Good Shepherd / Bad Shepherd John 10:1-11 Ezekiel 34:1-6 "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960…1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission."

The Role of the Shepherd Numbers 27:17 “…who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep which have no shepherd." God has ordained leaders to care for His people John 21:16 He *said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He *said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He *said to him, "Shepherd My sheep."

Our Lord knows we need the oversight of a loving shepherd to see to our – Provision, – Protection, – Direction, and – Discipline (training for right living) The ideal to which all leaders should aspire is Jesus Himself John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” Unfortunately, not all shepherds are good shepherds

Beware the False Shepherd Jesus warns us of men who are not concerned about the welfare of the sheep John 10:12 "He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 "He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.”

We see several characteristics of the false shepherd in this passage – He does not own the sheep; they are not his sheep This lack of personal investment in the sheep undermines his commitment to them – His response to danger is to flee rather than fight for the sheep As a result, the sheep are ravaged and scattered – The sheep will not follow him nor respond to his voice (vv. 4-5, 27) The false shepherd must drive the sheep; he cannot lead them

There are characteristics of false shepherds even more insidious than these, however – Jesus tells us that the false shepherds are actually thieves (v. 10a) whose intent is to steal, kill, and destroy all that the Good Shepherd has invested in the flock Obviously these men only appear to be concerned for the sheep Their appeal to the sheep is entirely self-centered – “What’s in it for me?!?” – Cf. Genesis 3, Matt. 4, 1 John 2:16

The Prophet Ezekiel shows us even more starkly the effect of false shepherds on God’s sheep (His people) – Ezek. 34:1-6 – Instead of feeding the sheep, they feed themselves (v. 2) – Instead of sheltering and protecting the sheep they clothe themselves with the sheep’s wool (v. 3) – They do not strengthen the weak, heal the sick, or bind up the broken (v. 4) – They do not restore the scattered to the flock (disunity => vulnerability to predators) – 1 Tim. 3:1-7 – The lost sheep they do not seek – Their interest is self-preservation, not building unity in the flock! The false shepherd does not have on his heart what the Chief Shepherd has on His (the World)

Scattered Sheep This metaphor is common in both the “Old” and “New” Testaments – It gives us insight into how God sees His people when we do not have faithful Kingdom leadership 1 Kings 22:17 So he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep which have no shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These have no master…’” Mark 6:34 When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.

Sheep (and people) must have a shepherd (Pastor, Elders) to lead them to safe pasture, keep them together, fend off predators, and look after them when they are sick, weak, and broken – The only ones who will do that are the ones who truly care for the sheep – This care is demonstrated by the leader’s willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of the sheep (John 10:11) – We (as sheep) also must know the voice of God’s Shepherd Do we spend more time in God’s Word than listening to the world? Do we spend more time talking to the Good Shepherd than seeking counsel and direction from others? Are we willing to let the Good Shepherd lead us to the good and away from the bad? – As Jesus’ under-shepherds, elders must be teaching the “baby sheep” to live this way.

The Fate of the False Shepherds Ezekiel pronounced God’s judgment on the false shepherds of Israel - Ezek. 34:1-6ff – God will take His flocks away from the false and give them to the Good – God will scatter the false shepherds as they have allowed His flock to scatter – God will restore what the thief has stolen and raise up what he has killed and destroyed – God will never fail to look after His people personally – This He does because He loves His sheep John 3:16-17 Romans 5:8

The Hard Questions After His resurrection, Jesus found Simon Peter (note that Simon was not looking for Him!) – He asked Peter a most difficult and disturbing series of questions John 21:15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He *said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He *said to him, "Tend My lambs." …

Jesus’ focus was entirely on the sheep, and His call and equipping of Peter to tend to them – Interestingly enough, years later Peter shows that he had acquired his Master’s focus 1 Peter 2:25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. Peter’s admonition to the leaders of God’s flock was as strong as his Master’s 1 Peter 5:2 …shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; … 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

As we consider nominations… Who among us shows genuine concern for God’s people? Who is passionate about reaching the lost? Who is demonstrating leadership of their own little “flock”? – Are they leading or driving? – Are they excited when their sheep succeed, or when they succeed? How do they respond to danger? Are they following the Chief Shepherd closely?