Jesus Kneeling Beside a Lamb on a HillsideBible World
10:13John 10:13
The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
The hireling runs when danger or trial comes because he works only for wages and the sheep are not his own, caring only for himself and his own ease instead of the welfare of the flock. When he sees the wolf coming he leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf catches them and scatters the flock, which reveals that he does not care for them. In contrast Christ is the good and true Shepherd who owns the sheep by creation and by giving His life for them, knows them and is known by them, stays with them, protects them from danger, seeks the lost and lays down His life for them. Those entrusted as His under-shepherds must not be hirelings who labor only for what they obtain and study their own interests, but must have the same interest, diligence and responsibility He manifested. A mere hireling has no burden for souls and leaves at the most important time for a more pleasant and easy field when the work becomes difficult, letting the interest die out and feeding himself instead of those perishing around him, so that souls are lost through his unfaithfulness.
Hireling's Flight and Neglect
The hireling runs when danger or trial comes because he works for wages rather than caring for the sheep. Unlike the good Shepherd he will not protect the flock at personal cost, share its danger, or sacrifice himself for it. He abandons the sheep because he is working for hire and does not truly care for them, and ministers who leave people when the work becomes difficult or less pleasant show that same lack of a true shepherd's burden and unwillingness to endure hardship for those in their care. In contrast to this neglect stands the minister's duty to act as a shepherd by personally seeking the lost and straying and caring for each member of the flock.
The sheep are not his own, so he has no particular interest in them. He labors merely for the wages he obtains, cares only for himself, and continually studies his own interest and ease instead of the welfare of the flock. His concern is for himself and for personal gain, not for them from genuine concern. Christ as chief Shepherd is the opposite, continually caring for the good of His sheep, strengthening the weak, nourishing the suffering and fainting, sheltering them from robbers and devouring beasts and from heat and cold, going before them, feeding them with diligence, and laying down His life to secure their deliverance, and under-shepherds entrusted with His flock must share that same interest, diligence, responsibility and self-denying care so the flock will prosper under them.
When he sees the wolf coming, which pictures danger or trial, he leaves the sheep and runs, and the wolf catches them and scatters the flock. He is not the shepherd, and because the sheep are not his own he flees and leaves them to be caught and scattered. Against him stands Christ as the door of the sheepfold and the good Shepherd, who gives entrance, salvation, pasture and abundant life, knows His sheep and is known by them as the Father knows Him, lays down His life for the sheep and takes it again by the Father's commandment, and brings His other sheep to make one fold under one shepherd.
His very fleeing reveals that he does not care for the sheep. He flees in dissension and strife, while workers are called to understand the true Shepherd's voice in contrast to him. Christ cares with His whole soul for His little flock, is not intimidated and does not fail or become discouraged, spending whole nights in prayer while others slept to gain strength to meet the enemy's temptations and praying for those who would not pray for themselves. So a faithful minister guards those entrusted to him and personally seeks them, talks with them and prays with them, rather than treating preaching alone as the whole work.
Christ the Good Shepherd
In contrast to the hireling, Christ is the good and true Shepherd who knows His sheep and is known by them even as the Father knows Him, who lays down His life for the sheep and takes it again by the Father's commandment. The hireling flees in danger because he is only hired and does not care for the sheep, the sheep not being his own, so that when he sees the wolf coming he leaves them and runs and the wolf catches them and scatters the flock. This contrast exposes unworthy shepherds who drive from the fold one whom Christ is drawing to Himself for bearing witness to Him. By contrast Jesus came from heaven to seek and save the lost, giving His life to redeem sinners, and as the True Shepherd His voice leads people to receive the knowledge of God and their Saviour, while the Spirit guides and shields those who have not resisted truth. As the door of the sheepfold He gives entrance, salvation, pasture and abundant life, and brings His other sheep to make one fold under one shepherd.
Unlike the hireling He stays with His followers, defends and protects them from danger and wolves, seeks the lost and brings them back, and leads them to pasture and water. He seeks the lost sheep with earnest, unwearied care. He is the opposite of the hireling, a watchful Shepherd who labors for His sheep and lambs, the refuge to whom souls flee in every trial and opposition, bidding His flock draw near and leading them to green pastures and living streams to quench thirst and refresh spirits. Those who cooperate with God share that care, and by living faith laying hold of divine power lead lost and wandering ones back to that Shepherd and to the path of life, working urgently while the day lasts.
