Anyone who has been to the Middle East will have surely noticed the presence of flocks of sheep with their shepherds.  These animals are a source of great interest to us because of their unusual dependence on human beings.  Perhaps more than any other of God’s creatures, they manifest an amazing inability to take care of themselves.  They continually wander off and get in trouble, often deadly danger.  But they are given the inborn capacity to listen to the voice of their shepherd, trust him, and follow him.

Jesus chose this unique relationship of man and animal to illustrate the relationship existing between him and the people he came to save.  A study of the different sections of Holy Scripture in which Jesus makes analogies to illustrate our unique relationship to him offers deep insights into ourselves, our Savior, and the nature of our salvation.

It has been a great joy for me to delve into these portions of our Lord’s teaching, and we present them to you with the hope and prayer that these studies will provide the blessing of just such an insight for you.  May God grant us all the humility to admit we are stupid sheep who are graced to have a wonderful shepherd who is both wiling and able to save every one of his sheep to the uttermost! (David Lawrence)

Lesson 1: The Pastoral Relationship of God to His People

Lesson 2: The Vindication of the Sheep

Lesson 3: Jesus as the Good Shepherd

Lesson 4: The Plight of the Sheep

Lesson 5: The Value of the Sheep

Lesson 6: The Feeding of the Sheep