Today’s reading in Mark’s gospel is the first half of chapter.

Don Carson makes some helpful observations:

THE HEALING OF THE Gerasene man who was demonized by a “legion” of demons (Mark 5:1-20) calls for explanations and reflection at many points. To pick up on six:

(1) The setting is Gentile territory on the east side of Lake Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis (Mark 5:20), the Ten Cities of largely Gentile constitution. That point is clear even from the herd of pigs, something that no self-respecting Jew would keep.

(2) The poor man described in these verses was subject to some sort of cyclical attack. At times he was docile enough to be chained, and then the attack would be so desperately strong that he could tear the chains apart and free himself. Banished from home and hearth, he lived among the tombs, where he cried out and lacerated himself, a man in the final throes of destruction by demonic powers (Mark 5:5). We should not assume that every case of what is today called insanity is the result of demonic activity; neither should we adopt the reductionism that reduces all demonism to chemical imbalances in the brain.

(3) The words addressed to Jesus (Mark 5:6-8), though on the lips of the man, are the product of the “evil spirit.” This spirit knows enough
(a) to recognize who Jesus is, and (b) to live in horrible anticipation of the ultimate doom that awaits him.

(4) This exchange between Jesus and the “evil spirit” has two elements not found in any other exorcism in the canonical Gospels.
First, the strange interplay between the singular and plural—”My name is Legion, … for we are many”—suggests an ambiguity in certain demonic activity. Moreover, as Jesus hints elsewhere, multiple invasion by unclean spirits is a “worse” condition to be scrupulously avoided (Matt. 12:45). Second, these demons do not wish to leave the area, and they do wish to be embodied (Mark 5:10, 12). Jesus accedes to both requests. Presumably this reflects in part the fact that the final hour for their banishment has not yet arrived.

(5) While it is essential to reflect on Jesus’ absolute mastery over these evil spirits, one must add that he does not call forth these spirits one by one, solicit their names, enter into conversation with them, or a host of other things commonly practiced by some who are given to “deliverance ministries.”

(6) The responses to this deliverance are striking. The delivered man wants to follow Jesus, and is commissioned to bear witness, in his Gentile world, to how much the Lord has done for him and how he has shown him mercy (Mark 5:18-20). The people of the region beg Jesus to leave (Mark 5:17): they prefer pigs to people, their financial security to the transformation of a life.

This month Christ Community is seeking to raise awareness and understanding of the offices that the New Testament prescribes for churches: elder and deacon. To that end, I’m posting sections in order from a wonderful survey of shepherding, the task of elders, on this blog.

You can also read the entire article in one shot.

To nominate men for the office of elder and deacon, fill out a form on Sunday morning, or email name(s) and designate office(s) to info AT christcommunity church DOT com.

We’ve been looking at the shepherding metaphor in the Bible as it’s used to explain leadership among God’s people. We started by looking at the paradigm shepherds in the Bible: God, Moses, and David. Our second session focused on the prophetic critiques of Ezekiel and Jeremiah leveled against bad shepherds. In this session, we will move ahead to the New Testament and focus on the shepherding metaphor in the gospels.

MARK

We begin in the Gospel of Mark. A couple of sessions ago, we read this verse: “When Jesus went ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34, NAS used throughout). We learned that that phrase “sheep without a shepherd” occurs in Numbers 27:17, where Moses prays near the end of his ministry, “May the Lord, the God of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord will not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” God would answer Moses’ prayer in the person of Joshua. Clearly, it’s a phrase about leadership.[1]

In the context of Mark 6, what does Jesus feel toward the crowd? Compassion. That word for compassion in the Greek is splag-knizomai. It means “moved in the inward parts” or, literally, “moved in the bowels.” There’s a depth to his compassion. He loves them with a deep and inward concern.

Why does he feel compassion for them? Because they are like sheep without a shepherd. They have no leader, no master, no one to go before them.

How does he express compassion or concern? He teaches them many things. He doesn’t become their political or military ruler. He doesn’t grandstand or make himself look great, as the worldly leaders would do. He acts as their shepherd and leader first and foremost through teaching them. He goes on to meet their physical needs as well, but the first thing he does is teach them. He feeds their souls by feeding their minds, and only after that does he feed their bodies.