He owns the sheep both by creation and by giving His life for them, the whole human family being entrusted to Him as sheep to the faithful Chief Shepherd. He values and loves every sheep and lamb, calls each by name, and cares for them with utmost kindness, keeping them under His tender watch so that no tribulation can separate them from Him as children given by the Father and the reward of His work. The sheep belong to Christ who redeemed them, so no human leader is appointed to rule over them or judge their hearts and motives, but His shepherds are to feed His sheep and lambs, not whip or drive them. He is the caring and merciful Shepherd who gave His life for His people and can be trusted to care for them, including those suffering for the truth, tending the sheep and lambs with pastoral care and guarding them so that if they obey the voice of the Chief Shepherd they will not be left to be devoured by wolves, working through faithful under-shepherds under His care.
He cares with His whole soul for His little flock, is not intimidated and does not fail or become discouraged. His care was seen in spending whole nights in prayer while others slept to gain strength to meet the enemy's temptations, and in praying for those who would not pray for themselves. The hireling flees in dissension and strife because he does not care for the sheep.
He purchased the sheep at the cost of His own sufferings in the flesh so they should not perish but be claimed as His chosen ones, looks upon them with unutterable affection, and gives to loved ones who believe in Him the fragrance of His own righteousness. No under-shepherd can do for his flock what Christ the great Shepherd has done in giving His life for the sheep. He watches over the lambs of His fold, and the picture of a shepherd staying with and guarding his flock was given so that when He was no longer with them the sight would remind the disciples of the Saviour's love and care. Faithful shepherds share that infinite tenderness and therefore need tact and wisdom and human love and sanctified affection for the precious lambs, to lead them to see their privilege in yielding to tender guidance in the gentleness of Christ.
Pharisees as False Shepherds
The hireling in John 10:13 stands in Jesus' contrast between the good Shepherd and unfaithful leaders, and the Pharisees proved themselves unworthy shepherds when they drove from the fold one whom Christ was drawing to Himself for bearing witness to Him. Their act showed ignorance of shepherding duty and unfitness for trust, set over against Christ as the true keeper of the Lord's flock who knows His sheep and lays down His life for them.
The scribes and Pharisees sat in Moses' seat yet were thieves and robbers and hirelings who wielded power in an authoritative manner while leaving the people unfed as sheep without a shepherd, a sight that moved Jesus to compassion. That same condition tests the guidance given to God's flock today and calls for examination of what kind of guidance is provided. What is required is more well-organized effort and far less preaching, with modest instruction by teachers who do the Word and in meekness open mind and heart to its light and understanding.
False shepherds care nothing for the sheep but deceive and delude them, leaving cities and nations and the world ignorant of the truth. Souls can be deceived by them, yet the Lord will work so that deception does not continue.
Those in positions of trust without power from on high and without a living connection with God lack the Spirit of the True Shepherd and are unreliable hirelings who work from human judgment and do not care for the sheep. They fail the supernatural work of strengthening what remains ready to die and seeking to save what is ready to perish. In times of great peril they do not know how to speak a timely word under the Holy Spirit to draw souls into safe paths, nor do they watch for souls as those who must give an account, but instead manifest the spirit of the wolf to bite and devour and ruin and destroy, and they will meet a fearful account in the judgment. By contrast the hireling's indifference throws into relief Jesus' loving care, for He came to seek and save those ready to perish and showed love for poor and suffering people. When He was no longer with them, the disciples felt like sheep without a shepherd.
Marks of Hireling Ministers
A mere hireling minister labors only for the wages he obtains, cares only for himself, and continually studies his own interests and ease instead of the welfare of the flock. He is not the shepherd and the sheep are not his own, so he has no particular interest in them and does not care for them. When danger or trial comes, pictured as the wolf coming, he flees and leaves the flock to be caught and scattered, abandoning it in danger. Ministers called to labor in word and doctrine are Christ's under-shepherds under Christ the chief Shepherd, entrusted with His flock to oversee and tend it, and must not be hirelings but must have the same interest, diligence, responsibility and self-denying care He ever manifested. That care strengthens the weak, nourishes the fainting and suffering, shelters them from robbers and devouring beasts and from heat and cold, goes before them, shields them, follows His example in laying down His life to secure their deliverance, and labors constantly for their welfare with even deeper interest than Jacob showed over Laban's cattle, so the flock will prosper under their care.
