See Part 1 and Part 2.

Part 3: I am a Shepherd  

The image of a shepherd is very significant in the OT writings. Israel’s most formative events happened in the lives of shepherds, in the pastures where sheep could be found. Israel believed Yahweh to be their Shepherd, and their worship saw this as a corporate reality for the nation, and a personal reality for each individual Israelite.  

But as you read the stories of Israel, you also come to realize that God’s shepherding leadership was mediated to the Israelites through the leadership of ordinary people, people like Moses and Aaron (Psalm 77:20), Joshua (Numbers 27:15-18), and David (Psalm 78:71-72). We know this is not just an image to be applied to these heroes of Israel’s history because of how often Yahweh laments and brings judgment against the priests who are meant to offer right worship, the prophets who represent the voice of God, the kings whose religious devotion protects or threatens the integrity of the nation. Yahweh accuses them of shirking their responsibility as shepherds, not protecting the sheep but ignoring them, letting them wander, failing to feed them, and even devouring them. Because of this deep failure in leadership, Yahweh finally says, “Enough!”

Listen to these words in Ezekiel 34:11-16 (MSG):   From now on, I myself am the shepherd. I’m going looking for them. As shepherds go after their flocks when they get scattered, I’m going after my sheep. I’ll rescue them from all the places they’ve been scattered to in the storms. I’ll bring them back from foreign peoples, gather them from foreign countries, and bring them back to their home country. I’ll feed them on the mountains of Israel, along the streams, among their own people. I’ll lead them into lush pasture so they can roam the mountain pastures of Israel, graze at leisure, feed in the rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. And I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep. I myself will make sure they get plenty of rest. I’ll go after the lost, I’ll collect the strays, I’ll doctor the injured, I’ll build up the weak ones and oversee the strong ones so they’re not exploited.  

The prophet Micah prophesies that this shepherding leadership will happen through the reign of a new, righteous earthly ruler “whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. … He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.” (Micah 5:2,4). We know this ruler to be Jesus the Messiah, the Good Shepherd. And this is what we read about that Shepherd, in Matthew 9:35-10:1:   Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.   

Now watch what Jesus does: Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, but he is also, in the words of Peter, the Chief Shepherd. In large flocks, it’s so important to have a team of shepherds who can distribute the work of caring for the sheep, so that no one sheep is left harassed and helpless. Jesus sees these vast crowds, and sees the need to widen the scope of his reach as a shepherd.

So, chapter 10 opens with these words:  “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”  

When the Good Shepherd talks about his care for his sheep, he is describing a distributed responsibility. He’s speaking like a prime minister or president might speak: “Through the agents who are under my leadership, this will get done.”

As we look again at Ezekiel, we see at least four commitments God makes, which are ours to embrace as his agents, his “under-shepherds” for our Life Group  

  1. Seeking the Wanderers. There are many ways our group members can wander. Discouragement, despair, depression, woundedness, brokenness, and fear that these things will be discovered, can cause people to withdraw from community. Broken, unreconciled relationships with spouse, family, friends, or even group members can cause people to pull away. When people are caught in sinful habits, bitterness, false teaching, or the experience of “deconstruction,” they wander from the care of Christian community. As their shepherds, we have the responsibility and opportunity to check in when they have not attended for a while; to invite them for coffee or dinner for a personal connection; to follow up after an awkward conversation; to affirm the group’s appreciation of their presence.  
  2. Feeding the Hungry. There are many ways that we can be forgetful of God’s love and mercy. Cultural messages, personal emotional brokenness, and discouragement can cause us to grow anemic in our confidence. Every one of us needs regular sustenance in the Gospel – the reminder of our identity in Christ, Jesus’ finished work on the cross and his victory over death, his present sovereignty over our circumstances, and his ever-present help in trouble. As leaders in our group, it is our responsibility to keep leading people, with the Spirit’s guidance, to Jesus, our Living Water and heavenly Bread, and to remind one another that his kingdom is here!  
  3. Restoring the Broken: Our Shepherd’s mandate was focused most especially on the poor, vulnerable and broken, not the ones considered “worthy” and “strong” in society’s eyes. Working on the front-lines of health care, “long COVID” symptoms, ongoing battles with chronic or mental health issues, heavy responsibilities of (single) parenting or caring for family members with special needs or the elderly, unequally yoked marriages, studying or working online are all trials that have led to a great weariness for many people. As leaders, we can facilitate a community that practically cares for one another, bearing one another’s burdens with kindness and mercy.  
  4. Disarming the Dominant: Sometimes a group can have individuals whose personalities or behaviour threatens the emotional safety that a group needs to thrive. Their personality, strong opinions, or neediness takes up so much of the group’s time and space that others are excluded or neglected. In worse cases, there may be manipulative or divisive individuals, people who violate boundaries in inappropriate ways, or people who promote false teachings and refuse to submit to the church’s spiritual authority. Or it may come to the group’s attention that a member is threatened by abuse or manipulation from outside sources. When we become aware of these dynamics affecting our group, we must boldly stand guard for the health of our group and its members, and (with their consent) defend the vulnerable.  

Consider again how Jesus, our Good Shepherd, sought to take care of the needs of the wandering sheep whom he loved:  

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”  

As a Life Group leader, walk in confidence as one who has authority to be an agent of our Good Shepherd’s ministry in your group!