OLD TESTAMENT: Ezekiel 34 & 35
POETRY: Psalm 130
NEW TESTAMENT: John 4:43-54
I love petting zoos, seeing the animals at the 4H fair, and anytime I’ve been up close and personal with a sheep, I’ve been impressed! How soft and gentle, how amazing their wool coat really does feel, and for a non-farmer gal like me, how tricky it is to tell a sheep from a goat sometimes? How someone can tell a llama from an alpaca is also beyond me! I’ve never raised sheep or had a sheep of my own to care for. But, over the years, I’ve heard lots of sermons/teachings on sheep and shepherds, and a few takeaways I’ve learned are: sheep are mentioned a lot in the Bible!, sheep are reportedly dumb animals, and shepherds doing their dirty work were not considered the high class of society.
In today’s reading in Ezekiel 34 and 35, we encounter some Israelites being compared to shepherds though who perhaps thought they were the high class of society. And, they are being reproved harshly. In fact, even modern translations use a little “woe to” language in Ezekiel 34:2 ….”Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves!
This verse caught my attention right away, making me think of a little phrase called “self care.” As an occupational therapist, these are words that for years were common in my “work language”, and it was a phrase referring to the self care tasks we need to do for basic daily living (dressing, toileting, hygiene, eating, etc.). Part of my job was to evaluate and work to help people with their self care tasks which can often be impacted by injuries, developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, etc. It wasn’t a phrase I heard out and about much in “non OT chit chat” for the first 10 years or so that I was working. And then it seemed to me that … kaboom….the phrase meant something new and was used all over social media, taught from preschool to college, and it was something emphasized as crucial for being able to function, be healthy, etc. But, it meant something different. It meant…..perhaps abstractly taking care of oneself…..but some of the examples I saw were more things like…..massages, vacations, get a degree, do a puzzle, prioritize “me time”, yoga, mindfulness breathing, and then maybe some camping weekends to “just relax” if your self care app found you lacking that week. I am kinda glad the term caught my attention because I became aware of some discrepancies that are out there on this subject.
Most definitely, it is beneficial for all aspects of our health to have adequate nutrition, sleep, cleanliness, time in nature, etc. And those of us who live in a free country, have a safe and comfortable place to sleep, the ability to look outside a window and see a tree and bird, the opportunity to be over-fed and clean should not take that for granted. But, it seems to me, these shepherds mentioned in Ezekiel would have loved the “self care” movement of today. A quick internet search regarding “self care” will lead you to terms emphasizing “self reliance”, “self defined”, “listening to you”, “self love”, “self esteem”, etc. Non of these terms are inherently bad if coupled with a Biblical world view, but combine them with some of the lists of things the internet tells me I should do daily for my self care , and my guard is up for a reason. I see some sneaky belief systems creeping in all over that I think are meant to destroy and not heal. The shepherds in Ezekiel were engaging in self care, but they were not doing anything for sheep care. Their job was to care for the sheep.
Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. (Ezekiel 34: 2-4)
In today’s world, there are so many pressing challenges negatively impacting every area of health, and the image Ezekiel 34 ends with provides a beautiful thought for both self care and sheep care. They are words revealing a hope beyond ourselves because my “self” isn’t going to get me through this alone. My mental health benefits from knowing that God cares for his sheep, that I am grafted into the vine through Jesus, and that as Christians, we are also heirs to the promises of Abraham.
They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. 29 I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations. 30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord. 31 You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” (Ezekiel 34: 28-31)
Interestingly, so many studies show that one of the best ways to improve mental health or physical health is by doing things to help others, so self care and sheep care really are aligned. On days we are struggling with our own baggage and carrying weights Jesus doesn’t want us to carry alone, one of the best ways to engage in true self care is by engaging in sheep care. Ironically, one of our therapy students at work recently told her supervising therapist that she couldn’t see the next patient yet because she had had a stressful day, could tell she needed some “me time”, and proceeded to sit down on a mat in the middle of a patient care area of the hospital and begin scrolling on her phone. I am not sure who needed a bubble bath or pursed lip breathing most at that moment, but I firmly believe asking for help from a shepherd and serving people instead of scrolling would have genuinely helped. However, the memory provides comical relief at work for the rest of us still, and we appreciate that.
Whatever we do to pursue physical, emotional, and spiritual health, let’s be careful it is rooted in scripture and the example we see in Jesus and his followers rather than the latest blog, book, or meme.
-Jennifer Hall
Questions:
- Imagine you are home alone sick in bed. How can you participate in sheep care?
- Imagine that you have been on a path too indulgent in self care and too lacking in sheep care. How could you improve things?
- Imagine a restored earth under Jesus’ reign where all of God’s sheep are gathered in a perfect “pasture”. Take a few moments of prayer and reflection seeking first his kingdom.
Seek Grow Love 