April 6 – Chester Play of the Shepherds

We tend to think of shepherds as very connected with nature (or at least animals), and shepherds seem to be thought of today in mainly religious contexts.

Why then do  three of the shepherds feel compelled to “quit their job” after receiving the message of the baby Jesus? Does this mean there is something wrong with shepherding?

One thought on “April 6 – Chester Play of the Shepherds

  1. The only thing I can think is that, as we discussed before in class and in Tuesday’s blog posts, sheep played the role of wealth or a means toward some level of advancement, or at very minimum, food if they should fall ill. So in that sense, I guess I could see how the shepherds might see their current occupation as being “worldly”. I was personally surprised not so much that they left their jobs, which was surprising, don’t get me wrong, but moreso by the directions they chose to go instead. Monks, hermits, rolls that involved going away from society, while the message of Jesus consists of going out into society and becoming a servant to all. I guess I could understand it better if I choose to see this as a brief time of spiritual cleansing, like Jesus going into the desert for 40 days before starting his ministry, but from the play itself that seems a bit of a stretch.

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