Jump Start # 972

John 10:11-12 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, see the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep  and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.”

Any study about elders or shepherds in God’s church must take us to John 10 where we find illustrated the good shepherd. Too  many discussions about elderships are limited to a detailed examination of the qualifications required as found in Timothy and Titus. There is value in knowing and understanding who can serve as a bishop in God’s church, but the qualifications alone do not tell us everything about what they are to do. Consider this: there are three qualifications required to be the President of the United States. A person must be a natural born citizen, at least 35 years old, and has lived in this country for the past 14 years. That’s it. That’s who can be President. From that list, a 40 year-old who lives in his mom’s basement and plays video games all day long is qualified to be the president. Really? The qualifications are necessary, but they do not tell us the whole story.

This week we have been looking at the nature of God’s leaders, the heart of a shepherd. Our passage today is taken from that wonderful section on the good shepherd, who is Jesus Christ.  We notice a contrast between the good shepherd and the hired hand. The way they view the sheep is different. The way they treat the sheep is different. What they put into the work is different.

For the hired hand, sheep watching was a job. It was a means to a pay check. He didn’t do it because he liked sheep, he did it because it was a job that would pay. We’ve seen that thinking in other fields. There is the school teacher that loves children and loves to teach and then there is the teacher who views it as a job. The same is found in nursing. The same is found even among preachers. Although most elders do not get paid for their work in the church, the attitude of the hired hand can be found among them.

The hired hand doesn’t really care about the sheep. He won’t go out of his way for the sheep and when things are tough, the hired hand looks out for himself first. His survival comes before the sheep. Jesus paints a very troubling picture here. A wolf shows up. He is the dreaded enemy of sheep. The sheep have no protection from the wolf. They cannot defend themselves. They cannot out run the wolf. They are helpless. They need a shepherd. The hired hand sees the risk with wolves. It’s dangerous and he could get hurt. Instead of protecting the sheep, he takes off. I’ve known elders who have stepped down and resigned in the middle of a church problem stating that they did not need the stress. They ran. They left the sheep to the wolves. Can’t handle stress? What do you think shepherding is? Lounging at the pool, sipping ice tea? It’s out in the fields with the sheep. It’s staying with the sheep when it’s cool, rainy and muddy. It’s staying with the sheep during the night. It’s staying with the sheep when everyone else are in their warm homes. It’s fighting wolves. It’s taking care of the sheep. That’s shepherding. Don’t sign up if you can’t do it.

The hired hand didn’t care about the sheep. He cared about himself. He saved his neck but not the sheep. He would manufacture a lame excuse to tell the owner about wolves coming and he escaped. The hired hand is a coward and lacks the heart to do what he is supposed to do. The hired hand isn’t committed to his work. If a better job came along, this hired hand would jump ship and go do that. The hired hand is constantly asking himself, “Why am I doing this?” or, “What’s in this for me?” That is how the hired hand thinks.

The good shepherd is just the opposite. His concern is the well being of the sheep. The shepherd is so committed that he would fight to the death to save the sheep. If it meant a hand to hand struggle against the wolf, the shepherd would be there. His heart is for the sheep. If it meant losing his very life to save the sheep, the shepherd would do that. The Good Shepherd DID do that!

Good shepherd or hired hand? Both watching sheep, but two different approaches. If you were the sheep, which would you want watching you?

Roger