Owner or Hireling

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

OWNER OR HIRELING

John 10:11-13

11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

NIV

It is tempting to either jump ahead or include the next words of Jesus with these, but perhaps it is best to leave them for their own truth, and focus on the truth in these words alone. We are seeing the difference between a hired hand and a good shepherd here. There is no question about Jesus being the good shepherd and that he did in fact lay down his life for us, his sheep. But who are the hired hands? Certainly the people of that day understood the shepherd and sheep relationship and that those who owned sheep had a keener interest in the flock than an extra hand employed as a shepherd would, but as Jesus used this relationship in that physical sense, he was applying it to him and all of us in a spiritual sense. Within every form of religion, every denomination there are hireling shepherds, or priests, pastors, ministers, or whatever other titles they prefer to be called by. Their interest in the flock is based on how profitable it is for them, when it no longer profits them they leave the flock to be destroyed by its spiritual foes.  The Good shepherd looks upon his flock as his, so long as he can be profitable to them. The lesson we can learn for us normal everyday believers, that is non-paid staff of some church, not having some title that would infer we are shepherds of some sort, is that we still have the responsibility of both knowing the difference between the Good Shepherd, and the hireling as well as what our attitudes should be toward those God has entrusted in our care. God has given the gift of discernment so that we can tell a hireling when we see one and to stay clear, keep our distance, being aware of who he is, and what he is capable of doing in our hour of need. We have to be on our guard to make sure we do not act as a hireling toward those God has entrusted in our care. Husbands and fathers are the shepherd of their families, mothers are also shepherds of their children, but we also have that responsibility to our extended families, as well as those individuals who God leads to us for mentoring. Yes we are humankind, and we could never be the Good Shepherd Jesus is, but nevertheless we should make every effort to avoid being as a hireling would be, fleeing at the first sight of trouble because ultimately we care more for ourselves than we do for those entrusted in our care. This is the truth of self-sacrifice, that which Jesus did, and what we should be able to do. Are we an owner or a hireling?