“You’re such a sheep.”

This was the social media insult I saw launched at a friend of mine this week.

If you’re unfamiliar with what it means to be called a ‘sheep’ these days, it means you’re a follower, you’re a coward, you’re weak, you’re unthinking.  It means you believe what you believe without evidence and you’re just following the crowd.

“You’re such a sheep.”

The insult struck me in a couple of ways. 

First, the immaturity of the statement made me chuckle.  Nothing like one grown man calling another grown man a farm animal as an insult… 

More concerning to me, however, was the fact that the insult was leveled by one Christian towards another Christian.  To add a few more details, I know both of these individuals and know that they go to two different churches and have some significant theological and political differences.  However, at the end of the day, while they worship in different churches and are different in a plethora of other ways, they both claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 

Despite that core commonality, here they are on social media, not only arguing with each other, but insulting each other.

“You’re such a sheep.”

What concerned me most about the insult was that the person who leveled this claim, as a follower of Jesus, is someone who worships the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).  As someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus, they follow the Lamb who has been slain (Revelation 5:6). 

Do you see the conflict here?

The very term they’ve used to insult someone, a fellow follower of Jesus no less, is the same term the Bible uses to describe Jesus, the Lamb of God, through whom we overcome the evil one (Revelation 12:11).

How dare we followers of Jesus take what once so lovingly described Jesus and employ it as an attack against others? 

As if this weren’t enough, on top of all of this, Jesus says this to Peter in John 21:15-17

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” ¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

Not only is the term lamb used to tenderly describe Jesus, Jesus used the term to affectionately describe his people – especially those in need of care and service. 

What has happened to the people of God when the very term once used so endearingly of Jesus has been reduced to an insult?  What went wrong so that an image once used by Jesus to describe his people has been hijacked – at times by his ow people – to condemn others? 

These days it is so easy to insult, so easy to condemn, so easy to judge that some of us have unknowingly allowed ourselves to misappropriate a word once used to describe Jesus as an insult against those who think or believe differently than we do. 

My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 

Paul sets this standard before us in Ephesians 4:29 saying, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” 

If the intention behind our words is to tear down and destroy, the world isn’t seeing Christ in us.  In fact, they’re seeing the exact opposite – they’re seeing the one who came to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).   Jesus on the other hand, came to build up; He came to give life in all of its beautiful fullness. 

It seems to me a choice has been set before us.  We can steal, kill, and destroy with our words, or we can build up and give life.  We can look and speak like Jesus, the Lamb of God or we can insult and tear down and look like the very thief Jesus died to set us free from. 

I won’t speak for you, but as one sheep to another, I hope we’ll choose to build each other up; there’s no life in the other option because Jesus isn’t in it.