Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: sheep

the secret of Chick-fil-A — November 6, 2024

the secret of Chick-fil-A

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I passed by the Chick-fil-A today.  As usual the drive-through was jam-packed with fowl-hungry feeders. 

I sometimes wonder why the chain is so successful.  True, the food is tasty, and the employees are friendly. But I suspect the most important factor has to do with their practice of closing on Sundays.

Obviously, the Lord has blessed their commitment to honor the Lord’s Day, but I think there is more.  You see, when we drive by a Chick-fil-A store, we experience a subconscious urge – a thought that goes something like this: “I can’t always get this when I want it, so I’m gonna get me some right now.”

Let’s face it – we are chicken hoarders.

But seriously, the fear of going without, tends to fuel a stockpile syndrome within us.  That pallet of post-Covid toilet paper in your garage is proof enough.

The prices these days only seem to exaggerate this tendency.  The cost of the basics jump up every week. We want to buy 3 of an item at the current price because we know it will be more expensive the next time.  

I was shocked recently to find that my car insurance went down by a couple dollars.  .05% to be exact. I nearly cried tears of joy.

OK, but what if we had an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-caring, greater than life God, who would intervene and actively care for us?  Would that be enough to quiet that fear?

According to Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ and His disciples were well overdue for some R&R time.   So, they took a cruise on the sea of Galilee to a lonely place to be by themselves (6:31) But the ambitious mob that followed Him, took off on foot, and intercepted them on the other side.    

Jesus saw them and understood their desperate need.  Mark says, “He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (6:34).  Because of that compassion, He reengaged and began to feed them with His life-giving teaching.

It turned out to be an all-day session.  The sun began to dip beneath the sea and His disciples wanted to wrap things up because it was dinner time.  They were in a desolate place, and they told Jesus that the people were hungry. Or maybe it’s because the disciples were hungry. 

There wasn’t enough money to feed the multitude and even if there was, the nearest bodega was many miles away.  Of course, that’s when Jesus decided that He would literally take things into His own hands, by miraculously multiplying the 5 loaves and 2 fish.

But what I find curious is that the event started with some instructions, “Then He directed them all to sit down in groups on the green grass” Mark 6:39.

How peculiar!  Why specify that they needed to be seated on “green grass?”  Why was this minor detail so important to Jesus? 

Well maybe because green grass is not necessarily common there.   The land is brimming with rocks and dirt.  There is green for a short part of the year until the heat quickly turns the grass brown.   But evidently there was some green grass nearby, and Jesus insisted that they get off the rocks and dirt and sit upon the grass.

Why? Well, where else would you expect sheep to be when it was dinner time?  Those sheep without a shepherd were led to graze in green pastures by the Good Shepherd who deeply loved them and made sure they had what they needed.

I believe Jesus wanted them to connect their experience with Psalm 23 where David wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” (Psalm 23:1-2) KJV

What a wonderful picture of Jesus our Good Shepherd!

Hey, maybe it’s time for us to lose the hoarding mentality.  Let’s leave the rocks and dirt behind and trust Him to provide the green grass.

A PRAYER: Lord, we want to trust You and your provision.  Please strengthen our faith!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ® unless otherwise noted.

Jesus and goats — July 29, 2020

Jesus and goats

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In the sports pages, the acronym G.O.A.T. stands for the Greatest Of All Time.  In the Bible, however, it may stand for the Grimmest Of All Time. 

Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. – Matthew 25:31-33  NET Bible ®

The sheep represent people of faith while the goats are the emblem of those who have rejected Jesus.  But why pick on the goats?

I know as much about goat husbandry, as a sumo wrestler at a quilting bee.  But I can research, and this is what I have learned.

Goats look like sheep:  Throughout the ages, these ruminants have looked ridiculously alike.  The primary way to distinguish them is by their tails.  A goat’s tail goes up – the sheep’s – down.  Then there is the issue of odor.  The goats reek!

In order to maximize manpower, both were typically herded together, until time to shear the sheep (I guess there was a goat tail checker on the payroll)

So maybe the Lord wants us to know that you can’t always tell a Christian apart from one who is not.  I know professing sheep that smell more like goats, and some moral goats that act better than sheep.  On the day Jesus separates them, however, it will be based on their relationship to Him.  

Goats look for trouble.  Quotes from a livestock forum: “If you leave goats in with your horse, they may chew off his tail.” “My dad has described goats as ‘Jack Russells with hooves.’”   

Male goats headbutt sheep, people and anything else that moves – including pickup trucks.  (and you thought sheep were dumb)

The Lord has issues with those who abuse others.  In fact, His indictment of the goats in Matt 25 was based on the insensitive way the goats treated His sheep.  Hmm. That snide remark to my wife was a little goatee like. 

Goats are destructive:  Sheep enjoy grass and are content to leave some for later.  Goats will gnaw it to the ground, which destroys the pasture. 

They also shinny up trees to feast on the leaves and twigs.   Their habits have earned them the title of “worst land destroyers in history.”   Whole herds have been known to wander off and create a feral race of goats that decimate the environment.  Sounds like a sci fi sequel – “Planet of the Goats.” 

Whereas goodness and mercy are said to follow the sheep, wanton destruction follows goats.  

Paul wrote to us saying, “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another.”  – 1 Thessalonians 5:11. In other words, we sheep should leave people better off for having spent time with us.

Goats are independent.  Goats were the first to social distance.   When grazing, they tend to spread out, rather than feed side by side as do sheep.  

Goats tend to do their own thing.  Check out the picture!  I sat down at a petting zoo and ended up with a goat sitting on top of me. 

Sheep will follow their shepherd, but the goatherd vainly tries to keep up with the goats.  One herder says that sometimes you need to take the alpha goat by the horns or collar and force compliance to get the others to follow.

As for a fence, a goat can dig under it or climb over it – and they will.   It’s been said, “If your fence won’t hold water, it won’t hold a goat.”   A shepherd carries a staff which he uses to defend sheep and to discipline the goats. 

When there is danger, sheep run to the shepherd. With the other guys its every goat for himself.  They scatter.  

A goat will not follow the Savior – and this is probably the trait that makes them a most fitting emblem of unbelief.  Jesus, the Shepherd, put it this way in Mark 8:34-35, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and because of the gospel will save it.”

It is likely impossible for a bearded billy goat to deny himself and get behind and follow the shepherd.  Not so impossible for us.  May we be goaded by the goats to gladly follow the Good Shepherd.

All Scripture references are from the NETBible ®