He has no burden for souls and wishes to be carried by the people. He permits trifles such as bad roads, rainy weather, or little matters at home to divert him from laboring for souls. He leaves at the most important time for a more pleasant and easy field when the work becomes difficult or less pleasant, showing he lacks a true shepherd's burden and is unwilling to endure hardship for those in his care. He stays not when an interest has been raised and minds are agitated, but lets the interest die out, and souls are lost as the result of that unfaithfulness and carelessness. A true shepherd by contrast carries the burden of the work for souls, stays in such a time, and willingly endures the privations and hardships that are ever the lot of a true shepherd, being self-sacrificing and faithful and so instrumental in the salvation of many.
Hirelings in God's work use His entrusted gifts to advance worldly interests, feeding themselves instead of giving food to those perishing around them. They bring selfishness into their work, draw sympathy to themselves, and secure funds to control by their own judgment. Because they do not faithfully care for souls, God will take His work from them and give it to those who will do it faithfully and bring forth fruit to His glory. A careless, irresponsible shepherd fails to care for the sheep and loses more than he gathers. His neglectful example leaves members without sound ideas of service or responsibility and makes a church weak and difficult to build up. A minister who corrupts and degrades young people likewise fails to care for those entrusted to him and cannot rightly serve as their shepherd.
Professed Christians whose actions fail to match their profession are not acting with the care of the True Shepherd, for the hireling's concern is only his wages, not the welfare of the sheep he abandons. People who conceal their convictions from fear of persecution are not following the true shepherd. Following Jesus means holding to principle at any cost, in contrast to the false shepherd who abandons the sheep because he is a hireling and does not care for them.
Work of Faithful Shepherds
Ministers called to labor in word and doctrine are Christ's under-shepherds under Christ the chief Shepherd, entrusted with His flock to oversee and tend it. They must not be hirelings who serve for personal gain, but must have the same interest, diligence and responsibility Christ ever manifested and feel the weight of the charge committed to them. The hireling flees when danger or trial comes because he is only hired, the sheep are not his own, and he has no real care for them but cares only for himself and studies his own interest and ease. Faithful shepherds follow instead Christ's self-sacrificing example, who shared the flock's danger and laid down His life to secure its deliverance rather than abandoning it.
A true shepherd carries the burden of the work for souls and stays when an interest has been raised and minds are agitated. He willingly endures the privations and hardships that are ever the lot of a true shepherd, being self-sacrificing and faithful. He seeks the lost at any cost to himself, without letting weariness, hardship or wages turn him from duty, and looks for his reward when his entrusted work is done. So doing he becomes instrumental in the salvation of many.
Unlike the hireling who abandons the straying to perish, Christ's teachers must act as caring shepherds who personally seek the lost and straying and care for each member of the flock. They watch over souls with deep interest and do personal work, talking and praying with those they preach to, since preaching alone is not enough. They visit the sick, inquire after absent members and help those in spiritual danger, entering human suffering to rescue people and taking the truth where it is not yet known. Those who follow Jesus must seek the lost and treat the erring with compassion, patience and tenderness, going to search for the erring, the weak and trembling, and even those who have apostatized, to bring them fully into the fold.
They must feed the flock with diligence, strengthen the weak, and nourish the fainting and suffering. They must shelter them from robbers and devouring beasts and from heat and cold, go before them, and labor constantly for their welfare. That labor is to be with even deeper interest than Jacob showed over Laban's cattle, so that the flock will prosper under their care.
Christ's shepherds are to feed His sheep and lambs, not whip or drive them. The sheep belong to Christ who redeemed them, and no human leader is appointed to rule over them or judge their hearts and motives. True Bible religion consists in being under His guidance, following the Lamb wherever He goes and being like Jesus in thoughts, words and deeds. He is the Way, the Truth, the Life, the divine Pattern and standard that those who have charge of others must model in example and present in fruits of righteousness.
