Inter-Varsity Press

Contents

Introduction
An exercise in biblical theology
Critical paths for reading

I BACKGROUND
1 Metaphors for the moment
2 Shepherds in the ancient world
3 Shepherd rulers in the ancient world

II BIBLICAL PROTOTYPES
4 YHWH, Moses and the ‘flock’ of God in the wilderness
5 YHWH, David and the royal traditions

III YHWH, THE MESSIAH AND PROMISES OF A SECOND EXODUS
6 Isaiah: the Davidic Messiah and a way in the wilderness
7 Jeremiah: righteous shepherds
8 Ezekiel: the faithful shepherd
9 Zechariah: the militant and suffering shepherd

IV THE SHEPHERD MESSIAH, HIS FOLLOWERS AND THE SECOND EXODUS
10 Mark: the shepherd king and the second exodus
11 Matthew: the compassionate Davidic shepherd
12 Luke: the seeking and saving shepherd
13 John: the self-sacrificing shepherd and Passover lamb

V FOLLOWING AND SERVING THE SHEPHERD-LAMB
14 1 Peter: on being aliens and shepherds
15 Revelation: the slain Lamb and ruling Shepherd

VI CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS AND REFLECTIONS
Epilogue
Appendix A: Mesopotamian deities with shepherd titles
Appendix B: Mesopotamian kings with shepherd titles and epithets

Extract from ... Introduction

At a time when books on leadership are being published at a dizzying pace, one wonders if the Bible has anything to say about it. While the Bible does say a lot about the topic, there has been no survey like the one you are about to read. One of the primary metaphors by which biblical authors conceptualized leadership is shepherding. This is quite consistent throughout Old and New Testaments. Yet no exegetical resource orients the culturally removed contemporary ‘pastor’ to this wealth of material. It is my hope that the following journey through Scripture will prompt rich reflection on the nature of the pastor’s identity as God’s undershepherd.

Translating the term ‘shepherd’ is problematic, though not for lack of English vocabulary. We use the term ‘pastor’ – an anglicized form of the Latin/French word for shepherd – but it has no appreciable metaphorical significance. For most modern readers in the industrialized, urbanized West there is little first-hand familiarity with the cultural realities that inform the meaning of the metaphor. The familiarity we may think we have comes from idyllic scenes that have made their way into our imaginations through museum paintings or simple Sunday school stories.

Shepherding has a figurative meaning in certain contemporary religious settings where it has been ‘applied’ in reductionist ways. Some groups have used it to emphasize strict accountability. Many denominations use the language of ‘pastoral care’ exclusively to refer to ministry among the sick and needy. Such associations have their relative merits, but they are not anchored in or controlled by the cultural realities and texts of the biblical world. In contrast to such restricted and distorted images, the Bible promotes robust, comprehensive shepherd leadership, characterized as much by the judicious use of authority as by sympathetic expressions of compassion.

The apostle Paul assumed shepherds were among the Lord’s gifts to the church: ‘It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors (shepherds) and teachers’ (Eph. 4:11). The pastoral role was central to the ongoing life of local churches in the Christian movement, just as it is today. Still, the biblical background of this pastoral language, especially in the Old Testament, has been largely unexplored.

The title of this book comes from Jeremiah, one of several prophets who frequently applied the shepherd designation to Israel’s leaders. Through Jeremiah God promises, ‘I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding’ (Jer. 3:15). On the eve of the destruction of ancient Israel, the prophet was painfully aware that God’s chosen people had been misled by self-serving shepherd leaders. They were abused and abandoned not just by their kings, but also by their prophets and priests. The promise in this verse summarizes much of what will surface throughout our investigation. It illustrates what we will call a ‘divine preference for human agency’. The God of Scripture chooses regularly to engage humans in the tasks of leadership. Appointment by God implies calling, stewardship and accountability.

This short promise also speaks of a capacity to care for God’s flock with self-sacrificing diligence and compassion. It is not just ‘heart’, however, but ‘after my own heart’ that matters. A good shepherd is one who sees what the Owner sees and does what the Owner does. He is a follower before he is a leader. He is a leader because he is a follower. The shepherds whom God judges in the Bible are those who forget that the people in their care are not their own.

