Once upon a time there was a king who put a shepherd in charge of his flock of sheep. The sheep often were very annoying and acted stupidly. In his position, the shepherd took pride in his knowledge and experience to which the sheep could never measure up themselves. Where would those sheep be without him? They would follow each other off a cliff!
Over time, the shepherd began to have doubts about the king’s leadership over the kingdom. If that king were truly loving and just, for instance, then why would he impose the harsh punishments that he did on “lawbreakers?” Surely wicked behavior had to be punished at times, but the shepherd thought the king went a little too far in some of his laws and in the punishments for breaking those laws.
Eventually, the shepherd got so fed up with the way the king did things, that he resigned from his position as the king’s shepherd. He thought the king was arrogant for being so harsh on those poor marginalized “lawbreakers.” If he were the king instead, the ex-shepherd believed with all his heart that he would do a much better job at running the kingdom, protecting the innocent, punishing the guilty, and acting with both compassion and justice.
After his resignation, the ex-shepherd was so fed up with how the king did things that he would often vent his frustrations to the citizens in the town square marketplace. Some of the citizens felt the same way in agreement and consolidation. Others would feel annoyed by the ex-shepherd as they argued with him. Finally, the day came when the King summoned the ex-shepherd into his throne room, where the shepherd would give an account to the king for his behavior as a citizen.
Questions for discussion:
What will the shepherd say to the king?
What will the king say to the shepherd?
Who will get his way in the end? Whose opinion is the only one that will stand at the end of the day? The shepherd’s opinion or the king’s? Why?
