God’s Flock Needs True Shepherds

Feature 3 – May 2023 – Grace & Truth Magazine

God’s Flock Needs True Shepherds

The Greek philosopher Aristotle, writing in about 350 B.C., said there were five basic ways to earn a living: farming, hunting, fishing, thievery and shepherding. About such people he wrote: “the laziest are shepherds, who lead an idle life and get their subsistence without trouble from tame animals; their flocks wandering from place to place in search of pasture, they are compelled to follow them, cultivating a sort of living farm.”

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Aristotle is not the only one who disdained shepherds, for we are told that the Egyptian culture considered them an “abomination” in the days of Joseph, many centuries before Aristotle’s time (Gen. 46:34 NKJV ).

God, however, has always loved shepherds. Abel, the second son born to Adam and Eve, was a shepherd; and the apostle Peter, writing some of the last words of the New Testament, addressed Christian leaders as shepherds of God’s flock (1 Pet. 5:2-4). The work of shepherding is not merely interesting; it is essential.2

Christ The Shepherd
As in everything good, the Lord Jesus is our great example – and He is a Shepherd. He said of Himself, “I am the good Shepherd” (Jn. 10:11), a lovely verse that doubtless has been memorized by children and adults of every generation since it was written. Three times in Matthew’s gospel He is seen as the Shepherd, and those references provide some beautiful instruction about His character.

The first passage is Matthew 9:36: “When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” This is perhaps the most important point about shepherds. It is work that begins not with the hands but with the heart. First we notice that the Lord saw the multitudes. Despite His personal glory and His transcendent character, He did not fix His attention on Himself but on those around Him. Next, we find that He was moved with compassion for them. Sometimes it is said the Lord “moved with compassion” as if the word describes His actions; but this is a misunderstanding of the verb. It is a verb of emotion not of action. The text says He “was moved by compassion.” Compassion filled and motivated Him. What He saw affected how He felt.

Then we learn why He felt such compassion: He discerned that the people were weary and scattered. Weariness is caused by a lack of rest, and the condition of being scattered is caused by a lack of direction. Both are concerns for a true shepherd. It is especially touching to realize these multitudes of people physically occupied the same space and yet were scattered. They had no leader, carried no sense of purpose and felt that no one cared for their souls. Thus, even though they formed a large group, the people remained scattered in their hearts. It is very isolating to be surrounded by crowds and yet feel alone. But the Lord Jesus discerned that need and was filled with compassion for them.

After appreciating those statements about the Lord in Matthew 9, we turn to Matthew 25. There it is said that He will one day make a distinction among the nations “as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats” (v.32). The full passage (vv.31-46) contains important prophetic teaching. We understand from these verses that when Christ comes in His glory the nations will be gathered together just before His millennial kingdom is established. In His character as the Son of Man, the Lord will take note of those who cared for the least of His brethren, meaning the persecuted Jews who at that time will have come through the “great tribulation” (24:21). In Matthew 25 those who showed them kindness are the sheep, while those who did not are the goats.

We find a lovely application from this verse for our subject of shepherding. It was common in those days for sheep and goats to graze together. However, the Lord Jesus, the divine Shepherd, never misunderstands or misinterprets who is in the flock. He knows who the sheep are, and He knows the goats. The two creatures have some superficial similarities, but they are very different in temperament and character. We can be confident that the Lord will never make a mistake in how He treats His flock. He will not judge a sheep as if it were a goat, and He will not bless a goat as if it were a sheep. As it says in John 10, the True Shepherd “calls His own sheep by name” (v.3). Although the passage in Matthew 25 is not primarily about the Lord’s shepherd care for believers today, we can be certain that He takes personal interest in every one of His sheep.

The third shepherd reference in Matthew’s gospel comes in chapter 26, when the Lord told His disciples, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’” (v.31). This is a reference to the Lord’s arrest, trial and crucifixion – all of which would take place during the following 24 hours. It would be a terrible time for the disciples!

But who is it, we might ask, that would “strike the Shepherd”? The answer is given as we read the full prophetic quotation from Zechariah 13:7: “‘Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the Man who is My Companion,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’” God Himself is the one who called for the sword to strike the Shepherd! The Lord Jesus, that perfect, compassionate, discerning Shepherd, would be smitten in judgment.

In this connection it is moving to consider the words of the hymnwriter Thomas Kelly (1769–1855):

We’ll sing of the Shepherd that died, That died for the sake of the flock; His love to the utmost was tried, But firmly endured as a rock.
When blood from a victim must flow, This Shepherd, by pity, was led To stand between us and the foe, And willingly died in our stead.
Our song, then, forever shall be Of the Shepherd who gave Himself thus: No subject’s so glorious as He, No theme so affecting to us.

We recall again the text of John 10:11, when the Lord Jesus said, “I am the good Shepherd.” To this He added, “The good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” He suffered for them! At that time, for a little while, His sheep were truly scattered through sorrow and fear. But then, having given Himself as the good Shepherd, He began to gather together those who had been scattered. He had always intended this. In John 11:52 we are told that His death was the means by which “He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.”

