When Sheep Follow Sheep

Did you hear about the hundreds of sheep who followed each other off a cliff in eastern Turkey, plunging to their deaths this past week while shepherds looked on in dismay? Four hundred sheep fell 15 yards to their deaths in a ravine in Van province near Iran' but broke the fall of another 1,100 animals who survived, newspaper reports said Friday. Many of those were seriously injured.

Shepherds from Ikizler village were eating breakfast when suddenly one sheep went off the cliff and another 1500 sheep followed. The loss to local farmers was estimated at 100,000 new lira ($74,000).

Sheep are not the brightest of animals. They never win any prizes for being the geniuses of the animal kingdom. They are known for their "group mentality." They often follow the crowd and many times to their own destruction.

Following the crowd is especially dangerous when you ignore the shepherd. The wise lamb follows the one who cares for it, feeds it and protects it, the shepherd. The foolish lamb follows other sheep in rebellion to the guidance of the shepherd.

It's interesting that the Bible uses this analogy for the church and the kingdom of God. We are sheep. Christ is the good shepherd. When dumb sheep follow dumb sheep instead of the shepherd, bad things are sure to follow. Jesus also said that when the blind follow the blind they both end up in the ditch. How true! We must follow the shepherd and his guidance provided in the Holy Scriptures.