The Shepherd-Sheep Relationship

This is the outline for a lesson I taught yesterday.  I should say that I adhere strictly to a grammatical-literary genre-historical interpretation of the Bible.  I do not do character studies (except about God), nor do I use any kind of allegorical interpretation.  If it isn't clearly being taught in the meaning of the text, I don't go thee.

1.     Jesus is the Good Shepherd

a.    He affiliates himself with King David.

b.    He affiliates himself with the lowly (shepherds were of the lowest class.  At the manger, who visits?  The shepherds and the Magi.

c.    He affiliates himself with LORD in the Old Testament (I do not write the transliterated name for God; the Jews did not speak it, so why should we?).

d.    He explains his relationship with us here and in Psalms 23.

e.    There was a history of bad shepherds in Israel that is part of the mindset of the Jewish people listening to this.  Ezekiel 34

2.     If Jesus is the Shepherd, that makes us the sheep.  So—

a.    We are not as smart as we think we are.

b.    We follow the crowd.  When I log on to read my Yahoo email, they get me all the time on the the "What's trending now" portion.  Like everyone else, I find myself checking out some tidbit, despite knowing better!

c.    We need saving because we have all gone astray.  Is. 53:6, Luke 15

d.    We need guidance and care and are only satisfied when it's there.      Ps. 23

3.     Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb as well as the Good Shepherd (pastor) who gives himself for the sheep.

a.    Hebrews 13:20

b.    Is. 40:10-12.  This passage juxtaposes the gentle shepherd Jesus with a lamb in his arms with the victorious Jesus.  We don't get to choose which one we believe in. 

c.    I Peter 2:22-25.  Peter's paraphrase of Isaiah 53. 

4.     The pastors are undershepherds who are given the great responsibility for the spiritual care and feeding of the people of God.

a.     John 21:15-17 

b.    I Tim. 4:11-16

c.    I Peter 5:1-4

Walking points: 

What is our relationship to the Good Shepherd, in light of these verses?  When Psalm 23 says "I shall not want" it doesn't just mean that our needs will be met, but that we are content in our needs being met.  If you can find it, the classic A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm is a must read.

How do we view our pastors?  As CEOs?  Celebrities?  Cult leaders?  Supermen?  Adversaries?  Shepherds?  

Do pastors see themselves as shepherds in this day of megachurches?