A young man heard the news that the State Fair was coming to town, and there was going to be a “Best Sheep” contest. He owned a sheep that he was particularly proud of, and he very much wanted to get his sheep into the contest. As he asked around how to get in, he heard stories that the sheep were going to be judged on a minimum of several categories including size, intelligence, and wooliness. The man loved his sheep, but having seen some of the other sheep in town, he realized his sheep wouldn’t qualify for the contest.
Dejected, he went to the local café and sat at the counter sulking over a milk shake. An elderly man sat down next to him and saw the sad countenance on the young man. He asked him politely, “Looks like you’re pretty down, young man. Anything I can do?”
The young man told the elderly man, “The State Fair is coming to town, and there’s going to be a sheep contest. I have a sheep that I really want to get in, but from what I’ve heard, my sheep isn’t good enough to get in.”
A kind grin emerged from the elderly man’s face, and he said to the young man, “Well, son, you haven’t been given the right information. Yes, there is going to be an event for sheep in the State Fair, but what condition they’re in has nothing to do about participating in the event.”
The young man’s face lit up and exclaimed, “Really? That’s great news! How do you know this?”
“I’m the one running the event,” the elderly man calmly replied.
“Wow – nice to meet you. So how do I get my sheep into the contest?”
“The event is not a contest, young man. It’s just a place for the sheep to be shown off and be very well taken care of. However, there is a price to enter.”
“What’s the price?” asked the young man.
“$50,000/sheep,” said the elderly man.
“$50,000! I can’t pay that!
“No one can,” replied the old man.
“I don’t understand this at all. There’s this event that isn’t a contest, everyone seems to want to be a part of it, but the price is to high to get in. What’s the point?”
The elderly man put his arm around the young man’s shoulders, smiled at him, and said, “It’s my event, so I make the rules, young man. The event goes on because I pay the entry price.”
“What? Why would you do that? All these people are trying to get their sheep in the best possible condition, and then they find out getting into the event has nothing to do with what condition they’re in. Then they find out the price is too high to get in – they can’t pay the price. Why would you create such an event that is only possible if you do all the work?”
The elderly man’s face takes on a warm glow and replies, “Because I just love the sheep. It’s worth everything I have to get them in a place where their safe and well taken care of.”
“Wow! I didn’t catch your name,” the young man asked.
“You can call me the Good Shepherd.”