The Good Shepherd vs. the Hirelings
By Duane Spencer
Shepherds, along with farmers, formed the basis of the Holy Land economy throughout the Biblical period of Palestine. They would lead the flocks off to pasture around Passover time, move from one place to another searching for water and forage, and then return home in early November. During the dry summer months, they were often in isolated places that were far remote from the owner's dwelling.John 10:11-13; Jeremiah 23:1-5 The task of shepherding thus called for a responsible person who is unafraid of the risks involved. A sheep and goat herder never knew when he might be called upon to drive away robbers and wild beasts. That's why if all a person had in this world was his sheep, he himself, or one of his sons, would care for the flock just to protect his property.
Typically, however, the wealthier sheep owners would hire someone to watch their sheep. Because much of the time the hirelings had the flocks far away from their owner's home, they often succumbed to the temptation to steal of the increase of the flock or of its milk. That created an odious name for sheep herders of that day. So notorious were hired sheepherders that they were deprived of all civil rights. This meant that they could not serve as a witness in court nor fulfill judicial offices of any kind. Common law in Palestine even forbade anyone to buy milk, wool or a lamb from any hired shepherd.
The contrast. Against that background, you can see why our Lord Jesus uses this language to contrast Himself against the rulers of Israel:
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep (John 10:11-13).Unlike the hireling, who, instead of protecting the flock, would flee from an approaching wolf, Jesus says that He cares for the sheep so much that He even gives His life for them.Dreadful curse. The Lord was by no means just using an isolated figure of speech. The Pharisees hearing Jesus knew that they were the object of His remark against hirelings. Having to memorize the entire Old Testament, they no doubt recalled these epithets of Jeremiah:
Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord (23:1,2).The Hebrew word translated "pastors" there literally means shepherds. It is used, therefore, of sheepherders, whose responsibility was to care for woolly sheep. But in the Bible it is also used of those men whose responsibility was to care for the people of God, who, as David writes in Psalm 100:3, are "the sheep of his pasture".God was very angry with those shepherds of men because they had not cared for the spiritual well-being of His people as they should.
To understand why God was so angry with the priests of that day, we need to know the calling that was theirs. The chief task of the priest, as he performed his ceremonial duties, was to teach the people what doctrines those rituals stood for. The Old Testament laws regarding the temple and the activities therein were a divine picture book filled with types and figures of the promised Messiah.
So, when the people brought sacrifices to the temple, the priest should have explained to them why those offerings were necessary. They should have been told, for example, that the killing of the spotless animals pointed to the sacrifice of the Messiah to come; that the freeing of the scapegoat was a picture of the remission of sins; that all the gold in the temple reflected God's holiness; and so on.
In pronouncing woe to the pastors that "destroy and scatter" His sheep, God was cursing the religious leaders for having failed to nurture spiritually the flock under their care. And by comparing Himself to the hirelings, Jesus was indicting the Pharisees for having been similarly guilty.
The promise. Thankfully, in Jeremiah 23 God did not just deliver the woe upon the evil shepherds. He continued in verses 3-5:
And I will gather the remnant ofThe day was coming, God promised there, when the evil shepherds would be replaced by faithful pastors and the latter would give God's people proper care and feeding. Moreover, these shepherds will be headed by the righteous Branch, who shall reign as King over all the earth.
my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.Shepherd of Israel. Did you notice the rapid movement from the coming of the good shepherds to the coming of the King? This is not at all surprising, for the Old Testament frequently conceives of Jehovah God as the Shepherd King over His chosen ones.
Everyone is familiar with the 23rd Psalm, for instance, which begins, "The Lord is my shepherd." The Hebrew word for "Lord" there is Jehovah. Thus, David was declaring there that the Shepherd is Jehovah God Himself.
A further identification of Jehovah as the Shepherd is found in Psalm 80. Verse 1 reads: "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock." And verse 4: "O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?" The Psalmist starts by asking "the Shepherd of Israel" to give ear, and then addresses the same person in verse 4 as "the Lord God of hosts."
The smitten shepherd. Thus, the Pharisees were angry with Jesus not only because He likened them to Jeremiah's hireling shepherds, but because in calling Himself the Good Shepherd, He was claiming to be Jehovah God. They therefore declared their murderous intent by crying out, "For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God" (John 10:33).
The scripture even prophesied the efforts of these Jewish leaders to kill Jesus with the figure of a shepherd. We read in Zechariah 13:7, "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." Just before He was betrayed, Jesus Himself alluded to this prophecy in Matthew 26:31.
Seeking and saving. Since His Ascension back to heaven, our Lord has been building His church by seeking and saving His lost sheep. Speaking of Himself, He says in John 10:3:
To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.In other words, it is the Good Shepherd Himself who calls his sheep by name and leads them out of the Dominion of Satan. It is He who qualifies them to hear His voice and
to follow Him. On this subject, the Lord has also declared in John 6:44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him."Sadly enough, there are many today who think of themselves as lovers of Jesus and yet actually teach that to be saved, one has to make a personal decision to receive Christ. This idea of a personal decision is not Biblical. By nature, we are all spiritually dead. Had God not predestined us to be adopted as His sons and given us to Christ, not one of us could hear God's invitation and go to Him in response.
That's why Jesus says to unbelievers, "Ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep" (John 10:26).
No, we do not and cannot will on our own to accept Jesus. Our salvation is a divine act. It is God who had decreed before time began that at some point in our life, we shall accept Jesus. At that point, God sends His Holy Spirit to indwell us, giving us a new life in Christ, and He fills our heart with faith. This faith is a gift of God. Our salvation thus has nothing to do with works, lest any man should boast.
Today's hirelings. So, beware the hirelings, those who come with gospels other than that of the Biblethose who teach that one has to do one thing or another to become saved; those who modify the word of God to please men. Of them, remember, God says, "Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings."
Christthe Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us, who called us by name and gave us a new birth, and who has since been feeding and caring for us will yet do one more thing for us. On the last day, He will come in glory to complete our salvation. We read in I Peter 5:4, "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away."
That crown of glory that we shall receive won't be some metal diadem resting on our brows to make us look like wonderful heroes. It will be a spiritual body that will live forevermore. Oh, what a glorious day that is going to be, because when He returns, we shall be like Him and be with Him forevermore. o
The late Dr. Duane Spencer was the Bible Teacher of the Word of Grace radio ministry, P. O. Box 7, San Antonio, Texas 78291.