A Word about the Greatest Shepherd

Today we will finish a series of sermons from the Book of Hebrews that I am calling the Greatest of All Time. In this episode, we will see that Jesus is the Greatest Shepherd.

Sheep and shepherds play prominent roles in the story of God’s relationship with His people, for example:

• Abraham, Isaac, and the ram that God provided as a sacrifice.
• Jacob was a shepherd for Laban for 14 years so he could marry Leah and Rachel.
• Moses was a shepherd for his father-in-law after he had to flee Egypt.
• David was the little shepherd boy who later wrote the Shepherd’s Psalm (Psalm 23).
• The shepherds at Christmas were the first to hear of the birth of Jesus.

While we romanticize shepherds, in reality, their task was a dirty, smelly, and lonely one. As Luke tells us, they would “abide in the field” with their charges, almost living like animals themselves.

I once met a paniolo, a Hawaiian cowboy, who told me that people had the wrong idea about such work. He told me, “People don’t realize that cowboys work hard from before sunup to after sundown, and they come home wet, cold, tired, and covered in muck.”

Not only was being a shepherd difficult, but it also involved a great deal of responsibility. They were responsible for feeding, watering, healing, and protecting the sheep, which were valuable commodities. Some shepherds failed at their task, neglecting the sheep, or failing to protect them. The consequences were severe for all concerned.

As we will see in our passage today, Jesus is the Greatest Shepherd. Let’s begin by reading Hebrews 13:20-25,

Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Brothers and sisters, I urge you to receive this message of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.  Be aware that our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon enough, he will be with me when I see you. Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who are from Italy send you greetings. Grace be with you all.

The Greatest Shepherd Purchased His Flock:

For a flock to exist, it must first be established. Creatures, whether they be sheep or goats, or some other herd creature, must be brought together from other places to create a new entity, a new herd. That can happen naturally, but the Hebrews whom the writer was addressing knew about agriculture, and everything about agriculture is intentional. To keep from starving or going bankrupt, or both, farmers must know what works and what doesn’t.

A great example of this in modern farming is the distribution of fertilizer. Farmers know that fertilizer is expensive, and so they do soil tests to discover what type of coverage is needed. Then they use GPS-guided vehicles to put the right amount of fertilizer on the right part of their fields to get the right yield. They don’t want to have to spend a penny more than they need to so that they can get a good yield. A wise farmer watches the cost of their inputs like a hawk because they know a penny saved is a penny earned.

If farming land that you already own is expensive, starting a farm from scratch costs an eye-watering amount of money. Twenty-five years ago, a friend who raised chickens and cows estimated it would cost over $1 million to replicate his machinery, buildings, and animals. Today, I cannot imagine what the price would be. I do know what it cost Jesus to establish His flock, however.

It was so important to Jesus to establish His flock, that He was willing to pay any price. He told a parable that revealed His mindset and His heart in Matthew 13:44-46,

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.

Jesus sought us out, and then He paid the ultimate price so that we could become part of His flock. As a result, what should our attitude be? Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20,

Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.

So, Jesus paid it all that we might be the sheep of His pasture.  What does the Greatest Shepherd do with His flock? Let’s read Hebrews 13:7 and 17-19:

Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith . . . Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything. And I urge you all the more to pray that I may be restored to you very soon.

The Greatest Shepherd Leads His Flock:

One of the key roles of a shepherd is to lead the flock. This is a vital role because without a leader, the flock will get into trouble. The Parable of the Lost Sheep clearly illustrates this.  Without a leader, a flock will go places it should not go and eat things it should not eat. When the sheep have a shepherd, however, they have a leader to prevent bad things from happening to the sheep by leading them towards the things that are good for them. The 23rd Psalm gives us some great examples of how a shepherd should lead the sheep. Psalm 23:1-3 tells us,

The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

According to David, a shepherd leads the sheep to green pastures and to still waters. These are the basic elements of life, but when the sheep partake of them, it restores their life. This makes sense, but how do they get there? 

Psalm 23 also tells us that the sheep arrive at what they need by taking the right path. If you have no goal, or no destination, any road will do. But, if you are trying to find what you need, only the road which will take you there will do. Since we know from the Parable of the Lost Sheep that creatures are prone to take the wrong path, who will lead them? The shepherd, of course.

As the Greatest Shepherd, Jesus provides all that we need. He gives us the Bread of Life and the Living Water, and He will lead us into paths of righteousness. He has also called out under-shepherds to help Him with that task. Ephesians 4:10-13 tells us,

The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, to fill all things. And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

So, do the sheep have a role in this process?  Yes! Yes, they do!  Just like children are instructed by God to honor their fathers and mothers, the sheep are instructed to follow their leaders, the ones whom God has appointed as the under-shepherds of the flock. In fact, the writer of Hebrews specifically tells the members of God’s flock to cooperate with their leaders and to avoid discouraging them. Why is that?

