"He will
feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with
His arm,
And carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with
young."
Isaiah 40:11
"He was
moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and
scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His
disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are
few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers
into His harvest.'"
Matthew
9:36-38
"What do
you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes
astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the
mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should
find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that
sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so
it is not the n will of your Father who is in heaven that one of
these little ones should perish."
Matthew
18:12-14
The Good Shepherd
versus the selfish shepherd
"...he who does not enter the
sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is
a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the
door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper
opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep
by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own
sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they
know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a
stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice
of strangers." John 10:1-5
"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and
will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come
except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that
they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
John 10:9-10
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for
the sheep. 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 10:11-13
"I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My
own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I
lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are
not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My
voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."
John
10:14-16
[This one flock includes
sheep of many colors -- but only those who know
the shepherd.]
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they
follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My
Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no
one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My
Father are one."
John 10:27-30
Separating
His sheep and other sheep
"Jesus answered them,
' I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in
My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not
believe, because you are not of My sheep."
John 10:25-26
"When the Son
of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him,
then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations
will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one
from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
And He will set the a sheep on His right hand, but the goats on
the left." Matthew 25:31-33
His
compassion
"...when He
came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion
for them, because they were like sheep not having a
shepherd."
Mark 6:34
"Come to Me,
all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and
lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew
11:28-29
"For you were like
sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and
Overseer of your souls."
1 Peter 2:25
His command
to human under-shepherds
"Jesus said to him
again a second time, 'Simon [Peter]... do you love Me?'
He said to Him, ' Yes, Lord; You know that I ' love You. '
'He said to him, ' Tend My sheep.'"
John 21:16
"Therefore take heed to
yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit
has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God
which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this,
that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you,
not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will
rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples
after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for
three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with
tears."
Acts 20:28 -31
"Shepherd the flock of
God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by
compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but
eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to
you, but being examples to the flock; and when the
Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory
that does not fade away."
1 Peter 5:2-4
False Shepherds
& lost sheep
"My people have been lost
sheep. Their shepherds have led them l astray."
Jeremiah 50:6
"Woe to the shepherds who
destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!' says the Lord.
Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the
shepherds who feed My people: 'You have scattered My flock,
driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will
attend to you for the evil of your doings,' says the Lord. 'But
I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all
countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their
folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set
up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall
fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking, ' says
the Lord." Jeremiah 23:1-4
"For the shepherds have become
dull-hearted, and have not sought the Lord;
Therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered." Jeremiah 10:21
"Wail, shepherds, and
cry!
Roll about in the ashes, you leaders of the flock!
For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions are
fulfilled...
And the shepherds will have no way to flee, nor the leaders of the flock to escape...
For the Lord has plundered their pasture, and the peaceful dwellings are cut down
Because of the fierce anger of the Lord."
Jeremiah 25:34-38
"Thus says the Lord God to
the shepherds: 'Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed
themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You
eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you
slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those
who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what
was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force
and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were
scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became
food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep
wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes,
My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no
one was seeking or searching for them....
"Thus says the Lord God: 'Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at
their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and
the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will
deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be
food for them."
Ezekiel 34:2-10
Blessing follows judgment
and repentance
"For thus says the Lord God:
'Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.
As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his
scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them
from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and
dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples and
gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own
land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the
valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on
the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a
good fold and feed in rich pasture....
"I will seek what was lost and bring back
what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was
sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed
them in judgment.
"And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God:
'Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams
and goats. Is it too little for you to have eaten up the
good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the
residue of your pasture and to have drunk of the clear waters,
that you must foul the residue with your feet? ...
"Therefore thus says the Lord God to them:
'Behold, I
Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep.
Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the
weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad,
therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a
prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
"I will establish one a shepherd over them, and he shall feed
them, My servant David. He shall feed them and be their
shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God...."
Ezekiel
34:11-24
"And I will
give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with
knowledge and understanding."
Jeremiah 3:15
"He who
scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd
does his flock."
Jeremiah 31:10
Prayer
"Now may the
God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that
great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do
His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."
Hebrews
13:20-21
"Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance;
Shepherd them also, and bear them up forever."
Psalm 28:9
Heavenly Promise
"He who sits on
the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger
anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor
any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will
shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Revelation 7:15-17
