"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for his sheep." John 10:11
When I read this passage I want to think of it in its own context, I want to focus on the fact that Jesus is saying it about himself, about his willingness to lay down his life for those he cares about. At the same time I can not forget the next two verses.
"But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep." John 10:12-13
I read the three verses as a whole and I begin to think about myself and others like me, who work [or volunteer] in the church. I think of myself and those like me and I begin to wonder, am I [are we] a shepherd or a hireling? Are the sheep entrusted to me, or are they mine. It may seem like splitting hairs, but it is an extremely important delineation. Because if I am [we are] hirelings, what stops us from running away when the wolf comes, i.e. when things get difficult? But if I am [we are] a shepherd, then we will stick in the hard times because we are willing to lay down our lives if necessary for our sheep.
I don't want to think about this, I really don't. I would rather just think of Jesus's sacrifice without having to weigh whether or not I am willing to make the same one. Yet, at the same time I am quite willing to talk about taking up ones cross and carrying it daily, as long as it is just carrying the cross, not actually hanging from it. But, and this is the rub, the only reason to carry a cross is to reach the destination where you are then placed on it. Am I willing to hang where my savior hung? Are you?
+ If you are a pastor or church volunteer do you believe it is necessary to lay down your life for your church? Have you had to do it already? If so, what was the outcome?
+ If you are not, do you believe your pastor would? Are they a shepherd? Or a hireling?
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