Christian Living

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     In order to spot counterfeit money, a bank teller undergoes training and is taught what genuine money looks and feels like, as well as how it distinguish from counterfeit money based on those characteristics. In a similar fashion, the believer in Christ, through the study of God’s Word, is taught how to discover a true shepherd/prophet from a false one. Throughout the history of God’s dealings with his people, true and false shepherds and prophets have coexisted. Both types of shepherds have vied for the sheep’s loyalty, but for different motives and purposes.  At times, people have followed true shepherds and prophets, while at other times; they listened to and went after false ones. Just as in the past, there are multitudes of people in the present, who remain ignorant, confused, or indifferent concerning the type of teacher, pastor, or religious leader, under whose care they should be. I will compare and contrast the characteristics that distinguish the true shepherd from the false one, drawing upon examples and references as found in Scripture.
     In John 10:11, Jesus, who is the Truth, emphatically says, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” Upon uttering those words, our Lord immediately continues on to compare and contrast Himself with those who are false shepherds. He tells us in verses twelve and thirteen, “He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.” Jesus brings our attention back to Himself in verse 14 when he says: “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep and my sheep know me.” Thus, from the following passage we can observe that as the good shepherd, he gives his life for his sheep, that is, his persistent, enduring love for his sheep extends to the point of giving up his life for them. The apostle Paul, a true shepherd, echoes the same heart for the Corinthian believers (sheep) when he tells them in 2 Corinthians 12:14-15 “Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.” Paul, like Jesus his Master, was willing to give himself fully for the Corinthians, whom he established as a church.
     Moreover, the true shepherd as Jesus mentioned, knows his sheep and is known by him. As an example of this relationship, the apostle Paul on two different occasions was eager to know the spiritual state of the Philippians and Colossians, to the point that he sent Tychicus and Timothy to them; not only to be comforted by them, but to comfort them as well (Philippians 2:19, Colossians 4:8). The owner of the sheep has a close relationship with his sheep- he tends and feeds them. The writer to the Hebrews in chapter 13 verse 7 reinforces the response and bond that sheep should have towards their shepherds, who have been good examples to them and have fed them the Word of God- “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”
     On the contrast, Jesus tells us that the false shepherd or hired hand (the one who is simply “in it for the money”), is characterized by not caring for the sheep and leaving them to fend for themselves. In Isaiah 56, God describes the false shepherds as those who are blind, ignorant, asleep, greedy, without understanding, and who “turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain.” A true prophet Zechariah, in Zechariah 11, pronounces God’s judgment on his people for rejecting Him, the true Shepherd of Israel and that they will consequently be under a “foolish shepherd” who has no concern over the needs of the sheep, but rather, who is preoccupied with his own gluttonous desires. The foolish shepherd receives God’s curse for deserting the flock. Ezekiel, a true prophet of God in Ezekiel chapter 34, speaks in a similar tone, when he is told to prophesy against the false shepherds in Israel, who feed themselves instead of the flock, who do not tend to the spiritual state of their sick sheep, who rule them with force, and hence, the sheep are scattered to become prey for spiritual predators. Balaam, one of the most infamous false prophets in the Bible, had the marks of a false prophet: he was a hired hand, greedy for gain, and paid to curse Israel, who caused the Israelites to be spiritually scattered into sin by being drawn into idolatry through the worship of the Baalpeor, the god of the Midianites.  The apostle Judas Iscariot, who was never Christ’s sheep, was also greedy in that he embezzled money from the apostolic fund and cared nothing for the poor in Israel (John 12:6).
     Peter, one of the chief apostles of Christ who was given the commission to feed Christ’s sheep, in 2 Peter 2 warned of false prophets who would be marked by teaching damnable heresies, being covetous, and by whose bad examples will lead to the Christian faith being slandered. Anyone who surveys the evangelical landscape will observe the aforementioned false shepherds and prophets. Examples include teachings and practices such as: the false health and wealth gospel teaching, sexual scandals, hyper-authoritarian, power-hungry pastors like Diotrephes (3 John 1:9), the tickling of itchy ears (i.e. positive-thinking teachers who omit sin, repentance, and the new birth), as well as those who flatter to gain profit and prestige (Jude 1:16).
     At the same time, there are many true shepherds and prophets today, who faithfully follow Peter’s admonition to elders. They are the opposite of the false prophets- they willingly shepherd God’s people out of obedience to the Chief Shepherd, watch over God’s people for their spiritual well-being, do not pursue dishonest gain, and are examples rather than dictators over God’s people. Unlike the false shepherds, these true shepherds are good examples in their words, doctrine, behavior, love, faith, and purity (1 Timothy 4:12, 16). They have the heart of the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, who we are told in Mark 9:36, was “moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd,” and speak according to God’s word (Isaiah 8:20), as opposed to teaching myths and human commandments and traditions, while leading hypocritical lifestyles (Pharisees in Matthew 15:1-9, Cretans in Titus 1:14-16).  Lastly, the true shepherd glories in the cross of Christ and confesses by word and deed, the need for the new birth (Galatians 6:14-16), whereas the false shepherds and prophets are preoccupied with the here and now, and do not preach the cross of Christ, but rather are enemies of it as evidenced by their lifestyles (Philippians 3:18-19)
     In summary, Jesus Christ, the Good shepherd is the standard by which all shepherds must be measured. Just as genuine money can be distinguished from counterfeit; the marks of a true shepherd can be clearly distinguished from those of a false one, as described in Scripture. Ultimately and thankfully, Christ’s sheep hear Christ’s voice, are known by Christ, follow him, and flee from the voice of the false shepherd (John 10).

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