John 10:1-18 We come to the third of the great
"I AM" revelations of Jesus. He begins with the analogy of the sheep
and the sheepfold. He says, "I am the good shepherd." This has many
practical implications. But first we ought to consider the modern view of
pastoral care. In many traditions, the pastor is considered to be primarily a
teacher. This is derived partly from Paul's comments in Ephesians 4:11 that God
gave some as pastors and teachers, as the culminating gift of God to His
people. The Greek words poimen means shepherd, didaskalous means
teacher, and grammar suggests that the two words are linked. But I suspect that
it is a misinterpretation to take Paul's words to mean that the sole function
of a pastor is to teach the Word. Paul was very strong on teaching the Word
(c.f. 2 Timothy 4:2). But even in his instructions to Timothy, it is clear that
this does not mean just hermeneutical exposition.
A slightly broader view of everything
Paul said includes his instructions to people in many types of authority-based
relationships. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and
gave up Himself to present her as a spotless bride without spot or wrinkle, by
the washing of the word. (Ephesians 5:25-27). Fathers are to nurture their
children, with discipline and instruction, but not to provoke them to wrath.
(Ephesians 6:4) Bosses are to render service to their employees in the fear of God
and not to threaten them. (Ephesians 6:9). Immediately after telling Timothy to
preach the word at every opportunity, Paul adds, "... reprove,
rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." (2 Timothy 4:2) Even
peers are instructed to encourage one another. (Philippians 2:1-3) The sum of
all this is that Paul sees the shepherding/pastoral role as one of teaching life based on the scriptures, not simply
teaching the word. Shepherding is pervasive to every relationship of life in
which authority is exercised, because the authority is primarily based on the
paradigm of nurturing. What is
the difference between a pastor and a life coach? Perhaps the simplest answer
is that one is a subset of the other. A pastor should, as part of his ministry,
coach people.
Jesus gives us several aspects in
which He, the good shepherd, cares for His sheep.
·
He knows His
sheep and calls His them by name and leads them
·
He is the door
of the sheepfold; a metaphor from the basics of literal shepherding sheep. He
keeps the sheep in a safe place.
·
As the
doorkeeper, He excludes robbers and thieves, and provides food for His sheep
·
He gives
abundant life to His sheep
·
He lays down
His life for the sake of His sheep
The practice of pastoral care in the
modern world would gain significantly by emulating these dimensions of Jesus'
shepherding. Clearly, Jesus is the ultimate good shepherd, so any earthly pastor
partners with Christ in providing care for his charges. But this prescription
for pastoral care is not limited to those with the title "pastor",
but applies to anyone in a position of authority, as Paul made clear in other
passages. The above dimensions of pastoral care seem almost natural to a
parent's care of his or her children. In other authority relationships, most of
these items are seldom present. But they are part and parcel of seeing the
primary purpose of the authority as bringing the person over whom authority is
exercised to the fullness of everything he or she can be.
It is not only because God is
sovereign that He commands this. It is because of His great love for His people
that He sent Jesus to rescue us, and gave His word to help us understand the
best possible way to have abundant life.
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