added, "Because of the love he has for each of his sheep". It was then that I noticed the old shepherd reach down, lift the injured lamb in his arms, and place it in a large pouch on the front of his robe. He kept stroking its head, repeating the same word over and over again. When I asked the meaning of the word, I was informed, "Oh, he is calling it by name. All of his sheep have a name, for he is their shepherd, and the good shepherds know each one of their sheep by name."  

It was as my driver predicted. The money was refused, and the old shepherd with his small flock of sheep, with the injured one tucked safely in the pouch on his robe, disappeared into the beautiful deserts of Morocco. As we continued our journey toward the ruins, my interpreter shared with me more of the traditions and practices of the shepherds of that land. Each evening at sundown, for example, the shepherds bring their small flocks of sheep to a common enclosure where they are secured against the wolves that roam the deserts of Morocco. A single shepherd then is employed to guard the gate until morning. Then the shepherds come to the enclosure one by one, enter therein, and call forth their sheep - by name. The sheep will not hearken unto the voice of a stranger but will leave the enclosure only in the care of their true shepherd, confident and secure because the shepherd knows their names and they know his voice." (John R. Lasater, "Shepherds of Israel", Ensign, May 1988, p 74)


"....I know my sheep, and they are numbered" (3 Nephi 18:31)

As Judah was carried away into Babylonian captivity, the prophet Ezekiel was taken with them. As Jeremiah administered to the court at Jerusalem prior to the dispersion, Ezekiel was called to administer to the exiles. He was instructed by the Lord to lay the blame for Judah's dispersion at the door of its' leaders - the royal government, the priesthood and the teachers. These were shepherds entrusted with the sheep of the fold lacking any characteristics of a good shepherd (Ezekiel 34:2). Their energies were spent on enriching themselves and indulging their appetites, caring little for the sheep in their care. They were the total opposite of what the Saviour is like as a shepherd who guards His flock with tenderness and care. The Saviour lamented over dispersed house of Israel making obvious his love for those He calls His own: "The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them" (Ezekiel 34:4-6).

The Saviour reiterates throughout the scriptures that He is the good shepherd and we are His sheep. Most people in our modern society have never seen a shepherd so the metaphor of this relationship is somewhat lost. Jesus, however, knew about shepherds and the care and love and protection which they bestow on their sheep. I am sure as He encountered shepherds on the plains of Judea during his mortal life this metaphor was born in the caverns of His heart. He saw Himself as the shepherd who would heal the sick, bind those who are broken, gather those who are driven away and find those which are lost. His love would know no bounds, his mercy no restraint, his compassion no denial. He would be the protector of the vulnerable and the weak, he would be the master shepherd who would never forsake His sheep. From the depth of this commitment came the unfathomable sacrifice for His beloved sheep: "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)

"Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out....and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered." (Ezekiel 34:11-12)

The greatest witness of the Saviour's commitment to shepherd his sheep is taking place today through the gathering of scattered Israel. The value that is placed on each soul is evident in the great work performed daily through the under-shepherds who are His true disciples, the members of His Church who are willing to seek out that which is lost. We have been commissioned to emulate the Master Shepherd in His great work 'to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man' (Moses 1:39). We are to be as committed and as tenacious and as caring as the Saviour as we undertake this important work for not one soul can be overlooked or lost: "The personal nature of the Lord's ministry as the Master Shepherd should be the pattern for all who shepherd the flocks of Israel. The depths of His love, His willingness to give freely of Himself, His undeviating loyalty and devotion to the cause shared so completely with His Father, and His constant attention to the needs of the one stand as hallmarks of the true shepherd's calling" (John R. Lasatar, 'Shepherds of Israel, Ensign, May 1988).

We need not be concerned about the rate of our success as the Lord's under-shepherds for He has promised that His sheep will hear His voice. From all corners of the earth, from every mountain and steep hill, from every rock and wherever they are scattered they will hear His call and they will follow.

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27)