Throughout the Gospel of Mark, Mark has been confronting us with the identity of Jesus. He wants us to ask with the participants in the story, “Who is this man?” Today we find this question being asked explicitly and being given several different answers. But Mark gives his own answer – loud and clear and stunning. He does this by telling us the story of two shepherds, Herod Antipas and Jesus – one who is eating his sheep and taking advantage of them for his own benefit, the other who is feeding his sheeping and tending to their needs. This tale of two shepherds highlights for us important principles of civil government which help us to view our current political history rightly and avoid the folly of idolatry.