Pastors

And I will give you pastors according to mine heart,
which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

The office of a pastor is one of the commonest and yet most undervalued ministries in the Church. Pastors have been at work for God’s people from the beginning. One of the first uses of this word is in Genesis, talking about the herdsmen who care for the flocks. The same word is also translated “to feed”, as it is in the verse above. Only in a few places is this word translated “pastor”. This shows the close association between the herdsman who watches over the flock and the pastor who watches over the church.

The job of a herdsman seems so simple. The flock grazes while the herdsman watches. The flock eats their own grass, no one cuts it for them. They live outdoors, no barn needed. So the herdsman brings the flock to water once a day, and back to the pasture, and the rest of the time he just sits around, right?

Well, not really. Did you know that sheep are stupid? That they will wander away from the herd and get themselves lost? That they will put themselves in dangerous places, and resist when you try to help? That they are defenseless against predators, knowing only enough to bleat and run in circles? The good shepherd who watches a flock does much more than watch. He watches with vigilance. He notices when a sheep wanders. He keeps lookout for predators, and is prepared to fight the lion and the wolf. He even cares for the sheep who try to run away from his helping hands.

Baby sheep are especially vulnerable. The mothers often leave the flock to birth their lambs; and they also leave the protection of the shepherd. The shepherd must follow the ewe, to protect her and to help in the birth. The shepherd is often needed to assist in the birth or bottle feed a lamb rejected by the mother. Lambs are fragile and mortality is high; sometimes as many as half die, even when the shepherd is there, caring for the lamb.

So are the pastors of the church who care for the people. So often we reject the wisdom and protection of the pastor, who wants to feed the people of the church with knowledge and understanding. But the good pastor, just like the good herdsman, will feed his sheep, watch with vigilance, be prepared to fight wolves and lions, and nurture the young until they can join the flock and stand on their own.