Right or Not?

When I lived in the south there were poisonous snakes unheard of in my area of upstate New York. Kentucky and Tennessee have a venomous species known as copperheads. It was rumored that they smelled like cucumbers. If you sensed that odor while walking in the woods, you were warned to be careful where you placed your feet.

A little further south they have two snakes of a different kind. The names are not so important as the knowledge that the black, red, and yellow broad bands are arranged in repeating patterns around their bodies. The bright colors make them quite hard to miss, actually.

There was a rule of thumb that contained an absolute truth. It stated that red on yellow would kill a fellow; red on black, venom lack. These were brief  but concise descriptions of the differences in the patterns on the snakes. One species would do you no harm, the other gave you no chance of survival.

Today, truth evades understanding. There are so many opinions out there that one is more apt to consider what sounds good at any given moment, rather than to take the time to discern from research what is fact. How dangerous that can be! Often times what is first brought to our attention is the farthest thing from the truth. Even the scientific community disagrees about certain subjects, depending upon the assumptions from which they start. But, as is the case with the snakes, one color combination is right, or not dangerous, the other is wrong, or deadly.

In an article I read, the phrase radical right was used to describe a group of people who believe that there are absolute truths. It struck me as ironic that you can be anymore than just right. I can understand being slightly wrong, or even radically wrong, i.e., running from the snake that had red on black. But, then, you would be completely safe if you made such a decision. You could also have been radically incorrect if you had failed to remember the truth and not run from the snake colored with red on yellow. Even that error has a chance that you would still survive if the snake was unwilling to pursue you, which is what makes those errors so dangerous. You start to believe the wrong thing. However, if you were right, then that settles it.

Where do we learn truth? Who do we trust to inform us? Which way do we go?

For over four thousand years the three major religions of the world, Judaism, Islam and Christianity used the same reference, the books of the Old Testament in the Holy Bible. Deuteronomy 5 quotes from God a list of well known rules for living. It says, amongst other things, "Thou shalt not kill." This list of statements holds absolute truths. The New Testament gives the Christian community its foundation. In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life..." It is when we stray from the absoluteness of these truths that we become endangered.

Our country's forefathers understood these truths. They were well educated, but practical. When they wrote the constitution which gives us our freedom, they simply wrote the least restrictive document they could in order that Americans could always rely on the truth to set them free. The absolute truth, anything other than that, they knew, and America would fall into a society torn apart at the seams.

The next time you read about something that is radically right, stop and think about it. Could they just be right, and the commentator be the one who is "only slightly wrong?"

Which One?

As I looked toward the neighbor’s yard I saw the small flock of three sheep and two goats standing in the driveway patiently waiting for their ward to discover that they had escaped the fence once again. They were standing behind the pick up with their heads and necks extending out from behind the truck like they knew they weren't supposed to be there, but really wanted to see if someone was coming. What was different about this time?

The sheep farmer has taken much of the romanticism out of an honorable trade of the past. This more modern day farmer has come to rely on fencing to protect his flock. By placing them within the confines of the wire perimeter he expects that the flock will remain where he puts them. He has weighed the risk of predators penetrating the area and killing some portion of them. He also knows that, should a stray sheep come up against his fencing, he will not be there to gain the addition to his flock. But, he has considered that.

Once the flock is in place the farmer is off to another location for the purpose of doing business; testing markets, paying bills, obtaining feed, going to the veterinarian. Now, each of these is an important aspect of the sheep farming business, especially when there are thousands of sheep on the farm. Then too, the sheep grower’s association gives great recognition to those farms able to produce large populations. The association also sponsors contests to see who can produce the biggest sheep, rams with the best bloodlines, and ewes with the largest reproductive capacity. Because of the prizes these contests represent, the farmers often concentrate on the sheep with the best potential, leaving the common sheep to fend for themselves. In Zechariah 11:17 we read, “Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock!” The 34^th chapter of Ezekiel is God’s word to those sheep farmers who fail to tend their flocks.

In Luke 15:4 Jesus is speaking of the actions of a shepherd when he says: “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?”

What is the difference in the two options of sheep husbandry?

Jesus alludes to an important aspect of shepherding in this verse. If you are going to be a shepherd, you have to be where the sheep are. David, one of the most recognized shepherds in history, has documented his attendance of the flock. He counted them every day - probably many times - to make sure they were there. When the food supply ran low, he herded them from one spot to another. He made sure that the water supply was sufficient and safe. And, perhaps most important of all, he was willing to give his life when the beasts of the field attacked rather than let them have any of his sheep.

What are the parallels in today’s church? Let’s look at religion in general. Do the ministers rely on the liturgy, the building, the pattern of worship, the exterior appearance of the church, or the reputation of the church government to act like fencing to hold the congregation in place? Do they show up once a week to speak to them, to calm their fears? Do they wonder why their flock dwindles? Do their sheep know their voice?

Or are there shepherds out there? Do they constantly count their sheep? Do they know each one? Do they know how much food, how much water, what tendencies of misbehavior and what attributes of leadership each one has? Do they know in an instant when one is missing? Are they aware of the evil lurking outside the fold? Do they lead the sheep to places of safety and rest?

Shepherding has never been a safe occupation. Perhaps that is why so many sheep farmers sprang up - more sheep with less expense in time and effort, and a big organization with lots of security built into it. There would always be someone at the association to whom to pass the buck if the issues were too hot to handle locally. My wife and I left a flock where the farmer was concentrating on the safety of doing what the association said, rather than using the good judgment of God that he makes available through the Holy Spirit. Perhaps you know of a sheep farmer who led his flock to desolation because he depended upon the sheepgrowers’ association’s direction rather than God’s instruction. Again, there is danger as Ezekiel 34:17 points out, “And for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.”

The good shepherd takes the danger head on. Whether it is the attack from the predators, like the lions and bears searching for innocent blood, or the independent minded sheep that constantly try to affect the tranquility of the fold, he is there sharing his time and his wisdom to protect and lead. His sheep not only know his voice, but also know his intentions. He does not depend upon fencing to do his work for him.

Sep 1997

Warren A Johnson