Shepherds
Hi everyone.
Being a shepherd in the Old Testament was a tireless job. There were no set hours for the job and shepherds would often spend days or weeks out in the hills with their sheep. During the warmer months, a shepherd would sleep outdoors with his animals. The sleep would be a light doze – the shepherd would have to be ready and able to wake up immediately and defend the sheep from other men who would steal the sheep or other animals that would eat the sheep. During colder months, the shepherd would sleep in a nearby cave – always close to his animals. Shepherds would eat simple meals of bread, cheese and olives. They would carry some of their food with them and family members or servants would deliver fresh food on occasion. Shepherds would carry large studded clubs and slings to defend against predators. They would also use the slings to accurately throw rocks in front of wayward sheep to divert them back on track. The shepherd’s staff had two distinct ends for two distinct purposes – the curved end was to carefully lift sheep out of crevices or caves while the straight end was to prod the sheep along. Being a shepherd was a tireless and thankless job.
In the New Testament, Jesus makes common reference to us as sheep. He talks about the lost sheep of Israel, He sees the crowds as sheep without a shepherd, He talks about separating the sheep from the goats, He talks about leaving the 99 sheep to find the one lost sheep, He talks about the sheep who follow their shepherd because they know His voice, He talks about the Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep, He talks about being the Door of the sheep, and He encourages His disciples to feed His sheep.
I want to think about this last comment. Jesus commands some, not all, to feed His sheep. This is the primary purpose of the shepherd in the OT – to find green pastures for the sheep. There is a clear calling for leaders to emerge in the church. We, as sheep, need someone to lead us. We need help when we are spiritually weak. We need direction. We need to be taught. We need to be fed. In his writings, Paul has five “trustworthy sayings” for us and here is the fifth:
1 Timothy 3:1 – The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
First of all, notice the word overseer. The NT uses several different words to refer to the men who are responsible to lead the church – bishop, overseer, elder, pastor, ruler, leader. So, this verse is talking about the pastor – the leaders of the church. The shepherd of the sheep.
Secondly, Paul uses two different words here: aspires and desires (although sometimes both are translated as desires) that have distinct meanings. The first word (aspires) refers to an external action – to reach out after. The second word (desires) refers to an internal motive – a strong passion. This describes the ideal person for the job – one who outwardly pursues leadership because of a strong, internal desire. The job is a very difficult one and a strong internal motivation will aid in the external manifestation.
Thirdly, Paul refers to this as a noble task. Other translations use words like honorable, fine, and good. It is a good thing to want to be in a position of leadership over God’s people. It is also a difficult road. Paul then goes on to give some qualifications of these shepherds.
1 Timothy 3:2-7 – Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
There are three ways that we can take this information and make it applicable:
(1) For some of you, being a pastor is your goal. You aspire and desire to be a shepherd. This verse, and those that follow, provide clear application to you. This is the bar that is set before you. Whatever aspirations and desires you have about being a pastor, they need to be congruent with this passage.
(2) For some of you, being a pastor is NOT your goal. You have no aspiration to lead in this capacity. There are two reasons why this passage still applies to you – first, your aspirations may change. I had no aspirations or desires to lead God’s people until I was over 25 years old. Second, all Christians can use these requirements (above reproach, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, manage the household well, be thought well of by outsiders) as useful, mature ways of living life.
(3) For all of you, you have a pastor. You have someone in your life who provides spiritual direction, someone who feeds you, someone who helps you when you are spiritually weak, someone who cares about you. This verse can also be an incentive for us to appreciate our pastors. It truly is a noble task they have undertaken. Let them know how much you appreciate them. Give them a hug. Give them a gift (hint: all pastors love books). Perhaps the most valuable gift you can give them is to tell them how they have specifically helped you.
Thank you God for giving us godly leaders. Thank you God for shepherds.
-z
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