The smart sheep

There is the NT passage where the call is to have one shepherd and one flock (John 10).  We read that prior to our discussion about the GC 29.  

Jesus is talking about bringing the sheep into one fold. That there are some sheep who are already with him; that there are others which are not yet in his fold, but will eventually find their way to him... 

The fact that struck me was that the purpose of the sheep or the mission of the sheep is known and envisioned, not by the sheep, but by the shepherd!! What each sheep is meant for, what is to be achieved by the whole flock or some sheep, why the sheep need to do what they are told to do... all of this is the plan of the shepherd.  From deciding where to graze and when to sheer the wool, to which sheep to cull for the feast and when to vaccinate, it is all by the shepherd. 

So, what then are the sheep? Dumb sheep? Have they nothing to contribute to their own life and growth?  Far from being dumb, they are called to be smart; smart enough to know the shepherd!  And when they know him well enough, to be so attached to him that they let him decide what's best for them; because they know that he wants nothing but the best for them.  

This understanding is what makes Jesus, the good shepherd!  And us, the smart sheep!