Traffic came to a full stop. Why? There wasn’t a broken bridge. There wasn’t a car accident. There was something stranger.

Two thousand sheep were bleating their way through Madrid, the capital city of Spain! That wouldn’t have seemed strange back in 1372. Back then, the land wasn’t peppered with important banks, fancy shops, and tourists. It was a big checkerboard of forests and farmland. Shepherds had to pay to cross with 25 copper coins called maravedis. People haven’t used maravedis since 1848. But the chief herdsman still pays with them for the sheep crossing every year.

The truth is, the sheep herders don’t really need to pay to cross. In fact, they don’t even need to cross! They do it because they are proud of their sheep-rearing traditions. The sheep are moving to warmer territory for the winter. It would be cheaper for shepherds to move them in trucks. But in Madrid, sheep are very important to shepherds. They take care of sheep, even when it is costly to themselves. Does that remind you of another shepherd?

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”—John 10:11