Shepherd Care for Individuals
The lambs of the flock are the children and youth, who are God's own property entrusted to parents and teachers to shepherd in the home and in the school as a work of ministry. They need tender, careful protection from temptation and guidance into the fold of safety, and they must not be left without true education, with no delay in securing it for them. Parents who represent Christ in the home show His love through tender care that helps children become lambs in His fold, in contrast to the hireling who abandons the sheep because he does not care for them.
True care means parents use great wisdom to help them, encourage their efforts to be obedient and to love righteousness, and give them every possible advantage for forming characters approved by God. It means establishing schools where they can learn lessons from the Scriptures of truth in connection with other studies, where religious interests are carefully guarded, and where understanding of the lessons of Christ is imparted with clearness and solemnity so the lessons will never be forgotten. It also means older students share responsibility for younger ones by setting a good example in pleasant words and actions and by their influence outside school hours to teach obedience, truthfulness, and respect to instructors. True shepherds must first control themselves in order to control children, correcting without passing over self-indulgence and disobedience and without an overbearing, masterful, inconsiderate spirit. Failure in self-control and right correction makes children's lives miserable, destroys respect for father, mother, brothers, and sisters, and leaves the lambs unprotected and prepared for Satan to work his will upon them.
A hireling does not care for the sheep and therefore cannot bear a father's saving work for his own children. That work requires determined, persevering effort and longsuffering patience by the father and the one standing as mother to uproot evil growth and sow the good seed of the kingdom, putting away harshness and censure for a mother's tender love and Christ's love and patience toward the lambs without chiding every mistake. Only faithful bearing of this home responsibility prepares a man to feed the flock of God and manifest the Saviour's tender care for the lambs, and only then will God accept his labors for others. The same shepherding lesson applies to those responsible for young workers, who must protect and spiritually care for them, keeping them close to God and providing the shelter of home influences rather than neglecting their needs, since the hireling's lack of care comes from serving for hire rather than having a shepherd's concern.
Jesus is the opposite of the hireling who flees because he is a hireling, for He is a watchful Shepherd who labors for His sheep and lambs, guides the lambs of His flock, and watches over even its youngest members. He is the caring and merciful Shepherd who gave His life for His people and can be trusted to care for them, including those suffering for the truth, in contrast to the hired worker who abandons the sheep because his concern is for himself. He is the refuge where souls know to flee in every circumstance, trial, and opposition from adversaries, the one to whom the helpless may entrust both soul and body. He bids His flock draw near to Him, and He leads them to green pastures and to living streams of water to quench their thirst and refresh their spirits.
The True Shepherd leads without whip or force, guiding by a voice the sheep understand, and the sheep press close together and go where He desires them to go, showing affection and trust in His care, in contrast to one who cares not for the sheep. A sheep outside the fold is welcomed back through Christ's willingness to open the door of hope to her. Jesus gives the erring, the weak and trembling, and even those who have apostatized from the truth a special call to come fully into the fold, and His followers have a special duty to go and search for these lost sheep, in contrast to the hireling who has no burden for them.
His care as the good Shepherd who truly cares for them is dishonored when His sheep crowd and push one another in dissension over inferior things. Those who depend on His atonement answer His prayer by being one with Christ and the Father through Christ, as Christ is one with the Father, joint heirs with Christ to the heavenly inheritance. They eat His flesh and drink His blood so He is blended with their existence and they live and move and have their being in Him, bound in holy fellowship to love as brethren without imagining evil against one another, but kind, courteous, patient and forbearing, with unity as strength and the peace of Christ abiding in the heart.
God is the Shepherd of the flock and the church is His flock, His body, the bride, the Lamb's wife, with God as Father of the family. Mere outward connection with any church does not save a man, but only personal faith in a personal Saviour brings the soul into spiritual union with Christ, laboring for enduring food, coming to Him and believing on Him, eating His flesh and drinking His blood and dwelling in Him, so as never to hunger or thirst and to have everlasting life and be raised at the last day. Christ purchased the sheep at the cost of His own sufferings in the flesh so they should not perish but be claimed as His chosen ones, looks upon them with unutterable affection, and gives the fragrance of His own righteousness to His loved ones who believe in Him, in contrast to the hireling who flees because he cares nothing for the sheep. Faithful shepherds share that infinite tenderness and therefore require tact and wisdom and human love and sanctified affection for the precious lambs of the flock, to lead them to see and appreciate their privilege in yielding themselves to tender guidance, exercising the gentleness of Jesus Christ.
