The Waywardness of Sheep
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
Why do sheep have the desire to leave the shepherd’s side and travel to places of danger and distance? There is an inward pull that sheep have that tend to lead them away. They follow the tract of land that looks greener and more desirous, leaving behind that which is safe and filled with contentment by the shepherd’s care.
Why does God give Pastors to the local congregation? So that they may instruct and teach the little flock to the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry that edifies the body of Christ. It is God who gives the pastors and teachers so that they may equip the saints for the work and for the building up of His church. It is God who gives the Shepherds. It is the under shepherds who are led by the Chief Shepherd.
As in that day, the Old Testament days and the New Testament days, shepherds were looked down upon. Many people looked and pick out their words, mannerisms, and ways and accosted them for not being the smartest people in town. But the Shepherds were important in the eyes of God. Sheep can’t just get along anywhere. There is no other class of livestock that requires more careful handling, more detailed direction, than do sheep.
The Pastor Shepherd keeps the sheep on the move. They are shifted from one pasture to another. The habits sheep form and the desires that sheep have, when left to themselves, are dangerous. So the Pastor Shepherd is always leading them to go forward. Let us listen, not only to the voice of the Good Shepherd, but to the leadership of the kind, prayerful, life of the under shepherd. Why? Because he cares for your soul.