What does this mean for us as Christ-like shepherd-leaders? Shepherding has to do with teaching, as when God says through Jeremiah, “I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding” (3:15).

MATTHEW

Ruling

Aside from the clear connections between David and Jesus presented in Matthew’s chronology, Jesus is first introduced to readers of Matthew as the fulfillment of the Old Testament promise of a coming shepherd through Herod’s enquiry about the birthplace of the Messiah:

The [chief priests and scribes] said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'” (Matt 2:1-6).

Where does this quote come from in verse 6? It’s from Micah 5:2-4, which reads,

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”…And he will arise and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will remain, because at that time he will be great to the ends of the earth.

To say that Jesus is the shepherd of his flock is to say that he’s a ruler. Both Matthew and Micah use the shepherding image to communicate rule or authority. He has authority to lead the flock, because he’s the one who is supposed to know where the green pastures are. And when the sheep are done feeding and are ready to come back home, he is supposed to know the way back from the wilderness to the sheep pen. He leads them out because he knows where the food is. He leads them in because he knows the way home.

Part of that ruling authority, then, is protective. He has the authority to fend off attackers, and he’s not afraid to exercise that authority for the protection of the sheep. He also has the authority to protect the sheep from themselves. The Good Shepherd won’t just sit and watch as a one sheep bullies another, or as one sheep wanders off from the safety of the flock and risks getting lost, or falling off a cliff, or getting eaten by a predator. The authority or rule of the shepherd is a protecting, sustaining, nurturing authority that makes courageous sacrifices for the peace and safety of the flock.

Ruling Gently

The shepherd’s authority is not to be exercised harshly or arrogantly, but with gentleness. Consider Jesus words in Matthew 11: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28). This verse doesn’t present us with a shepherding metaphor, but Jesus does approach us, and we are pictured as animals.

What are we doing by taking Jesus’ yoke on us? We’re becoming disciples, who learn from him (“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me”). The word here for “learn” is manthano, the verbal form of the Greek nounmathatais, or disciple. So when Jesus speaks of his relationship with us as the caretaker of a herd of animals, he links it to the idea of teaching. He comes to us as a teacher, a teacher with authority to teach.

But what attitude does Jesus take toward us? An attitude of gentleness and humility of heart. The word translated “humble of heart” is tapeinos, or lowly in spirit, meek. Jesus doesn’t come to us with a high-and-mighty attitude. He doesn’t lord it over us as a stern lecturer. He approaches us with the yoke of discipleship in a lowly spirit.

What does that mean for us as shepherds of God’s flock—for church elders? Gentleness and authority go together in the Chief Shepherd; so we should hold them together in our leadership of the flock as well. Part of following the example of Jesus as the Chief Shepherd is learning how to mingle authority with gentleness and humility.

How do we kill pride? We should ask God to cultivate lowly spirits in us and to kill our pride. We should also serve just like Jesus served, even to the point of death (Phil. 2:7-8). Humble teaching and servanthood is the model of spiritual leadership that Jesus sets for his under-shepherds. That’s our goal. We want to be—and known by the congregation as—men who are lowly in spirit and gentle at heart, who teach God’s Word with a spiritual authority that comes from God, an authority that’s not rooted in our personalities or techniques, but that’s derived from speaking his Word faithfully. That’s how we should express our love and compassion for the congregation – the same way Jesus expressed his. As Jesus’ under-shepherds, we are called to lead the congregation to put on the yoke of discipleship to Jesus Christ to learn from him.

Commissioning Under-shepherds

When we turn to Matthew 9, we find the parallel passage to Mark 6:34, but with a little more detail.

Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest” (Matt 9:35-38).

What is the attitude of the crowd here? Distressed (skullô—troubled, annoyed; skinned or flayed) and dispirited (riptô—thrown down, tossed around; same word used in Luke 4:35 for a demon throwing a boy to the ground). Jesus sees that they have no peace. They may be annoyed or even scared, and they seem to be treated carelessly. They lack anyone to care for them. As in Mark 6:34, they’re like sheep without a shepherd. But here Jesus’ reaction is different. What does he do here? He doesn’t teach them himself. He commands the disciples to pray that workers would be sent into the harvest. Jesus delegates some of his shepherding authority to his disciples. The workers will be the ones who will bring in the harvest. And this is confirmed in the very next chapter, where Jesus formally charges his disciples with doing the work of shepherding.

Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness” (Matt. 10:1)

This is what Jesus was doing in 9:35 – healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Jesus’ work becomes their work – he welcomes them into his mission and gives them a task.

Sharing in His Suffering

But a few verses later he tells them,

I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves (Matt. 10:16).

What does that warning communicate about the nature of the disciples’ work? It was dangerous, and it would involve suffering. Jesus intentionally sent them as sheep into the middle of a wolf pack. They would be betrayed, handed over to the authorities, interrogated, and scourged (vv.17-18). They should expect to be betrayed by their families, even to the point of execution (v.21) They should expected to be hated on account of Jesus’ name (v.22). But all this would be for the progress of the gospel—”for My sake, as a testimony to [the governors and kings] and to the Gentiles” (Matt. 10:18).

The point is that the call to shepherding is a call to suffering. Being sent out as workers into the harvest—being sent by the Great Shepherd to do his work of gathering and caring for the sheep—is a call to suffer. The call to Christian discipleship, and the call to working as an under-shepherd of Jesus Christ, are both calls to self-sacrifice and to exposing yourself to all sorts of pain and loss in this world.

Taking Responsibility For All

In addition to facing the suffering of Christ, Jesus’ under-shepherds shoulder the responsibility of taking responsibility for every sheep in the fold. Telling a parable about a lost sheep, Jesus says,

If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish (Matt 18:12-14).

This passage is an answer to the disciples’ question in verse 1 of chapter 18 about who will be greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus answers by reversing their idea of greatness. In verse 3, he says they will have to become like children, the most powerless people of all, in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. In verse 10, he tells them not to despise the children, and then he sums up the parable of the lost sheep by saying the Father doesn’t want even one of his little ones to perish.

What do you think that says about Jesus’ view of his role as the Shepherd of his people? He knows he is responsible for every one of them, individually. He’s concerned about the weakest and smallest, not just the strongest and most productive. He seeks out the individual strays. So must the elders of Christ’s churches.

Exercising Judgment

If you keep reading in your Bible beyond this parable, you find Jesus turning in the very next paragraph to the subject of church discipline. Corrective church discipline, interestingly, is one means of seeking a strayed sheep. When a church excludes a member for unrepentant sin, it makes the stray’s status explicit, or clear, thus presenting the stray with an opportunity to be restored. At the very least it will protect the flock by exposing one who is actually a goat or a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

This authority of the local church to judge those within the flock (see 1 Cor. 5:12) is a foretaste of God’s judgment between the sheep and the goats on the last day. As Jesus proclaimed,

But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with Him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and he will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and he will put the sheep on his right, and the goats on the left (Matt 25:31-32).

God reserves for himself the prerogative of the ultimate separation between those who are in the flock and those who are not. But he gives the local church authority to exercise corrective discipline, and when it comes to putting someone out of the church, the elders lead the whole church in taking that action together. That’s why Paul exhorts the church in Corinth to “remove the wicked man from among you” (1 Cor. 5:12).

excerpted from Lessons in Shepherding

 

The #1 most emailed story on the NY times website today–THE “BUSY” TRAP–contains this quote:

“It’s become the default response when you ask anyone how they’re doing: “Busy!” “So busy.” “Crazy busy.” It is, pretty obviously, a boast disguised as a complaint.”
&
“It’s not as if any of us wants to live like this; it’s something we collectively force one another to do.”

This month Christ Community is seeking to raise awareness and understanding of the offices that the New Testament prescribes for churches: elder and deacon. To that end, I’m posting sections in order from a wonderful survey of shepherding, the task of elders, on this blog.

You can also read the entire article in one shot.

To nominate men for the office of elder and deacon, fill out a form on Sunday morning, or email name(s) and designate office(s) to info AT christcommunity church DOT com.

sixth excerpt from Lessons in Shepherding

EZEKIEL

Perhaps more than any prophet in the Old Testament, the prophet Ezekiel is known for his incisive condemnation of the shepherds of Israel.

Leading the Sheep to Sin—Ezekiel 22

In chapter 22, he points to how the shepherd’s negligence results in bad behavior among the sheep.

