John 10:1-10

Sheep can be incredibly smart, For instance, most sheep can distinguish their shepherd's voice from any other voice. A few exceptional sheep can even be taught how to sit like a dog on command.  On the other hand, sheep can seem completely brainless. It's not unusual to see sheep trying to walk through a barbed wire fence or casually strolling straight off the edge of a cliff. To make matters worse, where one goes, others tend to follow. 
The hardest thing about being a shepherd is keeping the sheep where they should be, Certain sheep seem determined to go where they could be harmed. Modern shepherds use a device called a hobble on sheep's hind legs to keep them from moving freely. Before hobblers were invented, shepherds often broke a sheep's leg to keep it from the danger of wandering away. It was all part of caring for the sheep. Jesus seemed to understand sheep well. He saw His followers, us, as sheep, and himself as our shepherd. ​