What Does a Shepherd Do?

Throughout both the Old and New Testament of God’s love story the Bible, there are numerous references to leaders being likened to a shepherd. The people that are entrusted into their care are likened to sheep. As you listen be blessed, empowered and transformed in Jesus name.

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Transcript

00:00 Intro music and voice over.

Welcome to jesus loves the world podcast. For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name! 

00:21 Speaker

Throughout both the Old and New Testament of God’s love story the Bible, there are numerous references to leaders being likened to a shepherd. The people that are entrusted into their care are likened to sheep. 

A shepherd’s primary function is to care for the sheep. This shepherd’s role is all encompassing. Amongst many things, being a shepherd involves feeding and protecting the sheep. Guiding and strengthening them, watching over them and seeking out those that are lost. The shepherd is to give the very best of themselves to the sheep. 

Sadly there are many instances throughout the Bible where those leaders who are referred to as shepherds, do not care for the people. God the Eternal One refers to them as the foolish or worthless shepherd. God uses the words foolish and worthless in the context of those shepherds who have chosen to disrespect God and effectively aligned themselves with a worthless idol. They are of no value and in fact are extremely detrimental towards the sheep. 

They feed themselves on the choicest of food and use their role as a shepherd for self gain. The foolish and worthless shepherd cares only for themselves and neglects their primary role of caring for the sheep. They do not strengthen the weak, in fact they disempower them more by taking from them what they do have. The foolish and worthless shepherd neither heals those who are sick or binds up those who are broken. In fact they hurt them even more by their neglect ad self focus. The foolish and worthless shepherd neither seek the lost or bring back those who have been driven away. Having profiteered from the sheep, the foolish and worthless shepherd abandons the flock.   

So God laments.

The sheep are scattered because their was not one good shepherd to lead them. Not one shepherd who looked for the scattered and the lost. Abandoned the sheep wandered through the mountains and became food for the wild beasts of the field. 

This is what happened to those of the Ancient Israelites.

But in amongst it all God tells His people that He will personally and intimately deliver them who are His sheep. Those who choose to accept God’s right to rule and reign choose to receive His deliverance. 

For in complete contrast to the actions and motive of human leaders, God will give all of Himself to the sheep. He will tend to the weak and the sick and search for the lost. God will be their good shepherd who will guide them in His loving kindness. In gentleness and goodness He will lead them to the choicest of pastures where they can be safe and at rest. God Himself will gather them together and care for them. He is the one who will never fail them, never leave them and always care for them. If only they would be willing to receive Him and choose to accept His right to rule and reign.

Hundreds of years passed. From generation to generation the promise was told.

Then in a moment of time it happened. God Himself in the Son of God became Son of Man and His name is Jesus. 

During Jesus’ time on earth, the religious leaders, who were the custodians of the Old Testament writings and oral traditions of the People of Jewish lineage, were exposed by Jesus as the foolish and worthless shepherds. One sect of the religious leaders at the time were those of the Pharisees. 

Jesus exposed their deception and hypocrisy. They stood up in public and actively came against God. As a result preventing people from making a choice to receive God, receive Jesus. Actively forbidding others from coming to Jesus. These foolish and worthless shepherds devoured the defenceless and took what they had on the pretence of praying for them. They would appear to do everything to get a convert, yet make them more sons of hell than themselves. They were so concerned about their outward cleanliness and proclaimed they did not need a savour, yet inside they were as filthy rags. 

To protect the people, Jesus had to expose their deception. Jesus revealed they were the false or worthless shepherds that refused to follow God, follow Jesus. 

So to these Pharisees, Jesus speaks these powerful words.

John 10:1-18 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

To those who were supposed to lead others to God, they themselves refused to receive Him. Even worse they prohibited others from choosing to enter in. Having refused to receive God, refused Jesus and His right to rule and reign, they are not His. They are as a thief or robber and as a result of rejecting God, rejecting Jesus, have aligned themselves with the evil one. The evil one is known as satan. Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, is totally opposed to God and is only evil. The Pharisees had actively chosen to align themselves with Satan, yet paraded around as if of God. They refused to receive Jesus and therefore tried to enter in through any other way than Jesus the door. 