There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her. “Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. Her princes within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain. Her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD has not spoken. The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice. I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. Thus I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; their way I have brought upon their heads,” declares the Lord GOD (Ezek 22:25-30).

What particular failures of the prophets and priests are highlighted here? Instead of protecting the sheep, the prophets are preying on them. They’re enriching themselves, and they’re failing to teach God’s holiness and model that holiness in their own lives. The princes are also acting like wolves instead of shepherds in order to enrich themselves with money that doesn’t rightly belong to them. They are speaking from their own imagination instead of waiting for God to speak and saying what he says.

What results from these failures (in verses 29 and 30)? Sinfulness among the people. And it’s a particular kind of sinfulness: the sheep are sinning against each other, oppressing each other, robbing each other, wronging the poor. Bad shepherding—failure to protect the sheep, failure to teach them about God’s holiness, failure to model that holiness in our own lives—corrupts the behavior of the flock. As the shepherds go, so go the sheep.

Prophesy Against the Shepherds—34:1-10

Ezekiel 34 presents what may be the most famous denunciation of bad shepherds in the Bible.

Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? “You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. “Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. 5 “They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered. 6 “My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.”‘ 7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8 “As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, butrather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 10 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them” (Ezek. 34:1-10).

What are the shepherds doing wrong here? First, they are failing to feed the sheep and feeding themselves instead. They are acting as if they own the sheep, able to treat them as they please, rather than as God has instructed them to treat the sheep—like owners, not stewards.

Second, they’re not binding up the broken or healing the diseased.

Third, they’re not gathering or bringing back the sheep that have been scattered. According to verse 5, this scattering happened because there was no shepherd.

Fourth, they ruled the sheep harshly (v.4 “with force and with severity you have dominated them”).

Fifth, because they were scattered, the sheep were exposed to the danger of wild animals who would devour them. In verse 6, we’re given an extended description of this scattering: “My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.” God laments the situation in which his sheep are scattered and wandering off alone.

How does God then react to such negligence? He says that he’s against those shepherds, and he demands his sheep from them. He calls those shepherds to account. He sets himself in opposition to them. He’s not going to allow his sheep to endure that kind of treatment from negligent and domineering under-shepherds.

A Great Salvation—34:11-17

In the verses that follow this denunciation of the bad shepherds, God promises a great salvation for his sheep.

“As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord GOD. “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment. As for you, My flock,” thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats” (Ezek. 34:12-17).

What is God’s solution to the failure of his under-shepherds? He is going to shepherd the flock himself. And notice how he will do this. In verse 11, he will search for the sheep when they are scattered. In verse 12, he delivers them from all the dangers of the places where they were scattered. In verse 13, he brings them back and gathers them together and brings them to their own land, and he does this in order to feed them.

Feeding

Notice the repetition and detailed description in these verses of the feeding idea: “I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest.” This feeding and leading to rest is the goal of the searching and delivering and gathering. Everything leads up to the feeding and the rest.

Skipping down a few more verses, we read, “Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd” (Ezek. 34:23).

What’s the principle activity of this one shepherd God places over the people? God will set his servant David over his people to feed them. Again, the feeding function stands by metonymy for everything a shepherd does. Feeding is the primary work of the shepherd. The reason the shepherd guides and guards the sheep, the reason he searches for the strays and binds up the wounded, is so that they can get to the green pastures and feed.

CONCLUSION

The composite sketch of shepherding we get from Jeremiah and Ezekiel is one of recognizing that the sheep are God’s and not ours, which keeps us from using the flock for our own ends.

• This involves gathering the scattered sheep, binding the broken and healing the sick, and keeping them together without any of them missing.
• This involves protecting the flock from wolves rather than preying on them, and leading them to the safety and satisfaction of their own pasture land.
• And all this is for the end of feeding them on the knowledge of God’s character and word and ways. All this shepherding work can be referred to in shorthand with the language of feeding the sheep, or grazing them on good pasture lands.

Footnote:

1. Philip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations: From Sorrow to Hope, from Preaching the Word series, ed. R. Kent Hughes (Crossway, 2001), 158.

Paul Alexander is the pastor of Fox Valley Bible Church in St. Charles, Illinois and the co-author (with Mark Dever) of The Deliberate Church (Crossway, 2005).

 

March 2007
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