“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.” (John 10:11-12).
I do not know how to ride a bike. In fact, every time I have tried to learn to ride a bike, I have taken the sort of tumble that has caused me to – sadly – have to quit on the idea of bike riding altogether. Because riding a bike is a childhood skill that seems so easy for others, it is the one thing that I feel has defeated me in this lifetime. And perhaps because it has defeated me, it is also something that I find incredibly interesting.
I have been considering the use of the tailwind. When people ride bikes in groups, the rider at the front of the group is the person who bears the full force of the wind in their face. They are also the person who needs to navigate the pat taken to make sure that the group of bike riders can actually make their way through the landscape ahead of them. And this means that the bike rider at the front of the group is the person taking all the risks – they are responsible for the others.
When Christ came to Earth, He said that He was the Good Shepherd, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.” (John 10:11-12).
What God was telling us there is that He will look after us and all we need do is to follow Him and trust in Him as meekly as a sheep trusts in the Shepherd.
And I have been thinking about that in terms of the bike riders. You see, the first bike rider is like the Good Shepherd. That first bike rider takes the risks and forges the path and makes sure that everyone behind them has a way to reach their destination. And even though those bike riders behind them still have to ride their bikes and that bike ride might feel like a lot of work, it is in fact, not that much work at all. Because they are hidden behind the leader and protected by the bikes in front of them.
And I have been thinking about that today as I have been thinking about the challenges in my life. Because it seems to me that I have spent a life time riding my bike behind the leader of the group and that has meant that I have been protected in his tail wind. He has born the brunt of the elements in His face and he has carried the suffering of my entire life. And all He asks of me is to keep pedalling and to follow Him.
And when I think about that today, it seems a most marvellous thing…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.