Shepherd of the Flock

Most churches have a pastor. The title pastor comes from the Latin word for shepherd. A pastor is someone who cares for God’s people the way a shepherd watches over a flock. Many of the Old Testament prophets used this title to refer to kings. Today’s reading is aimed at those rulers who had led God’s people poorly.

The focus in these verses is on past rulers. “During the time the temple was being built the community had good leadership. But it had not always been so,” commentator J. A. Motyer notes. “The scattering of Israel, culminating in the exile to Babylon, had been largely due to the bad leadership of rulers of both the northern and southern kingdoms.”

The Lord promised to provide a leader out of the tribe of Judah. In verse 4 he is called “the cornerstone.” Paul uses the same title to speak of Jesus in Ephesians 2:20, when he says that the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” Jesus called Himself the “good shepherd.” His leadership differs radically from one who is only a hired hand (John 10:12–13). Jesus purchased the church with His blood. Caring for the flock is not merely a job to Him. The flock belongs to Christ. Those who lead the church as pastors serve under Christ’s authority. They are called shepherds, but Jesus is the “Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4).

The Messiah will strengthen and multiply His people (vv. 5–8). The church’s leaders do the same. They “equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Eph. 4:12). The church cannot be all that God intends it to be without its shepherds.

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BY Dr. John Koessler

John Koessler is Professor Emeritus of Applied Theology and Church Ministries at Moody Bible Institute. John authors the “Practical Theology” column for Today in the Word of which he is also a contributing writer and theological editor. An award-winning author, John’s newest title is When God is Silent: Let the Bible Teach You to Pray (Kirkdale). Prior to joining the Moody faculty, he served as a pastor of Valley Chapel in Green Valley, Illinois, for nine years. He and his wife, Jane, now enjoy living in a lakeside town in Michigan.