Why are Christians called Sheep?

Answer 1

A:

The New Testament refers to Jesus as the lamb of God, but of course that is about Jesus, not his followers.

I believe one reason for calling Christians sheep is a misinterpretation of a passage in John chapter 21. The Greek language has different words for different types of love, including agape (unconditional or sacred love) and philia(brotherly love). The passage in John chapter 21 works well because it was written in Greek, but its meaning would be lost had it been spoken in Aramaic, just as the meaning is lost in Latin and English.

In this chapter, on the Sea of Galilee, the risen Jesus questioned Peter three times, just as Peter had previously denied Jesus three times. Jesus addressed him each time theatrically as "Simon, son of Jonah", not as Peter, the name always previously used by Jesus. It was as if the scene was designed to humiliate Peter in front of the other disciples.

The first time, Jesus asked , "Do you love (agape) me more than these [the other disciples]?" Peter answered that he loves him, but only using the Greek word for friendly or brotherly love (philia). In exasperation, Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." With the meanings of sacred and brotherly love lost in the English translations, this last statement is usually interpreted as a sign of approval, quite the opposite of the original meaning.

Jesus again asked Peter, "Do you love me?" Again, sacred love (agape), but this time did not ask whether Peter loved Jesus more than the others. And again, Peter replied with the Greek word for brotherly love (philia). Jesus again replied, "Feed my sheep."

In the third questioning, Jesus asked only whether Peter had brotherly love for him (philia). He accepted that this was the most that Peter would give. For the third time, Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

A reader of the original Greek gospel would have realised that Jesus was frustrated at Peter's inability to say he love him unconditionally, and recognised "feed my sheep" as an indication of his exasperation. In Latin-speaking Western Europe, the nuances of unconditional love were lost, and the same passage was read as a command, thrice repeated, for Peter to "feed my sheep." This command must mean "minister to the Christians," so Jesus must have meant to call Christians "Sheep." Or so it was thought.

Another perspective:

A reference to Jesus as the "shepherd" and His disciples as "sheep" goes back to Zechariah 13:7, which Jesus quotes on the night of His arrest (Matthew 26:31, Mark 14:27).

Jesus also used the illustration extensively in John chapter 10, and Hebrews 13:20 refers to Jesus as "that great Shepherd of the sheep."

The intent of the illustration is less about presenting Christians as sheep (or suggesting that they should be "called" sheep) as it is about the nature of the relationship between Jesus and the believer.