Like Sheep

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice . . . ” (John 10:27). Of all the animals Jesus could have compared us to, He chose sheep. He didn’t say, “My dolphins hear My voice,” or “My chimpanzees hear My voice.” He said, “My sheep hear My voice.”

You may be wondering, but aren’t sheep really stupid animals? Yes, they are. They are so dense, in fact, that if one sheep walks off a cliff and falls to its death, others will follow.

Unfortunately, there are many characteristics that we humans share with sheep. One of them is that we have a tendency to go astray, to follow the crowd—especially when we are young.

But the problem is that like sheep, we can do what everyone else does and end up doing the wrong thing. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” How we need people today to stand up for what is right and not just follow the crowd.

Daniel 3 tells the story of three Hebrew teenagers—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego—who were in positions of influence in the kingdom of Babylon. Because they would not bow down to the image of King Nebuchadnezzar, they were thrown into a fiery furnace. But God honored their courage and commitment to Him by preserving their lives. How we need people like them today.

Let’s not be like sheep that follow the crowd to their own destruction. Let’s stay on the narrow way that leads to life. If we do, we will look back and thank God. We will look back and realize that we missed nothing, but instead gained eternal life.