Gathering Scattered Sheep
In this aspect of His service Christ seeks out straying sheep and causes them to return to Himself, for He is “the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls” (1 Pet. 2:25). He began this work from the very day of His resurrection. Mary Magdalene stood alone at His tomb weeping, but the Shepherd would not leave her to her grief. Instead, He called her by name, and her tears turned to joy. Peter had denied that he even knew the Lord, but the Shepherd sought him out for a private time of restoration. Two other disciples left Jerusalem, filled with sadness, and began walking home to Emmaus; but the Shepherd appeared to them and warmed their hearts so that they rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the rest. And then, as those scattered disciples talked together in that upper room, Jesus appeared to them all. The Shepherd and Overseer of their souls had been at work.

Christ is still doing this work today, and He exercises that same divine compassion and discernment. The New Testament epistle which declares Him to be our Shepherd and Overseer is the very letter which exhorts believers now to act in the same spirit. In 1 Peter 5 we read: “The elders who are among you I exhort … Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly” (vv.1-2).

The characteristics we have seen in the work of the Lord Jesus must also be present in anyone who does this shepherding work. First it is essential to be motivated with compassion for God’s flock, weary and scattered. It is necessary to discern their needs and understand who they are. Further, this task must be viewed as sacrificial work. The Lord Jesus is the only Shepherd who would be smitten by the sword of Jehovah; but just as His work required sacrifice for the sake of the sheep, so the work of shepherds among the flock of God will require a sense of sacrificial, self-denying devotion.

Pastoral Care Today
In the New Testament the role of a shepherd is also translated by the word “pastor.” Today that word is often used to refer to a leader in a local church congregation. In many cases such a person is considered to be the primary – or perhaps even the only – leader, teacher, helper and guide for the Christians in that congregation. The biblical model, though, shows that the role of pastor is not simply a category of service or local responsibility but actually a spiritual gift given to the entire Church of God (Eph. 4:11-12). Those who are gifted as pastors are specially equipped to feed, care for, and watch over God’s sheep wherever they are.

It’s true that this work might be done publicly for many hearers at once. Shepherd care is always given through applying the Word of God to the hearts of believers, and this can be a collective activity. Pastoral work is often linked in Scripture with the role of elders – mature, recognized leaders among God’s people who are capable of giving biblical teaching (Acts 20:17,28; 1 Tim. 3:2).3

Very often, though, pastoral work will be done quietly, behind the scenes, with individuals instead of large groups. When the Lord revealed Himself to Mary at the tomb, was anyone else there? When the Lord restored Peter, did anyone else hear what was said? When He walked to Emmaus with two sorrowing disciples, did anyone else listen as He opened the Scriptures to them? “No” is the answer on all counts. In the same way, pastoral work is most often private and personal.

Moreover, we have already seen this care is especially needed by Christians who are weary and hurting. Anyone in such a condition will require much support and guidance, so expect pastoral work to be very demanding! Additionally, weary sheep are often unable to express words of encouragement to the one who does pastoral work. Therefore, pastors – like all servants of the Lord – must not expect to find strength or identity in their service but in Christ, their great Example.

As mentioned above, a pastoral gift is intended to equip the body of Christ, meaning the entire Church. Our spiritual gifts are carried with us wherever we go. The roles of elders and overseers are localized responsibilities, as we understand from references to the elders of the church in Ephesus or the overseers in Philippi (Acts 20:17; Phil. 1:1). By contrast, Christians gifted as pastors will be pastors not just at home but among weary, scattered Christians everywhere.

We Need Shepherds!
To summarize, we see that God’s shepherds are equipped by gift and calling. They exercise their gift in a wide-ranging sphere. They must be willing to serve behind the scenes with little attention, and they must be strong in their own faith since they will often have to support weary, burdened believers.

No doubt, a person who serves as the single pastor of a local congregation may well be gifted for such work, although having one appointed leader does not appear to be the biblical pattern. On the other hand, in assemblies and congregations which seek to depend on the Holy Spirit’s work through a plurality of gifts and leaders, it is sometimes said, “Oh, we don’t have a pastor.” This is probably intended to mean, “We don’t have one person who leads the entire gathering in every activity.” God help us if we have no pastors! As we have seen, it is indeed essential work.

Shepherd care has always been God’s way among His people. Abel, Rachel, Moses, David, Peter and many others could be named as biblical shepherds, not to mention the Lord’s own perfect work. May Christ bless His people today with godly shepherds who seek to gather together scattered, weary believers, helping them return to the Shepherd and Overseer of their souls. GT

ENDNOTES
1. Aristotle’s “Politics,” Book 1, Chapter 8; available online.
2. Sometimes it is said that all cultures, including the Jews, treated shepherds as lowly outcasts. For an interesting discussion as to the truth of this claim, see the article “Christmas Urban Legends: Shepherds as Outcasts,” by David Croteau; available online.
3. The subject of local church leadership is larger than can be explored here. Briefly, though, we can observe that mature elders (always mentioned in the plural) often do the work of overseers (sometimes translated “bishops”) and often are gifted as pastors. For example, Acts 20:28 is spoken to elders but instructs them to provide oversight and shepherd care. First Peter 5:1-2 addresses elders in similar terms. In addition, although elders were sometimes appointed through apostolic authority (Acts 14:23, Ti. 1:5), the key point is that the Holy Spirit made them overseers (Acts 20:28) – and the Spirit’s help in this regard is still available for us today.

By Stephen Campbell