Without a Shepherd

“What does pliable mean, Daddy?” My youngest daughter asked. “It means to easily bend or be persuaded to do something” I replied. Her inquiry was sparked by having heard the name of a character in a rather clever children’s adaptation of Pilgrims Progress. Every evening or so, before our daughters go to bed I read aloud a couple of chapters from this timeless classic. We love the book so much that it’s the second time we’ve been through the story together. This version substitutes talking animals such as bunnies, badgers, and even chickens to tell the tale of Christian’s journey to the Celestial City. It sure beats anything Disney has ever offered and serves as a wonderful way to teach young children about the cost of following Jesus. Of course, it also helps that Daddy can do all the funny voices to keep things lively and interesting.

Raising children is a full-time task, much like running a marathon but on your knees in prayer most of the time. It requires focus of heart and diligent attention to detail. Not only do children require necessities and protection but proper education, nurturing, genuine love, and unrelenting affection. Unfortunately, as broken humans, perhaps none of us can honestly live up to the challenge of correctly raising a child in Jesus. We need a divine teacher to not only show us how to properly parent but to step in and be the parent we simply cannot. This is true for any eternally significant relationship. Whether we are a spouse, friend, sibling, grandparent, employer, missionary, or pastor, the people God places in our lives obligate us to holiness (1 Peter 1:15).

In years past, my wife and I owned an extremely fast-paced business. The company grew significantly over the course of fifteen years and during that time we were able to hire approximately thirty-five employees. A relatively small business but a busy one to be sure. As a smaller operation with hundreds of customers, we required a great deal from our employees to keep things running smoothly. We learned very quickly that genuine care and support for each person led to better performance and yielded interpersonal trust which attributed to the collective success. This became imperative as our company grew and ultimately enabled us to expeditiously expand the operation.

A business without an honest, compassionate leader, will often collapse under its own weight. A family without a loving and disciplined father will assuredly fall to ruins. In the same way, a church with a manipulative and self-righteous pastor will inevitably split apart having become spiritually bankrupt (1 Corinthians 13:3). Whatever leadership role God has entrusted to you, cherish and carry it to completion. While there are never any guarantees that our children will become useful disciples of Jesus, our employees perform to expectation, or our congregation draw closer to God, our diligence and obedience make all the difference. 

Sheep without a shepherd will scatter and rush headlong into danger completely oblivious of the consequences of their actions. They require an observant and hardworking shepherd who cares and even dearly loves them (Matthew 9:36-38). However, as a good farmer yields profit from his livestock, a lazy and cruel herdsman destroys his flock. The book of Jeremiah warns us of leaders who scatter, beat down, and drive away those entrusted into their care. Such individuals feed on the hard work of others, take what is not theirs, and crush the faith of young believers and children (Ezekiel 34:10). They abuse their authority to control and ultimately discard those they no longer have any further use for. Such leaders strip the heart of the gospel in an attempt to conceal their pride, laziness, and inability to grow into useful, mature human beings.

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:1-4 (ESV)

From such leaders, God has granted a remedy. He has chosen to step in and be the Good Shepherd for those with ears to hear His voice (John 10:11-18). He promises to gather all those who call on Him in their distress and they who reach for Him in all sincerity. With the hope of green pastures that nurture our spirits and loving rod of discipline, He guides us to the life-giving water of His word (Psalm 23:1-6). We can rest contently knowing He drives out the tormentor of our minds and grants peace to those who trust Him. Though we be pushed to the brink of death or scattered by those who previously claimed to love us, the sufferings of the cross keep us in His loving care. In His compassion, the Great Shepherd provides leaders after His own heart and restores the joy of our faith. He lovingly places the cross of suffering upon our backs and bids us walk forward, trusting in His divine will for the kingdom. Through all this, He redeems the time lost toiling under wolves in sheep’s clothing and teaches us how to humbly lead others (Matthew 7:15-16). Sheep without a shepherd, families without a father, and Christians without a savior doom us to wander in misery. Yet, the love of Jesus fills the empty and makes straight paths for His sheep on their way to glory. Let us worship Him who is worthy and listen intently to His voice that we may walk in the paths of righteousness for His divine purpose.