Love: The Good Shepherd
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Introduction
Introduction
1 Open your gates, Lebanon, and fire will consume your cedars.
2 Wail, cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the glorious trees are destroyed! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the stately forest has fallen!
3 Listen to the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is destroyed. Listen to the roar of young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.
So opens chapter 11 of the Book of Zechariah. You can turn there in your Bibles, that’s page 542 of the white Bible in your pew. Zechariah 11.
It’s not a pleasant opening, is it? Fire consuming the city, trees falling, wailing shepherds, roaring lions. It is most certainly a promise of impending judgment.
Chapter 10 ended on a joyous note about the ultimate future of the remnant of Israel: YHWH will pass through the sea of distress instead of them. He will strike the waves of the sea so they are not struck. They will be strengthened in the name of YHWH. They will walk in His name.
And then almost like a moment of whiplash we are snapped back into the present reality of Israel. Things are not good. The people are falling back into their idolatrous ways, being led by wicked shepherds.
We need a Good Shepherd. We need someone to lead us in the ways of righteousness. And God loved us in this way, John says, that he gave His one and only Son.
The Good Shepherd came in love. And God justifies and sanctifies us through the Good Shepherd.
In our text this morning we are going to see pictures of 3 types of shepherds. 2 bad and 1 good. The bad shepherds bring destruction, but the Good Shepherd brings life through His love.
The Fallen Shepherds
The Fallen Shepherds
Look back at verse 3 with me:
3 Listen to the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is destroyed. Listen to the roar of young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.
This is a prophecy of destruction against the city of Jerusalem and it’s leaders. The destruction will be so complete, the picture is that you will be able to hear the lions roar because there will be no more civilization left. Utter destruction.
The leaders of the city, the shepherds, will wail because their glory is destroyed. They will howl in mourning and despair because their glory has been ruined. The false foundation upon which they had built their leadership is going to be torn down and they will fall with it.
These shepherds—Israel’s leaders—found their glory and their dignity ruined by defeat and destruction. They had depended on their own strength, their own wisdom, their own resources, and led the people astray instead of humbly following the leadership of the Lord, the true Shepherd of Israel.
Human leaders fall short. And they always fall short. Every human leader always falls short. Every president falls short, every pastor falls short, every parent falls short, every teacher falls short, every boss falls short — every human shepherd falls short because every human shepherd is sinful.
We need a greater shepherd. We need a good shepherd, a shepherd who is not tainted by sin, who isn’t marked by selfishness, who surpasses the failings of every human shepherd — we need a Good Shepherd.
And so: “God loved the world in this way, that He gave His one and only Son.”
God sent a good shepherd in love for us.
Human leaders fail, but God sent a Good Shepherd. Let’s keep reading, verse 7:
The Forsaken Shepherd
The Forsaken Shepherd
7 So I shepherded the flock intended for slaughter, the oppressed of the flock. I took two staffs, calling one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock.
8 In one month I got rid of three shepherds. I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
For some context, in verse 4 God calls Zechariah to be “shepherd of the flock intended for slaughter.” In essence, God is commanding Zechariah to become a living picture of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.
In verse 7 we see that Zechariah shepherds — he carries the tools of a shepherd, two staffs, by which a shepherd would lead, guide, and protect their sheep.
Two staffs: one named Favor representing God’s blessing, His joy, His grace and kindness. The other named Union, the binding of God’s people together with Him and in harmony with one another.
And in verse 8 we see that he comes as a good shepherd. Not only does He bring God’s favor and union, he leads God’s people in such a way that he kicked out the inadequate shepherds.
Now, the phrase “three shepherds,” has given commentators a difficult time through the centuries. In fact, one commentator I read said that this might be the most difficult chapter to interpret historically in the entire Bible. No less than 40 different interpretations about who these shepherds are have been put forth over the years.
And, side note, that friends, is a loud call to humility when we approach the Scriptures. God is big and God’s Word is big. There are people who professionally study the Scriptures every day for years who sometimes have to go, “We aren’t sure.”
We need to hold our doctrines firmly, but lets not do so in such a way that we cease to love someone who doesn’t understand the same way we do, especially on things that are not central to the gospel.
That being said, we need to land somewhere, and I don’t think Zechariah’s use of 3 was by accident. One of the oldest interpretations of this passage, and the one that I think is best is this: The three shepherds are the three classes of leader that God gave to Israel — prophets, priests, and kings. And all of these classes of leaders in the history of Israel proved the point earlier that all human leaders fall short. The prophets of Israel stopped being God’s spokesmen and started saying things just to please the people and the kings. The priests of Israel stopped being holy men of God and started using their power to get rich from the people. The kings of Israel turned away from the living God and started using their power to abuse their people.
