Sermon the other day was on shepherds - tending to one's flock, laying down one's life for, and so on. Quite relevance to Christmas, and to Christ.
The Old Testament puts much stock in shepherds; the New Testament, perhaps not so much. A shepherd’s job is to protect, to nurture. If he sets out for pasture in the morning with 100, he’d darn well better bring 100 back the evening, all healthy. Judaism is similar – it’s about protecting and nurturing what you’ve got – God’s Chosen People. You don’t push for converts.
Tellingly, Christ seems to have had no shepherds as Apostles. His first several recruits were fishermen. A fisherman’s job is to start the day with nothing, cast a wide net, and bring in the many. Likewise, Christianity is about recruiting, “casting the net” over the whole of humanity. “Lay down your nets; I will make you fishers of men.”
A fisherman who brings in nothing is a failure. A shepherd who brings in any extra, we call a rustler and, hereabouts, we string him up.
As often, the New Testament - Christianity - does not so much abandon its firm foundation in the Old, but humanizes it a bit, and adds dimension - as in the fishermen.
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