I’ve been told some scary stories about Jesus. Folks said He is the Good Shepherd, and as such, He will break my leg and put me over His shoulders if I wander off. They told me the rod and staff He carries are tools to keep me in line. If I begin to stray, He will jerk me with His staff and then use His rod to whack my ankles to keep me on the right path. Then, once I am limping with my broken leg and bruised ankles, I will never stray again because I will have learned to love and trust Him.
I believed those stories and even shared them with others at one time. I never stopped to ask myself, if Jesus were indeed a Good Shepherd, why would He have to rely on pain and coercion to lead His flock? What’s so good about that? Besides, there’s a name for making people love you through fear: Stockholm Syndrome.
Anyone in Israel could tell you the legends about broken legs and battered ankles are poppycock. They know shepherds love their sheep and lead by walking in front, not by whacking them from behind. There’s no need to coerce a flock to follow because sheep naturally love and trust their shepherd. The shepherds’ staff are used to gently hook sheep in peril, and rods are used as weapons against predators that endanger the flock. In Israel, the shepherd’s greatest treasure is the sheep.
David knew that when he wrote Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” David didn’t say God walked him into the Valley of the Shadow of Death to teach him to follow. But he did say that God protected and comforted him when he was there.
Many of us have a belief system that perpetuates the myth that we will only seek God when we are in peril. Last night I was in Bible study with a group of women hungry to know Jesus. None of us were there because we were in crisis. Yet our discussion turned to how God uses trouble to get us to pursue Him. That may be true, but I no longer believe He causes misfortune or that catastrophes are His tool of choice. That’s akin to broken legs and bruised ankles.
In fact, the Bible says, “God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13).” In other words, our Good Shepherd is leading us from the inside, not from calamity on the outside. But when misfortune comes, you can bet your Good Shepherd will be right there with you.
Let’s debunk some of the myths about God. Jesus is not breaking your legs or your kids’ legs to get your attention and then asking you to love and trust Him. That would be sadistic and sick. Your Good Shepherd is indeed good. He is on your side and leading you gently to green pastures to restore your soul and give you rest. If you wander off, He will leave the 99 to seek and rescue you and then carry you home on His shoulders, rejoicing. And He won’t break your leg or whack your ankles when you get there.
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