When the Chief Shepherd Appears

When the Chief Shepherd Appears

By Pastor Anison Samuel

In the Bible, we see several passages where Jesus is described as being the Shepherd.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

John 10:11

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great

shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,

Hebrews 13:20

And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

1 Peter 5:4

We see that Jesus¡¯ title goes from being the Good Shepherd, to the Great Shepherd and

finally the Chief Shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd because He lays down His life for His

sheep. He is the Great Shepherd because by His blood He has raised us up from the dead.

We see that when He returns, He returns as the Chief Shepherd and bestow us the crown of

glory that will never perish.

In the natural, earthly shepherds are given the responsibility of taking care of the sheep.

They must protect the flock with their very lives and are held accountable even if a single

one is lost. In the same way, the ministry of Christ is likened to shepherding because the

Bible describes our relationship with Him, as that of one between the flock and its shepherd.

¡°And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of

Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.¡±

Matthew 2:6

Sheep are not the most intelligent of creatures - they cannot operate without a leader.

Without a shepherd, they are helpless and defenseless. Likewise, we are also weak and

feeble; many will walk aimlessly if they do not have a shepherd guiding and protecting them.

However, we can be rest assured because we indeed have the Good Shepherd who leads us

and brings us to good places.

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to

springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.¡±

Revelation 7:17

As for those who reject Him however, there will be judgement.

From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule

them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the

Almighty.

Revelation 19:15

In a church, pastors are considered to be shepherds, acting as the hands of God. But while

pastors lead the flock by their hands, it is ultimately God who guides them.

You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 77:20

With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.

Psalm 78:52

In the Bible, several prominent figures happened to be shepherds ¨C Abel, Jacob, and David.

One may ask, what exactly makes a shepherd excellent?

Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, ¡°Behold, we are your bone

and flesh. In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in

Israel. And the Lord said to you, ¡®You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be

prince over Israel.¡¯¡±

2 Samuel 5:1-2

When God anoints someone as a shepherd, it is not about a hierarchy or protocol - about

¡°who is above who¡± - but it is about taking care of the sheep who require help. Likewise, the

pastor of a church must not treat his assignment as that of a profession.

What made king David different? He did not leave his responsibility. If you started your

journey as shepherd, you cannot escape your responsibility and lead the flock halfway

through. In a time of crisis, the shepherd should be there to protect and take care of the

sheep as David did: ¡°¡­when a lion or bear came after the flock, I went after it, struck it and

rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and

killed it.¡± (2 Samuel 17:34-35). On this journey, the pastor should be with the flock and not

leave it as orphans.

How do shepherds do this?

For the shepherds are stupid and do not inquire of the Lord; therefore they have not

prospered, and all their flock is scattered.

Jeremiah 10:21

Pastors become stupid when they do not inquire of the Lord. As much as pastors are

shepherds, they are also the sheep. David knew this well when he said that it was the Lord

who is his shepherd (Psalm 23:1).

One of Jesus¡¯ last instructions to Peter was to feed His sheep (John 21:17). You do not feed

the flock old grass. If God is the model, He will take you to green pastures and feed you

fresh grass. Do not worry about growth as the growth will come. God did not appoint the

twelve disciples for no reason - if you are willing to take care of His sheep, He will give you

authority. We are going to see the greatest harvest in our midst so we must pray to the Lord

of the harvest to send out more laborers.

How many of you are happy to be under His care? If you are willing to be a blessing and a coshepherd with Christ, you can become the arms of God. Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd

because He laid down His life for us and He will one day return as the Chief Shepherd and

gather all those who belong to Him!

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