John 10.11-13 11 “I
am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12
The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees
the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the
flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and
cares nothing for the sheep.” – Jesus
We have to be discerning when it comes to parables. Jesus
was making a point to His listeners about sheep and shepherds. He was also
using the example of animal husbandry to describe Himself and His mission.
Jesus used examples from everyday life to describe Himself, His mission, the
Church, and the Kingdom of God – it was the way He taught.
It is true, the hired hand does not own the sheep, but not every hired hand is worthless and in it just
for the pay. Vocation ministry has hired-hands in it, but also there are those
with the gifting of shepherd. It’s gifting
we must see and value. If, as Paul said, “So
Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors
and teachers…” then Jesus is the Appointer of who does what in the Church.
Now, as far as ownership, Jesus owns the sheep. But Jesus also appoints human pastors (shepherds)
to watch over His human flock. A lousy shepherd will run, but a gifted pastor
will stand in the gap for Jesus’ people. A gifted pastor will appoint gifted
leaders to help him with the administration of the body. A lousy one will try
to do it himself. I know, I was a lousy pastor. The weight of building a church
was too much for me. I had no idea what I was doing.
But that doesn’t mean I was evil, it just meant I was in so
over my head, that I couldn’t do what I thought I was supposed to do.
There are those who are in ministry for perhaps the wrong
reason. There are those who hire-on that perhaps ought to be doing something
more appropriate for them. And that’s the hard part. How do you know until
perhaps after the damage has been done? And how do you tell the guy doing it?
There is a difficult balance in trying to pastor a church
and trying to make a living at it. Some pastors just have to take on other work
because their vocation pays more than their ministry. (I often thought it might
be easier to pastor a church and not take a salary, because the weight of
providing a salary for a minister was heavy for a tiny church like mine…)
So, build the church! Well then, the conundrum: am I doing this for the flock or for a
paycheck? Am I just a hired-hand? Will I run when the wolf shows up? Or do
I care for the sheep because I can afford to, and am I just a better paid hired-hand?
It’s no wonder I am not pastoring anymore; I could never get the balance. Not everyone is called; not everyone is gifted...to be a hired hand.
Father, there is
more to this parable than what meets the mind. But You designed the church to
be cared for by trustworthy shepherds so that the world could be evangelized by
trustworthy sheep. I’m happy to be a sheep. I’m happy to do the work of the
ministry as I am taught and led by my pastor. I pray for him and the others I
know, that they could do what they do without worrying about pay. I know the
conundrum, and ask for grace for them in that as well. You are God – You lead
Your church – Amen
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