The hireling runs when danger or trial comes because he works only for wages and the sheep are not his own, caring only for himself and his own ease instead of the welfare of the flock. When he sees the wolf coming he leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf catches them and scatters the flock, which reveals that he does not care for them. In contrast Christ is the good and true Shepherd who owns the sheep by creation and by giving His life for them, knows them and is known by them, stays with them, protects them from danger, seeks the lost and lays down His life for them. Those entrusted as His under-shepherds must not be hirelings who labor only for what they obtain and study their own interests, but must have the same interest, diligence and responsibility He manifested. A mere hireling has no burden for souls and leaves at the most important time for a more pleasant and easy field when the work becomes difficult, letting the interest die out and feeding himself instead of those perishing around him, so that souls are lost through his unfaithfulness.
Hireling's Flight and Neglect
The hireling runs when danger or trial comes because he works for wages rather than caring for the sheep. Unlike the good Shepherd he will not protect the flock at personal cost, share its danger, or sacrifice himself for it. He abandons the sheep because he is working for hire and does not truly care for them, and ministers who leave people when the work becomes difficult or less pleasant show that same lack of a true shepherd's burden and unwillingness to endure hardship for those in their care. In contrast to this neglect stands the minister's duty to act as a shepherd by personally seeking the lost and straying and caring for each member of the flock.
The sheep are not his own, so he has no particular interest in them. He labors merely for the wages he obtains, cares only for himself, and continually studies his own interest and ease instead of the welfare of the flock. His concern is for himself and for personal gain, not for them from genuine concern. Christ as chief Shepherd is the opposite, continually caring for the good of His sheep, strengthening the weak, nourishing the suffering and fainting, sheltering them from robbers and devouring beasts and from heat and cold, going before them, feeding them with diligence, and laying down His life to secure their deliverance, and under-shepherds entrusted with His flock must share that same interest, diligence, responsibility and self-denying care so the flock will prosper under them.
When he sees the wolf coming, which pictures danger or trial, he leaves the sheep and runs, and the wolf catches them and scatters the flock. He is not the shepherd, and because the sheep are not his own he flees and leaves them to be caught and scattered. Against him stands Christ as the door of the sheepfold and the good Shepherd, who gives entrance, salvation, pasture and abundant life, knows His sheep and is known by them as the Father knows Him, lays down His life for the sheep and takes it again by the Father's commandment, and brings His other sheep to make one fold under one shepherd.
His very fleeing reveals that he does not care for the sheep. He flees in dissension and strife, while workers are called to understand the true Shepherd's voice in contrast to him. Christ cares with His whole soul for His little flock, is not intimidated and does not fail or become discouraged, spending whole nights in prayer while others slept to gain strength to meet the enemy's temptations and praying for those who would not pray for themselves. So a faithful minister guards those entrusted to him and personally seeks them, talks with them and prays with them, rather than treating preaching alone as the whole work.
Christ the Good Shepherd
In contrast to the hireling, Christ is the good and true Shepherd who knows His sheep and is known by them even as the Father knows Him, who lays down His life for the sheep and takes it again by the Father's commandment. The hireling flees in danger because he is only hired and does not care for the sheep, the sheep not being his own, so that when he sees the wolf coming he leaves them and runs and the wolf catches them and scatters the flock. This contrast exposes unworthy shepherds who drive from the fold one whom Christ is drawing to Himself for bearing witness to Him. By contrast Jesus came from heaven to seek and save the lost, giving His life to redeem sinners, and as the True Shepherd His voice leads people to receive the knowledge of God and their Saviour, while the Spirit guides and shields those who have not resisted truth. As the door of the sheepfold He gives entrance, salvation, pasture and abundant life, and brings His other sheep to make one fold under one shepherd.
Unlike the hireling He stays with His followers, defends and protects them from danger and wolves, seeks the lost and brings them back, and leads them to pasture and water. He seeks the lost sheep with earnest, unwearied care. He is the opposite of the hireling, a watchful Shepherd who labors for His sheep and lambs, the refuge to whom souls flee in every trial and opposition, bidding His flock draw near and leading them to green pastures and living streams to quench thirst and refresh spirits. Those who cooperate with God share that care, and by living faith laying hold of divine power lead lost and wandering ones back to that Shepherd and to the path of life, working urgently while the day lasts.
