The Shepherds Voice

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” –  John 10:27 Ray Vander Laan, a scholar and teacher of Jewish culture, shared a story about shepherds in the Middle East. Throughout history, he explained, shepherds have usually been teenage girls. In fact, aside from David, most shepherds mentioned in the Bible—like Rebekah—were teenagers. During his time with the Bedouins, Ray was allowed to travel with four teenage girls who were shepherds, each with her own flock of sheep. As they led their sheep into the pasture, Ray joined them while they ate snacks and chatted about life, surrounded by hundreds of sheep. As the four flocks of sheep mingled together, Ray became anxious. He wondered how the shepherds would ever separate the sheep again, since they all looked alike and had no way to tell them apart. But then, when the girls separated and each