Why did Jesus call his followers sheep?

Question

In the bible, Jesus calls his followers sheep. Christians are very fond of this classification. I'm asking, why?
Sheep are notoriously stupid.
Some definitions of sheep include:
A timid, defenseless simpleton who is readily preyed upon.
A docile and vulnerable person who would rather follow than make an independent decision.
Why would someone be proud of this?

Answer 1

If we weren't timid and easily preyed upon, where would Michael Jackson and Priests find their next ****?
We must follow without question so as not to expose the flaws of the system.

If you think about it, Jesus just asked for love (orgies) and understanding (of his being homosexual).
Plus lemmings was already taken.

Answer 2

The Shepherd of a flock of Sheep leads his flock to safety when there is danger around. He also shows the Flock of Sheep the right direction to go in order to lead them to a specific place.. In other words he is the Shepherd and his followers are the Sheep.
People ddont always have all the answers for themselves and sometimes need guidance ... Following the guidance of thier "Shepherd"-Jesus- keeps them safe and provides them with answers while in a time of need. If you dont know what to do about a certain Life situation, 9times out of 10 Jesus has spoken his wisdom about this certain situation.
It is not as a derogatory meaning in any way.. First you must accept the fact that you dont have all the answers you need all the time and need help and guidance once in a while to understand this at a personal level.
I hope this has helped to answer your question/statement.
Take Care ~NATHAN

Answer 3

Everyone who hates Christianity loves to take any verse where Jesus calls His people "sheep" and use it as a way to attack the intelligence of Christians. But have they actually read any of the verses? The Bible (and often Jesus Himself) talks about followers of God being His sheep in order to describe who Jesus is, not necessarily to talk about us. It's a way that the Bible could easily convey the message that God will provide for us, lead us to peaceful places, and protect us (Psalm 23). Since the people of that time understood that a shepherd risked his life to protect his flock, it was an easy way to explain Jesus's willingness to sacrifice His life for 'the sheep' (John 10, Isaiah 53). Understanding that you can have multiple flocks of sheep get mixed up but then as each shepherd calls to them, the sheep know the voice of their shepherd and will follow that guiding voice, people during Biblical times would see the clear picture of how Jesus intended to give His followers a clear voice to follow (John 10). And just a shepherd would leave the herd to go after one lost sheep, Jesus used the metaphor to explain His love for each one of us (Luke 15).

Jesus called us His sheep in order to convey characteristics of the SHEPHERD - Jesus. But people who hate Christianity will use this term to disparage Christians as mindless followers, however that is not what you find in the Bible. So I ask you, when searching for the answer as to "why did Jesus call his followers sheep" did any of the people attacking Christians actually reference anything from the Bible that factually answered that question or did they just attack what they disagree with?

Answer 4

Well, how many poor decisions DO humans make? Why do we so often choose the things in life that will hurt us?
We are so often, stupid, helpless, in need of caring for.
I don't think this is an insult, coming from an all-knowing, all seeing God.

Also, I think part of the reason Christ used the terms sheep and Shepard, was that the people of that time knew that there were few who were so diligent and caring to their charges as a Shepard. They knew that a Shepard goes where his sheep go, leading them, guiding them, caring for and protecting them, day and night.

I, for one, am proud to call Him my Shepard. I hope to always be in His flock, in His care.

Answer 5

In the time that the Bible was written, sheep and shepherding were ordinary concepts that people understood easily and fairly universally across ancient near eastern culture.

In that time period, sheep were not regarded as dumb or stupid, but as highly valuable creatures who depended on the care of the shepherd for nurture and safety.

Many of the references to sheep-keeping are lost on modern people because we do not have the same familiarity with this practice any more.

What is important when doing Biblical exegesis is to try to understand a passage in its original context. What you are doing in your question is called exegesis; that is, reading modern understandings back into ancient texts. That's why it seems strange to you and you reach the conclusions that you have.

Answer 6

Sounds like a good description of Christians in general to me so Sheep does apply ,maybe realistically since He saw himself as a Shepherd guiding people (his Flock) then the term Sheep applies in a symbolic term.
Don`t you just love those Sheep quoting that book of fiction by rote ??

Answer 7

At the time sheep hearding was a large industry. The analogy that best described the way Jesus's followers respected him was by using the sheep/shepherd one.

Answer 8

It's not about being proud of the comparrison with sheep. In that saying Jesus is a shepard and his followers are sheep because people are lost. People are always searching for something and they usually don't know what it is. Jesus guides and directs people.

Answer 9

Using sheep describe to believers in this context should not be taken as a sign of weakness or our inability to think for ourselves or laziness as some may think. It is to understand that as a sheep cannot do without the shepherd so are we without God-John15:5. If you have ever seen a dead man before, you will understand that man without the breathe of God in him is a waste product. Again one of the attribute of sheep is the mutual affection, they share with one another. Therefore, as believers, God expect us to demonstrate this same attribute not only between our selves but also to the unsaved world. So, I want to encourage you today wherever you are under this planet earth to embrace JESUS as your LORD and SAVIOR and make Him to be your shepherd today. This is important because He promise us that on His return for the harvest of the world, He will separate the sheep from goat-Mathew 25:31-33. His sheep will be with Him on the right hand side of the father in heaven while the goat (that is those who refuse to accept Him as their LORD and SAVIOR) will go to the left hand where they will face eternal condemnation with pain and tears forever. Make a wise choice today

Answer 10

Religion is the shepherd and what does shepherds do ?? well the only reason why the shepherds take care of the sheeps is because he's gonna use them, use their milk,their hair and finally being used to eat... That's exaclty what religion will do to you... Now the question is,, do you preferd to be a sheep or a lonely renegade wolf??? I choose the wolf anyday

Answer 11

because sheep is what they are.

They don't think for themselves and they are ruled by fear.

They do not follow because they are lost or would be lost, but rather because they are too scared to venture out for themselves.

The Shephard seems like the safest option.

Besides... if the "sheep" are bought up with the shepard since they were "lambs", they don't know to think any differently because it is all they know.

Sad really.