What Is A Shepherd? / Part Five

Series – April 2014 – Grace & Truth Magazine

What Is A Shepherd? / Part Five

“Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.” —Colossians 4:17 KJV

Definition of “pastor”: “A shepherd, one who tends herds or flocks” (Vine’s An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). “Pastor” and “shepherd” are the same word in the original Greek.

Now as we conclude this series we will consider a few more Scriptures that give wise instruction and encouragement for those called by God to be pastors. Please note that even though you may not be called as a shepherd, all believers are expected to care for one another.

Jotham’s Instruction On Authority
In the Old Testament book of Judges we have a story that is very instructive on authority. God, through Gideon, accomplished a great victory for Israel and they wanted to crown this man as their king.

“Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you” (Jud. 8:23).
“And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives. And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech” (Jud. 8:30-31).
“And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying, Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother. And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him. And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself. And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.
“And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, ‘Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon” (Jud. 9:1-15).

Let us briefly examine what the trees said when it was suggested to each one that they should become king.

• Olive tree. “Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?” The tree chose to do the work that God had given it to do, rather than to be important in the eyes of others. It wanted to please both God and man with its oil. We remember that the lamps of the tabernacle used olive oil so we see this as an example of being a bright testimony shining for the honor of God in the midst of a generation shrouded in great darkness. The olive tree did not want to abandon this important function that God had entrusted to it just to satisfy the multitude by taking a place over the rest.
• Fig tree. The fig tree had the same attitude. “Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?” How beautiful. The fruit of the fig tree was food and sweetness for those around it. One day the Lord Jesus seeing a fig tree sought to satisfy His hunger with its fruit. But when He arrived at the tree He found none (Mk. 11:12-13). May God find in us sweetness, or food, for Himself. In the Scriptures we often read that when someone offered a burnt offering to God it ascended as a sweet smelling savor to Him. May this also be the case in our service for Him.
• The vine. The response of the vine was the same: “Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?” It did not want to be great for itself, but it wanted to give joy to the heart of God. If this desire is found in us we too will give joy to His heart and to those around us.
• The bramble. Unlike the others, the bramble wanted to be great. Even though it was the lowest of all the trees it was the first to want the highest position. “If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.” We see the attitude of the bramble: the one that was the least qualified wanted to be the most important and to rule over all. What a contrast between the bramble and the three trees. The bramble was looking for self-importance whereas the trees wanted to serve God, producing the fruit intended by God for His glory and man’s blessing.

There is an important lesson for us in this parable. We see that the trees understood that they had a special, God-given task. They realized that it was their privilege to do His work in the sphere that He had given them and because of this they were not willing to give this place up just for their own interests. Equally today God has given to each one of His children a gift, a service for Him. All believers have a gift; but just as there was an olive tree, a fig tree and a vine, there is diversity. May we recognize and understand what God has entrusted to us individually – each one having his or her specially designated service. May none of us usurp the service that God has given to someone else, and let no one take a position that God has not given or which is not of Him.

During the time of the apostles we read about a certain man who had the same attitude as the bramble, but this attitude is just the opposite of what should characterize a pastor. We read: “I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church” (3 Jn. 9-10).

Today’s concept of a pastor as found in many congregations is not what we see in the Bible and cannot be justified by Scripture. So if we want to be honest and serious in our walk with the Lord in the way that we meet together, we must separate ourselves from that which is not according to His Word. It is the glory and honor of the Lord that are important. Continuing with a person designated as a pastor who takes the position of the head or director is to take away from the Lord His rights – something we should never do.

Yes, thank the Lord that there are shepherds! He has provided them. If we did not have them the sheep, the flock, would be in a much greater difficulty. As with all gifts, He has called those to be pastors to do His work for the blessing and good of the entire Body of Christ, the whole Church, not just a small local part of it. Those who have been called to this service and given this gift have a wonderful responsibility to Him who has called them. One day they will give an account to Him who will judge how they have done.

Caring For One Another
The work of caring for one another is not just for pastors. We have seen that all of the elders of the local church are also to serve in this way. And all who are spiritual must help those who are discouraged and in need. Paul said, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:1-2).

The Lord taught us through the parable of the good Samaritan that we need to look after one another. Jesus said, “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. ... But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him ... Jesus said unto him, Go, and do thou likewise” (Lk. 10:30,33-34,37). Then in James we read “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (Jas. 5:19-20). So we see that it is the responsibility of all of us to look after each other thus doing the work of a shepherd.

Joseph
There is one of whom we have not spoken because we do not normally think of him as a shepherd. However, when we read his story we see that he was.

Jacob had many sheep and Joseph and his brothers looked after them. For certain reasons Joseph’s brothers had bad feelings toward him and these feelings were so strong that the Bible says that they hated him.

One day Jacob sent Joseph to see how his brothers were doing as they were looking after the sheep near Shechem, which was about 50 miles (80 kilometers) away. Even though they were so far away and Joseph knew that his brothers hated him, Joseph obeyed his father and went. He wanted to do that which was the desire of his father, the one who had given him this service. His father “said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again” (Gen. 37:13-14). So because of the love he had for his father Joseph went. He left Hebron, where they were living, and came to Shechem. But they were no longer there. Joseph inquired and was informed that his brothers had taken the flocks to Dothan, another 20 miles (32 kilometers) further. So Joseph went and searched for his brothers until he found them because his father was concerned about them.

As we reflect on this story we understand that this is a figure of how our heavenly Father cares for us. We also see the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son who was loved of His Father and left the Father’s house to come look for us. There are many beautiful things in this story about Joseph that are a figure of the Lord Jesus: the relationship between him and his father, his service, how he was hated by his own brethren, his suffering but also his exaltation and glory as the ruler and savior of the world, and the restoration of the relationship between him and his brothers. What a wonderful example for each one of us.

Like Joseph we also need to think of the needs of our brothers and sisters. Our service should first of all be motivated by love for our Father. He tells us, “Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren,” and just like Joseph we should have a heart ready to obey our Father. We should be willing to sacrifice ourselves without regard to their attitude toward us or any other negative things that there may be to deviate us from this service. Joseph’s response to his father was, “Here am I.” What is our response?

Challenge
Pastoral or shepherd care is very important and necessary – something that each one of us must practice. “And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:9). So we ask ourselves: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is a resounding, “Yes! Yes, I am!”

Yes, bless God that the Lord Jesus Christ has given shepherds to His Church to care for His own with the purpose that there would be healthy, holy children of God who are pleasing to the Lord, for His honor and glory.

Yes, if Jesus Christ has given you the gift of a shepherd put it into practice in the manner that the Word of God teaches.

Yes, if you do not have this gift, still do the work of a shepherd, looking after your brother and sister in Christ by means of this important and necessary service.

“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (1 Th. 5:11).

By Albert Blok