No pastor, teacher, or minister exercises their own authority. They only exercise the authority delegated to them by God. In human terms, however, it is easy to ignore or disrespect a local leader, which is discouraging to them. It is so discouraging that some will give-up. That of course, leaves the flock without an under-shepherd, which is a bad thing. The answer to that is to recognize that the true authority is the Greatest Shepherd, who appoints the under-shepherds to lead and benefit the flock.

So, Jesus leads the sheep of His pasture to everything that they need.  What else does the Greatest Shepherd do with His flock? Let’s read Hebrews 13:1-5 and 8-9,

Let brotherly love continue. Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it. Remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily. Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you . . . Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by food regulations, since those who observe them have not benefited.

The Greatest Shepherd Instructs His Flock:

In previous episodes, we saw how the writer of Hebrews identified Our Lord as the Greatest Mentor and also as the Greatest Coach. We also saw Him presented as the Greatest Parent, and we know that His disciples considered Him to be their Rabbi. All of these roles involved teaching, and so does being the Greatest Shepherd. Before we consider the details of what He is teaching in the final chapter of Hebrews, we should consider two important points.

First, as a teacher, the Greatest Shepherd realizes that His job is easier if He can help make the members of His flock more self-sufficient. It is easier on parents when their children can walk on their own, and when they can dress themselves, and when they can tie their own shoes. Helping others help themselves is always a good thing.

Second, the Greatest Shepherd has a skill that others don’t have: He can teach unteachable creatures. We all know of the fictional character, Dr. Doolittle, who could talk to the animals, and so it is with the Greatest Shepherd according to John 10:1-5,

Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers. 

So, the Greatest Shepherd can talk with His sheep, but in our Scripture above we know that the Greatest Shepherd does more than just converse with the members of His flock. He is able to instruct them as well, which shows just how great that He is. So, what does He teach His flock?

First, He taught them to treat one another with kindness and respect. This kind of attitude will prevent many problems from arising within the flock. Ephesians 4:31-32 tells us,

Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Romans 12:18 also teaches us,

If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Notice that this is the first thing the flock is taught. I believe that this establishes the foundation upon which we can build the other concepts that Greatest Shepherd teaches further down in Chapter 13. Remember, in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul told us that anything we do without love hurts God’s ears like a clanging cymbal!

I recently saw a slogan on a T shirt which is the opposite of the attitude we should take as members of flock. It read: "I’m Not Arguing with You . . . I’m Just Trying To Explain Why I’m Right"

Along with treating each other well, the sheep of God’s flock must also share that love with others. In this case, that includes travelers in need and those in prison. Our outreach should not be limited to people in these situations only, but to all who need the loving touch of God.

A final lesson that the Greatest Shepherd wants His flock to learn is to avoid being ensnared by both the lusts of the flesh and the greed for possessions. The Greatest Shepherd knows that these failings will destroy our lives and they will destroy our testimonies as well. If we follow His guidance in these areas, we will never know the troubles we missed; if we don’t, we will be like children who were told the stove was hot, but who touch it anyway. It is much better to learn these types of lessons vicariously rather than through our mistakes!

The Greatest Shepherd purchased His flock, and He both leads it and instructs it. Let’s close by seeing His Intention for His flock as we consider Hebrews 13: 5b-6 and 20-21,

. . .  He himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. Therefore, we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?  . . . Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.  Amen.

The Greatest Shepherd Blesses His Flock:

Although the writer of Hebrews compared our Lord to a human shepherd, and although the writer of Hebrews compared God’s people to a flock, and although the relationship between God and His people is like that of a shepherd to a flock, one huge difference remains. The Greatest Shepherd has a totally different purpose for creating His flock than does a human shepherd.

The reason that a flock of sheep exists is purely economic. The shepherds operate their flock as a business. In the final analysis, the animals are a product, and while some fondness for the animals may develop, in the end they are all sacrificed for the good of the business. Every action taken to care for the flock is designed to increase the bottom line, and if an action does not boost the profits of the flock’s owner it is not taken. 

In God’s economy, however, the flock exists to foster the sheep’s relationship with the Greatest Shepherd. The flock is not a business, but rather it is a ministry. The members of the flock are not a product to be bought or sold, but precious ones who are deeply loved, and for whom God has sacrificed His Precious, Uniquely Begotten Son. Every action taken to care for the flock is designed simply to bless it, and if an action does not boost the relationship of the members of the flock to its owner, it is not taken. 

In the world’s economy, the flock’s purpose is to bless the shepherd. In God’s economy, the flock exists to bless its members.

Conclusion:

We began our study of Hebrews by learning that Jesus is the Greatest Revelation of God. It is comforting to conclude our study by observing that Jesus is the Greatest Shepherd. The writer of Hebrews devoted many words of helping us realize this essential truth of God, one which David also recorded many years before in Psalms 23:1:

The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt