Shepherding (being a shepherd) is one of the oldest jobs. It began about 6000 years ago in Asia. Sheep were kept for their meat, milk and wool.
The job of the shepherd was to look after the sheep and protect them from predators.
Shepherds lived apart from society and the job of a shepherd was mainly for males who didn't have their own children.
Shepherding developed in certain areas such as in rugged, mountainous areas where sheep tended to live.
In modern times shepherding has changed dramatically.
Having a shepherd to constantly look after your sheep is now very expensive.
As there are less sheep predators now, the need for shepherds has reduced.
In countries like Britain some breeds of sheep are left alone without a shepherd for long periods of time only being moved to fresh pasture when necessary. Often sheep are left on hillsides and the sheep farmer will attend to the sheep at times such as lambing or shearing.
John Chapter 10 tells the story of the Good Shepherd.
Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd - someone who loves and cares for His sheep, someone who is willing to give up His life for His sheep.
The sheep Jesus cares for are the people of this world who have accepted Him and believe He will take care of them.
Jesus is the one shepherd we can completely trust. All we need to do is let Him and He will take care of our every need without us having to do anything on our own. Just as sheep follow their shepherd everywhere, we need to follow Jesus.
We can all find ways of being Good Shepherds in our own lives for example by: looking after our younger brothers or sisters, helping others in our class if they are in trouble, leading and setting a good example.
