When you think of a pastor, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of your own church pastor – someone who gives sermons on Sunday mornings. Maybe you think of televangelists that preach on TV. Perhaps you think of Catholic priests or some other denominational preacher. Maybe your pastor is very active in the community, organizing mission trips or leading Bible classes. Or maybe your pastor is making hospital visits or visiting shut-ins. Or maybe you might see pastors in a negative light due to past experiences or certain news reports you’ve read or heard. Regardless of if it’s positive or negative, there are many things a pastor does in the world, at least according to people’s own thoughts or feelings. But what is a pastor’s role according to the Bible?
A Pastor is a Shepherd, We are the Sheep
Did you know the term, “pastor”, means “shepherd”? It originally comes from the Latin word for “put to pasture, a shepherd” (source). It’s also mentioned in the Bible.
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds1 and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,”
Ephesians 4:11-12
While a pastor may do many things within the church, the first and foremost role of a pastor is to care for God’s people – God’s flock. In the Bible, God’s people are compared to sheep. Throughout the Old Testament prophets and even in the New Testament, there are several passages that do this. Here’s just one example from Ezekiel.
“And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 34:31
I know it seems strange to be compared to sheep, but in God’s eyes, that’s a good thing. Now, sheep need a shepherd, someone who will care for them. If you’ve ever raised animals whether in your home, like a pet, or on a farm, you know it’s important to be kind and loving towards your animals – otherwise they might not do what you want them to do, or even turn against you. Now think about a pastor’s role. They need to spiritually care for God’s people according to the Bible, but do you think all pastors fulfill their duties faithfully? In 1 Peter 5, the apostle Peter gives this advice.
“shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”
1 Peter 5:2-3
Not all pastors shepherd God’s flock in the manner He desires. If we carefully read these words, we can see some [pastors] have been domineering, or coercive, or greedy, or leading in some other ungodly way. What do you think God will do or say about these types of pastors?
“Woe to my worthless shepherd,
who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm
and his right eye!
Let his arm be wholly withered,
his right eye utterly blinded!”Zechariah 11:17
God will judge those who desert the flock or mistreat it. If we look at the time of the first coming, who were the pastors leading God’s flock? They were the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. God’s flock, His chosen people at the time, were the Israelites. Were the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law correctly leading God’s people? No, and we can see this from what Jesus says to them.
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.” – Matthew 23:13
And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother’; and, Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
Mark 7:9-13
There are plenty of other verses that I could show, but the key point is that the Pharisees and other religious leaders of that day did NOT shepherd God’s flock well. If we look at today’s pastors, with how many denominations of Christianity there are, are they shepherding God’s believers, Christians today, correctly? Obviously, the answer is no. Due to sin and the devil, there are all kinds of false teachings and other traditions that many pastors and other religious leaders insist their congregations learn and/or follow.
So then, who is the true shepherd we must look to?
Jesus: The True Shepherd
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
John 10:11
Jesus called himself the “good shepherd”. Why? It’s because he had God’s true, revealed word in him. God’s spirit came to Jesus and God also gave Jesus the words to say (John 17:8). Jesus also says he lays down his life for the sheep, which he did upon the cross. Those other leaders only left their position, or led God’s people astray, destroying them.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
Matthew 7:15
“He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.”
John 10:12
In contrast, Jesus gives believers the word of life – the words God’s flock recognize and follow.
“The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”
John 10:3-4
Jesus preached the truth and those who were God’s sheep at that time, the 12 disciples, followed. What does that mean for us today?
The Shepherd for Today
Just as Jesus came at the first coming and was the true shepherd at that time, he promised to come again, and call out the sheep who are waiting for his return when he comes. Yet, when Jesus returns, will he return in the flesh?
Jesus died and resurrected, and his resurrected body is a spiritual body (Rev. 1:13-16). We can’t see a spirit, but Jesus also promised to come to and be with the one who overcomes.
“The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.”
Revelation 3:12
So, while we can’t see Jesus’s spiritual body, we can see the one he is with at that time. In Revelation 7:17, it says the Lamb will be with them (the 12 tribes – the 144,000 and multitude in white) and be their shepherd. So, if Jesus is the good shepherd, and he is with the one who overcomes at the time of the second coming, then that would make the one who overcomes the shepherd we must go to today.
What does the shepherd preach?
The shepherd for us today preaches the revealed word he received from Jesus and the angel in Revelation 10, just as Jesus received and preached the revealed word from God at the first coming. That word preached today is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the New Testament (the four gospels and Revelation). Jesus said in John 10,
“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
John 10:17
We, the believers of today, are those sheep Jesus is talking about in this passage. We must find the true shepherd and believe in the words he preaches. His role is to preach the revealed word and lead us to salvation. Jesus has promised to send his messenger, the shepherd, to testify the revealed word.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.Revelation 22:16-17
Let us believe in this promise and come to that shepherd when he appears. Yet, when, where, and how will he appear? All of these are found in the prophecies of the New Testament – specifically in the book of Revelation. At the time Revelation is fulfilled, this promised shepherd appears. He comes to where God, Jesus, and the Kingdom of Heaven come down to – which is to Mount Zion (Rev 3:12, Rev 14:1-3), the places called the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Rev 15:5) and to the new heaven and new earth (Rev 21:1-2). When these events happen, and this person appears, let be those sheep who know our master’s voice and follow.
Written by Kenny
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