He owns the sheep both by creation and by giving His life for them, the whole human family being entrusted to Him as sheep to the faithful Chief Shepherd. He values and loves every sheep and lamb, calls each by name, and cares for them with utmost kindness, keeping them under His tender watch so that no tribulation can separate them from Him as children given by the Father and the reward of His work. The sheep belong to Christ who redeemed them, so no human leader is appointed to rule over them or judge their hearts and motives, but His shepherds are to feed His sheep and lambs, not whip or drive them. He is the caring and merciful Shepherd who gave His life for His people and can be trusted to care for them, including those suffering for the truth, tending the sheep and lambs with pastoral care and guarding them so that if they obey the voice of the Chief Shepherd they will not be left to be devoured by wolves, working through faithful under-shepherds under His care.
He cares with His whole soul for His little flock, is not intimidated and does not fail or become discouraged. His care was seen in spending whole nights in prayer while others slept to gain strength to meet the enemy's temptations, and in praying for those who would not pray for themselves. The hireling flees in dissension and strife because he does not care for the sheep.
He purchased the sheep at the cost of His own sufferings in the flesh so they should not perish but be claimed as His chosen ones, looks upon them with unutterable affection, and gives to loved ones who believe in Him the fragrance of His own righteousness. No under-shepherd can do for his flock what Christ the great Shepherd has done in giving His life for the sheep. He watches over the lambs of His fold, and the picture of a shepherd staying with and guarding his flock was given so that when He was no longer with them the sight would remind the disciples of the Saviour's love and care. Faithful shepherds share that infinite tenderness and therefore need tact and wisdom and human love and sanctified affection for the precious lambs, to lead them to see their privilege in yielding to tender guidance in the gentleness of Christ.
Pharisees as False Shepherds
The hireling in John 10:13 stands in Jesus' contrast between the good Shepherd and unfaithful leaders, and the Pharisees proved themselves unworthy shepherds when they drove from the fold one whom Christ was drawing to Himself for bearing witness to Him. Their act showed ignorance of shepherding duty and unfitness for trust, set over against Christ as the true keeper of the Lord's flock who knows His sheep and lays down His life for them.
The scribes and Pharisees sat in Moses' seat yet were thieves and robbers and hirelings who wielded power in an authoritative manner while leaving the people unfed as sheep without a shepherd, a sight that moved Jesus to compassion. That same condition tests the guidance given to God's flock today and calls for examination of what kind of guidance is provided. What is required is more well-organized effort and far less preaching, with modest instruction by teachers who do the Word and in meekness open mind and heart to its light and understanding.
False shepherds care nothing for the sheep but deceive and delude them, leaving cities and nations and the world ignorant of the truth. Souls can be deceived by them, yet the Lord will work so that deception does not continue.
Those in positions of trust without power from on high and without a living connection with God lack the Spirit of the True Shepherd and are unreliable hirelings who work from human judgment and do not care for the sheep. They fail the supernatural work of strengthening what remains ready to die and seeking to save what is ready to perish. In times of great peril they do not know how to speak a timely word under the Holy Spirit to draw souls into safe paths, nor do they watch for souls as those who must give an account, but instead manifest the spirit of the wolf to bite and devour and ruin and destroy, and they will meet a fearful account in the judgment. By contrast the hireling's indifference throws into relief Jesus' loving care, for He came to seek and save those ready to perish and showed love for poor and suffering people. When He was no longer with them, the disciples felt like sheep without a shepherd.
Marks of Hireling Ministers
A mere hireling minister labors only for the wages he obtains, cares only for himself, and continually studies his own interests and ease instead of the welfare of the flock. He is not the shepherd and the sheep are not his own, so he has no particular interest in them and does not care for them. When danger or trial comes, pictured as the wolf coming, he flees and leaves the flock to be caught and scattered, abandoning it in danger. Ministers called to labor in word and doctrine are Christ's under-shepherds under Christ the chief Shepherd, entrusted with His flock to oversee and tend it, and must not be hirelings but must have the same interest, diligence, responsibility and self-denying care He ever manifested. That care strengthens the weak, nourishes the fainting and suffering, shelters them from robbers and devouring beasts and from heat and cold, goes before them, shields them, follows His example in laying down His life to secure their deliverance, and labors constantly for their welfare with even deeper interest than Jacob showed over Laban's cattle, so the flock will prosper under their care.
He has no burden for souls and wishes to be carried by the people. He permits trifles such as bad roads, rainy weather, or little matters at home to divert him from laboring for souls. He leaves at the most important time for a more pleasant and easy field when the work becomes difficult or less pleasant, showing he lacks a true shepherd's burden and is unwilling to endure hardship for those in his care. He stays not when an interest has been raised and minds are agitated, but lets the interest die out, and souls are lost as the result of that unfaithfulness and carelessness. A true shepherd by contrast carries the burden of the work for souls, stays in such a time, and willingly endures the privations and hardships that are ever the lot of a true shepherd, being self-sacrificing and faithful and so instrumental in the salvation of many.
Hirelings in God's work use His entrusted gifts to advance worldly interests, feeding themselves instead of giving food to those perishing around them. They bring selfishness into their work, draw sympathy to themselves, and secure funds to control by their own judgment. Because they do not faithfully care for souls, God will take His work from them and give it to those who will do it faithfully and bring forth fruit to His glory. A careless, irresponsible shepherd fails to care for the sheep and loses more than he gathers. His neglectful example leaves members without sound ideas of service or responsibility and makes a church weak and difficult to build up. A minister who corrupts and degrades young people likewise fails to care for those entrusted to him and cannot rightly serve as their shepherd.
Professed Christians whose actions fail to match their profession are not acting with the care of the True Shepherd, for the hireling's concern is only his wages, not the welfare of the sheep he abandons. People who conceal their convictions from fear of persecution are not following the true shepherd. Following Jesus means holding to principle at any cost, in contrast to the false shepherd who abandons the sheep because he is a hireling and does not care for them.
Work of Faithful Shepherds
Ministers called to labor in word and doctrine are Christ's under-shepherds under Christ the chief Shepherd, entrusted with His flock to oversee and tend it. They must not be hirelings who serve for personal gain, but must have the same interest, diligence and responsibility Christ ever manifested and feel the weight of the charge committed to them. The hireling flees when danger or trial comes because he is only hired, the sheep are not his own, and he has no real care for them but cares only for himself and studies his own interest and ease. Faithful shepherds follow instead Christ's self-sacrificing example, who shared the flock's danger and laid down His life to secure its deliverance rather than abandoning it.
A true shepherd carries the burden of the work for souls and stays when an interest has been raised and minds are agitated. He willingly endures the privations and hardships that are ever the lot of a true shepherd, being self-sacrificing and faithful. He seeks the lost at any cost to himself, without letting weariness, hardship or wages turn him from duty, and looks for his reward when his entrusted work is done. So doing he becomes instrumental in the salvation of many.
Unlike the hireling who abandons the straying to perish, Christ's teachers must act as caring shepherds who personally seek the lost and straying and care for each member of the flock. They watch over souls with deep interest and do personal work, talking and praying with those they preach to, since preaching alone is not enough. They visit the sick, inquire after absent members and help those in spiritual danger, entering human suffering to rescue people and taking the truth where it is not yet known. Those who follow Jesus must seek the lost and treat the erring with compassion, patience and tenderness, going to search for the erring, the weak and trembling, and even those who have apostatized, to bring them fully into the fold.
They must feed the flock with diligence, strengthen the weak, and nourish the fainting and suffering. They must shelter them from robbers and devouring beasts and from heat and cold, go before them, and labor constantly for their welfare. That labor is to be with even deeper interest than Jacob showed over Laban's cattle, so that the flock will prosper under their care.
Christ's shepherds are to feed His sheep and lambs, not whip or drive them. The sheep belong to Christ who redeemed them, and no human leader is appointed to rule over them or judge their hearts and motives. True Bible religion consists in being under His guidance, following the Lamb wherever He goes and being like Jesus in thoughts, words and deeds. He is the Way, the Truth, the Life, the divine Pattern and standard that those who have charge of others must model in example and present in fruits of righteousness.
Shepherd Care for Individuals
The lambs of the flock are the children and youth, who are God's own property entrusted to parents and teachers to shepherd in the home and in the school as a work of ministry. They need tender, careful protection from temptation and guidance into the fold of safety, and they must not be left without true education, with no delay in securing it for them. Parents who represent Christ in the home show His love through tender care that helps children become lambs in His fold, in contrast to the hireling who abandons the sheep because he does not care for them.
