“For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25).
Jesus refers to his followers as sheep, reflecting their nature as vulnerable and emphasizing their need for leadership. In several particular instances in the New Testament, the people of God are alluded to as sheep. John 10:1-5 and Acts 20:28-29 are two examples. The sheep-shepherd theme is alluded to more than a few times throughout scripture probably because shepherding was common in the ancient Near East, and everybody at the time would have understood the illustration.
As Peter said, “we all like sheep have been led astray!” often Christians are led astray by the idols of the world: money, fame, power, sex, family, and the pursuit of happiness. However, Peter is clear to remind us: “but you returned to your Overseer, your Shepherd, your Savior.” Consider the words of Jesus in John 10:1-18. Repeatedly he explains that he is the “good shepherd.” Jesus explains that his followers know his voice, and that the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (an allusion to the forthcoming sacrifice on the cross).
So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep (John 10:7-15).
As sheep, Christians have an identity as vulnerable and in need of strong, sacrificial leadership.
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