In John 10, Jesus contrasted the Good Shepherd leadership model with strangers, robbers and hirelings. While this is a valuable lesson about the nature of Jesus and His purpose, it also serves as great leadership training. What kind of leader am I? Which leadership model best describes me?
A stranger
A stranger, Jesus said, “they simply will not follow, because they do not know the voice of strangers” (vs. 5). This is all about relationships. The stranger has no relationship with the sheep. He doesn’t know a thing about them, and they have no clue who he is. There was no time and energy spent to develop a relationship. But for the shepherd and his sheep it is entirely different. Sheep know the voice of their shepherd. The shepherd spends his life with the sheep, and he names each one. Sheep respond to their shepherd’s call because they have a relationship with him. Read Psalm 23 and see the intimacy that exists between shepherd and sheep.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
Thieves and Robbers
The shepherd enters through the door. He has the confident authority to enter the sheepfold. They are his sheep. A thief and a robber will “climb up some other way” because he knows he does not have the right to enter by the door (vs. 1). His motives are sinister and opportunistic. He comes “only to steal and kill and destroy” (10:10). Jesus is saying that the religious leaders that preceded Him in Israel were thieves and robbers. They were only out for nefarious purposes, but “the sheep did not hear them” (vs. 8). The Good Shepherd came to give life, even if that meant sacrificing His own life for the sheep.
Hireling (Hired Hand)
“He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep” (John 10:12-13).
Simply put, a hired hand is just that. Money was placed in his hand and he did a job and went home afterwards. Did he care about the sheep? Not at all. What did his actions demonstrate? When the wolf came the hireling high-tailed it in order to save his backside. This leaves the sheep defenseless and vulnerable…an easy lunch for the wolf. But the hired hand doesn’t care about that. It wasn’t worth losing his own skin, right? They are not his sheep anyway! He is not personally invested in the sheep. He is invested in himself. Jesus said the hireling “is not concerned about the sheep.”
Standing in stark contrast to the hireling is Jesus. He owns the sheep, and He is fully invested in their well-being. “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Note how many times in John 10 Jesus spoke of laying down His life for His sheep.
What kind of leader are you?
In conclusion, take some time to meditate on what kind of leader you are in Christ’s church. Is your character like that of the Good Shepherd? Or are you merely a hireling that cares nothing about the sheep? Will you fight or flee when the wolf comes? Would the flock of God consider you a stranger because you have not invested yourself and your time to get to know your brethren? Or finally, are you a robber that is only seeking to get something out of God’s people? It’s something to think about.
“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me” (John 10:14).