Finally, the promised shepherds are those who will lead ‘with knowledge and understanding’. A shepherd needs God’s heart, but also a sharp, godly mind. The challenges of leadership require deep reservoirs of discernment and wisdom. This kind of ‘knowledge and understanding’ comes, in part, from an awareness of the mission and destiny of this flock. Shepherd leaders are anchored theologically in the historic journey of God’s people in their various wildernesses.

Shepherd leaders in the Old Testament are understood as a part of the wilderness drama of God’s people. Jeremiah, like Isaiah and Ezekiel, finds in the ancient Sinai desert a symbolic setting for the divine Shepherd’s work of provision, protection and guidance. To the exiled community those prophetic voices predict a second exodus in their exilic wilderness, a new covenant and a renewed community. These prophetic anticipations form the background for the ministry of the ‘good shepherd’ in the Gospels. How Jesus is represented in the Gospels and what he expected of his disciples emerge poignantly from this background. The disciples were sent as shepherds to feed his sheep. They were also sent out as sheep among wolves. They were called to lead God’s people as pilgrim tent-dwellers, living on the margins of settled society, to their eternal home. If we are to understand the scope of these related traditions, we need first to engage the discipline of biblical theology.

An exercise in biblical theology

The discipline of biblical theology represents an effort to describe the major themes and concerns of biblical authors at a level beyond a single text. In a sense, it is exegetical theology. We are giving the ancient authors ‘voice’ about the topics of greatest concern to them, to hear them, in so far as it is possible, as they were heard in their world, and within the context of their literary creations.

It might help to think of this book as a sequence of conversations. Imagine sitting with Ezekiel and trying to understand why he used the image of shepherd to describe good and bad leadership. In the course of the conversation we come to appreciate his historical setting and the people to whom he wrote. Naturally we take into consideration the overall structure of his book and where, how and why the particular issue of leadership comes to its surface.

The presence of other ‘voices’ complicates the conversation. Ezekiel reflects upon the ancient wilderness traditions of Moses and the royal traditions of David, but also upon the more recent prophetic indictments of Jeremiah. Listening to Ezekiel means listening through him (or with him) to these other voices. Ezekiel will in turn be quoted by later biblical writers who utilize his contributions to shepherd leadership for their own literary and theological purposes. Biblical theology places a premium on the discernible tone and texture of each of these individual voices. We discover a choral masterpiece, with common themes that are sung throughout at different times, in disparate ways, by numerous participants. The trained ear will recognize the theme whenever it appears, but will also discern the individuality and contribution of each voice.

Biblical theology engages an interest both in the individual emphases of various authors in their own settings, and in the common themes or traditions that course through the Scriptures. In our case, we are tracing the development of a tradition – an evolving canonical conversation – about the topic of shepherd leadership. Any theme in the Bible will naturally interact with others. The challenge in a study like this is to contain the investigation. ...

Imagine the great themes of the Bible as rivers, many of which begin in the lofty heights of the Pentateuch. A particular river sometimes comes into full view as rushing rapids. At other times it moves in secret through subterranean passages. Wherever the water flows there is movement and sound, but at the more remote depths it requires keener powers of observation and better tools to locate it. The evidence of a given river at regular intervals ‘above ground’ makes the discovery of the intervening segments below more likely.

The thesis of this present work is that a discernible pastoral ‘stream of tradition’ flows through Scripture. This tradition provides a broader context for understanding the nature of leaders in the covenant community, and for understanding the nature of that community as the flock of the divine Shepherd.

Most of the Bible’s pastoral imagery is embedded in two traditions. These might be thought of as the springs or fountainheads of the watercourses we will trace. The first is the exodus/wilderness complex. Looking back on this time in Israel’s history, inspired writers saw YHWH revealing himself as protector, provider and guide, the ultimate Shepherd of his flock. In this setting Moses functioned as God’s undershepherd. When Israel subsequently requests a king, another major tradition emerges that is associated with the shepherd king David and his dynasty. Many messianic promises are situated in this latter stream. These two traditions provide prototypes for the leaders who follow. Moses and David are prototypical leaders. More importantly, YHWH reveals himself as the true Shepherd Ruler of Israel.

After investigating these two springs, we will follow the river where it leads. Four prophets in the Old Testament make sustained use of pastoral imagery: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Zechariah. Each in his own way recalls the exodus and/or wilderness. Each reflects on the Davidic covenant, emphasizing pastoral motifs in the process. In turn, each propels the river forward, adding new energy and dimensions to the images, creating expectation for a second exodus and a unique shepherd king.

The next section traces the river through the four Gospels, again a mix of ancient deposits with new emphases and revelations. Each in their own way, the Gospels depict a shepherd who has come to lead God’s flock in the promised new kingdom. Mark focuses on the shepherd of the second exodus. Matthew reveals the compassionate Davidic shepherd. Luke presents the seeking and saving shepherd. John describes the self-sacrificing shepherd.

The final two chapters consider the reflections of Peter in his first epistle and of John in the book of Revelation. Although one might have assumed that this ‘pastoral theology’ would lead us to the ‘pastoral epistles’, it takes us, instead, to these eschatological letters that emphasize the marginalization of the community. In these two books Christians are understood still to be in exile. Here leaders are challenged to follow the divine Shepherd who became their sacrificial lamb. In Revelation it becomes clear that following the Shepherd Lamb entails dying for him.

This investigation is balanced in some intentional ways. It gives proportionate weight to both Testaments as it searches for continuity among these themes. What is foundational is valued, as well as what is cumulative. Our approach also balances interest in both cultural background and literary context. Research on shepherd passages has often been focused exclusively on pastoral realities or on textual traditions (including extrabiblical parallels). Good biblical theology, like good exegesis, respects context – Old and New, cultural and literary – when attempting to discern meaning.

The convergence of interests in both the natural and textual worlds is necessary especially when the topic is a metaphor. Figures of speech typically generate their force and meaning through culturally informed associations. For this reason I provide an introductory chapter on the work of shepherds before investigating any texts. Yet metaphors are figures of speech, and they must be analysed as strategic rhetorical devices. Consequently, a separate introductory chapter surveys the use of pastoral language for shepherd rulers in extrabiblical texts. This provides background for understanding how such imagery was used in official documents throughout the ancient world.

Critical paths for reading

This book will likely appeal to two different kinds of readers. Consequently two ‘critical paths’ should be considered. The New Studies in Biblical Theology series will obviously engage those interested in biblical theology as an academic discipline. For these readers everything is included. There are three introductory chapters for conceptual, cultural and extrabiblical backgrounds, two foundational chapters on biblical ‘prototypes’ and ten chapters devoted to the contributions of different biblical authors. Interaction with biblical terminology is in the original languages when appropriate and, with secondary sources, noted throughout. All of the chapters have an ample supply of cross references and footnotes so that the ‘academic’ reader can follow comments to their sources for further research.

A second kind of reader is the thoughtful pastor who wants to consider biblical perspectives on leadership. For many, pastoral ministry involves an almost constant identity crisis. The following survey provides some historical and theological anchors that should be helpful. Several pastors read through the manuscript and made important suggestions to enhance its usefulness. They also recommend a strategy for their peers. First of all, decide what level of interest you have regarding the introductory chapters. This background is appropriate for the ensuing discussion, but you may not have sufficient interest in it, at least not at the beginning. Perhaps these chapters can be skimmed for the purpose of getting started with the biblical passages as soon as possible. When you do move into these passages you will still find dense prose with italicized original language words, and footnotes with references to collateral research. Throughout the book you may need to skim at times with an eye towards the main points. Consider especially the introductions and concluding summary statements in each chapter, and hang on till the end. Those who have ‘stuck with it’ say that it is worth the effort of getting acquainted with these various biblical sources. One described its cumulative effect as being like a tide. Each wave will move you a little, and by the end you will find yourself surprisingly far up the shore.

In light of the current interest in leadership, and in the face of our culture’s tendency to package concepts in tidy boxes, one might expect this to be a contribution to a new model called ‘shepherd leadership’. Principles will surface in this study, and these will be highlighted in the ‘Concluding observations and reflections’. However, pastors who have read this work have described a different benefit, a more subtle but profound change in their sense of identity. This might be the product of a fresh connection to the historic plan of God with his people. It might be a sense of awe at being called to serve behind the Great Shepherd. For some it is a renewed regard for their vocation as a robust and significant calling. The shepherd image is about perspective as much as praxis. These are the kinds of effects (and affects) a metaphor should have. Rather than providing twelve ‘steps’ to shepherd leadership, here are twelve successive invitations to reconsider leadership from within the prism of pastoral imagery. The mounting force of the metaphor should make some lasting impressions.