True care means parents use great wisdom to help them, encourage their efforts to be obedient and to love righteousness, and give them every possible advantage for forming characters approved by God. It means establishing schools where they can learn lessons from the Scriptures of truth in connection with other studies, where religious interests are carefully guarded, and where understanding of the lessons of Christ is imparted with clearness and solemnity so the lessons will never be forgotten. It also means older students share responsibility for younger ones by setting a good example in pleasant words and actions and by their influence outside school hours to teach obedience, truthfulness, and respect to instructors. True shepherds must first control themselves in order to control children, correcting without passing over self-indulgence and disobedience and without an overbearing, masterful, inconsiderate spirit. Failure in self-control and right correction makes children's lives miserable, destroys respect for father, mother, brothers, and sisters, and leaves the lambs unprotected and prepared for Satan to work his will upon them.
A hireling does not care for the sheep and therefore cannot bear a father's saving work for his own children. That work requires determined, persevering effort and longsuffering patience by the father and the one standing as mother to uproot evil growth and sow the good seed of the kingdom, putting away harshness and censure for a mother's tender love and Christ's love and patience toward the lambs without chiding every mistake. Only faithful bearing of this home responsibility prepares a man to feed the flock of God and manifest the Saviour's tender care for the lambs, and only then will God accept his labors for others. The same shepherding lesson applies to those responsible for young workers, who must protect and spiritually care for them, keeping them close to God and providing the shelter of home influences rather than neglecting their needs, since the hireling's lack of care comes from serving for hire rather than having a shepherd's concern.
Jesus is the opposite of the hireling who flees because he is a hireling, for He is a watchful Shepherd who labors for His sheep and lambs, guides the lambs of His flock, and watches over even its youngest members. He is the caring and merciful Shepherd who gave His life for His people and can be trusted to care for them, including those suffering for the truth, in contrast to the hired worker who abandons the sheep because his concern is for himself. He is the refuge where souls know to flee in every circumstance, trial, and opposition from adversaries, the one to whom the helpless may entrust both soul and body. He bids His flock draw near to Him, and He leads them to green pastures and to living streams of water to quench their thirst and refresh their spirits.
The True Shepherd leads without whip or force, guiding by a voice the sheep understand, and the sheep press close together and go where He desires them to go, showing affection and trust in His care, in contrast to one who cares not for the sheep. A sheep outside the fold is welcomed back through Christ's willingness to open the door of hope to her. Jesus gives the erring, the weak and trembling, and even those who have apostatized from the truth a special call to come fully into the fold, and His followers have a special duty to go and search for these lost sheep, in contrast to the hireling who has no burden for them.
His care as the good Shepherd who truly cares for them is dishonored when His sheep crowd and push one another in dissension over inferior things. Those who depend on His atonement answer His prayer by being one with Christ and the Father through Christ, as Christ is one with the Father, joint heirs with Christ to the heavenly inheritance. They eat His flesh and drink His blood so He is blended with their existence and they live and move and have their being in Him, bound in holy fellowship to love as brethren without imagining evil against one another, but kind, courteous, patient and forbearing, with unity as strength and the peace of Christ abiding in the heart.
God is the Shepherd of the flock and the church is His flock, His body, the bride, the Lamb's wife, with God as Father of the family. Mere outward connection with any church does not save a man, but only personal faith in a personal Saviour brings the soul into spiritual union with Christ, laboring for enduring food, coming to Him and believing on Him, eating His flesh and drinking His blood and dwelling in Him, so as never to hunger or thirst and to have everlasting life and be raised at the last day. Christ purchased the sheep at the cost of His own sufferings in the flesh so they should not perish but be claimed as His chosen ones, looks upon them with unutterable affection, and gives the fragrance of His own righteousness to His loved ones who believe in Him, in contrast to the hireling who flees because he cares nothing for the sheep. Faithful shepherds share that infinite tenderness and therefore require tact and wisdom and human love and sanctified affection for the precious lambs of the flock, to lead them to see and appreciate their privilege in yielding themselves to tender guidance, exercising the gentleness of Jesus Christ.