Jesus is the door and the only way to the Father God in heaven and life everlasting lasting. Right before their very eyes Jesus was standing there, speaking directly to the foolish and worthless shepherds. Jesus exposed not only their hypocrisy, but revealed the faithfulness of God. 

For the prophecies that had been spoken centuries before were being fulfilled. For the Eternal One is faithful and true. His word is unshakeable, powerful and pure. He promised He would be the good shepherd to all those who received Him. To those who aligned themselves with God and worshipped only Him would be His sheep. 

He will tend to the weak and the sick and search for the lost. God will be their good shepherd who will guide them in His loving kindness. In gentleness and goodness He will lead them to the choicest of pastures where they can be safe and at rest. God Himself will gather them together and care for them. He is the one who will never fail them, never leave them and always care for them. 

So Jesus boldly stands before the foolish and worthless shepherds and states. ‘I am the good shepherd.’ Jesus is the one who gives His life for the sheep. Those who receive His sacrifice of Himself and accept His right to rule and reign, are His sheep. They are the ones who flee from the evil one, hear Jesus’ voice and follow Him. As He is the good shepherd He searches for the lost and calls each one by name. He leads them out and creates a safe place or pasture for them to rest. Jesus is the door to enter into this sanctuary of His. A place of healing and forgiveness, safety and rest, deliverance and live everlasting. 

Jesus explains that in receiving God, receiving Him, we have life. In receiving the eternal giver of life itself and worshipping only Him, we have life everlasting. Not only do we have life everlasting, that is after physical death, but we have life more abundantly before death.

As we journey through this life, we spiritually enter into the presence of God, His sanctuary. We go out following His Spirit into the choicest of pastures.

To have life in this context, to have is the main action word in this statement. To have is to own, to hold and possess. This is through being joined intimately and personally to the one who is life. For He is the one who has the power over life and death. The only one who has defeated death and gives His life everlasting to His sheep. 

Jesus directly states to those who knew the promises of God and who refused to not only receive Him but to actively prevent others from coming to Him, that He is the good shepherd. Unlike them as Jesus reveals are the foolish and worthless shepherds. 

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Jesus gives all of Himself. He gives His life, His identity, His victory, His destiny, His eternity. 

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He gives His life intimately and personally to everyone regardless of ethnicity, the Jew and non Jew. Anyone who receives God, receives Jesus, are His sheep. Those of another sheep fold are all those who are from non Jewish lineage. They together with those of Jewish lineage who Jesus, receive God will be one flock. There is one good shepherd and HIs name is Jesus. 

As the good shepherd, Jesus identifies with His sheep. The same intimate, personal relationship that Jesus, the Son of God who became the Son of Man has with God the Father in heaven, is for the sheep.

As Jesus says, as the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father. I know My sheep and are known by My own. Known in this instance is to be enjoined together.

So to those who knew the promise of God and to others who falsely represented themselves as shepherds of God, Jesus exposes their deception. They are the foolish and worthless shepherds who refuse to receive Him and actively prevent others from coming to Him. 

Jesus also reveals in this powerful statement that not only is He the fulfilment of God’s promise to personally and intimately Be the good shepherd, but that He is the Son of God. As the one who has power over life and death He is God who became human. For only God is the good shepherd and only God has the power over life and death.

Just like the Old Testament prophecies foretold it to be. There are recorded instances of when Jesus walked the earth as a man and saw the people were scattered. That they had no shepherd to lead them. God Himself became that good shepherd. 

As the good shepherd He had compassion on them. He demonstrated His love and care by giving His life for the people.

He tended to the needs of humanity. He became the sacrifice that we needed and demanded. The sacrifice that paid the cost of all our offences ever thought, said or done. As the good shepherd Jesus laid down His life, defeated death and is alive forever more. 

He is the good shepherd who tends to the weak and sick, searches for the lost and guides them all with loving kindness. In gentleness and goodness He leads  to the choicest of pastures where they can be safe and at rest. God Himself will gather them together and be their good shepherd. The one who never fails them, never leaves them and always cares for them. Praise His mighty Name!

19:40 Outro music and voice over. 

For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name!