British shepherds often take sheep and rams, one by one, and throw them into a dipping trough, a huge vat filled with an antiseptic liquid. The shepherd must completely submerge each animal, holding its ears, eyes, and nose under the surface. It is of course horribly frightening for the sheep. And if any of the sheep try to climb out of the trough too soon, the sheepdogs bark and snap and force them back in.

But as terrifying an experience as it is for the sheep, without the periodic treatment, they would become the victims of parasites and disease. It is for their good. One Christian writer witnessing this process couldn't help but remember that Jesus is called our Good Shepherd and we are his sheep. She wrote:

I've had some experiences in my life which have made me feel very sympathetic to those poor rams—I couldn't figure out any reason for the treatment I was getting from the Shepherd I trusted. And he didn't give me a hint of explanation. As I watched the struggling sheep I thought, "If only there were some way to explain! But such knowledge is too wonderful for them—it is high, they cannot attain unto it" (Ps 139:6)

We too have a Good Shepherd who is committed to his sheep, though he often does things to us that frighten us and that we cannot, at the moment, understand.