But, when the Messiah came He replaced all of those inadequate shepherds. He came and ruled over God’s people with favor and with union. He is the only wise and true shepherd, God’s Messiah. Jesus, our Messiah, is God’s perfect prophet, priest, and king. He speaks the truth of God before the people. he represents the people before a holy God. And he rules over us with gentleness and compassion. Prophet, priest, king.
And as our Shepherd, he cares for us, the weak sheep. He carries God’s Favor, acting graciously on our behalf. And He carries Unity with God, providing for our needs and binding us to the Father through Himself. And our call is to follow Him in grace, doing good for others.
But, that is not how Israel responded to Zechariah as the symbolic shepherd and that is not how they responded when God sent the Good Shepherd, Jesus. Instead of recognizing the one sent from the Father, they rejected Him. And they detested him, verse 8 says.
Jesus came to rule over God’s people with wisdom, but the leaders of Israel and the people of Israel rejected the Messiah as their Shepherd. And it led to disaster. Rejecting the good shepherd leads to disaster.
Look at verse 9:
9 Then I said, “I will no longer shepherd you. Let what is dying die, and let what is perishing perish; let the rest devour each other’s flesh.”
10 Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, annulling the covenant I had made with all the peoples.
When the Shepherd’s people rejected Him and detested Him, He said He would not be their shepherd. He took the staff called “Favor” and broke it, and later did the same thing with the staff called “Union.” He left them without a good and wise shepherd. And national Israel was essentially destroyed a few years later. The prophecy of verses 1-3 have come to pass.
In AD 70, the Roman army under the leadership of General Titus, came into Jerusalem and completely leveled the city. Titus’s armies even tore down the temple, until one stone was not left standing on top of the other.
For a time, Paul says in Romans, the Jews are cut off from the tree of True Israel and the Gentiles are grafted in. Praise God, it seems that there will come a time when many who are from Hebrew descent will repent and come to Jesus in faith, being grafted back in as natural branches. Not with a reestablishment of an Israeli state that comes to power, Judaism and national Israel are nothing. The New Testament Church of Jesus Christ is the remnant of Israel and God intends to bring His people back into Him by the Good Shepherd.
In verse 12, Zechariah resigns as the symbolic shepherd of Israel and he asks for his wages, if the people think he deserves any. And in verses 12-13, we see one of the most striking messianic prophecies in Scripture. Written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, Zechariah 11:12 prophesies exactly how He would be rejected:
12 Then I said to them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed my wages, thirty pieces of silver.
13 “Throw it to the potter,” the Lord said to me—this magnificent price I was valued by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw it into the house of the Lord, to the potter.
30 pieces of silver was the traditional cost of a slave who was so injured that he couldn’t work any more. The people said to their shepherd, the one who had ruled over them and guided them with such wisdom and love, “You are worthless to us. We will only pay as much as we would pay an injured slave.” In the life of our Lord Jesus this prophecy was fulfilled when Judas Iscariot betrayed his Lord and Master for the same amount: 30 pieces of silver.
Christ came as God’s great, wise shepherd, and yet, Jesus was forsaken and rejected (John 1:11).
We must not reject Jesus, because He’s the Shepherd we need the most. If we reject Jesus, He will ultimately reject us He says in Matt 23. And rejecting the shepherd who leads with love leaves us only with shepherds who lead with selfishness. Who use us for their own gain. Who guide us to destruction. Don’t reject the great shepherd.
The False Shepherds
The False Shepherds
In the final portion of this chapter God calls Zechariah to do something very unusual. Earlier he had portrayed a good shepherd, but now he is asked to portray a foolish shepherd. And by foolish, it means he is evil and wicked, negligent, self-centered. Look at how God describes the foolish shepherd he’s going to set over the people in verse 16:
16 I am about to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are perishing, and he will not seek the lost or heal the broken. He will not sustain the healthy, but he will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hooves.
These shepherds are not going to care about the sheep, but they are going to use them up, devour the flesh, and then tear them apart when they’re done. False shepherds always turn out to be butchers.
Despite having God’s Messiah, Israel was going to turn to false shepherds. Jesus spoke of this in
43 I have come in my Father’s name, and yet you don’t accept me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.
These false shepherds would come to abuse the people of Israel and they would accept it. The false shepherds would take advantage of them and harm them mercilessly.
But, in His grace, God wouldn’t leave them. Verse 17 ends with a word of condemnation for this false shepherd. He would be struck in his arm, representing his strength, and his eye, representing his intelligence. Ultimately, the true Shepherd will triumph over the false shepherds.
Conclusion
Conclusion
I want to end with just a few quick points of application, some closing thoughts you can ponder and take with you in light of today’s text:
Watch out for False Shepherds
Watch out for False Shepherds
There are false teachers out there, and we need to be wary of who we listen to. We talked about the health and wealth preachers last week. They are a great example of swindlers who are abusing the sheep, bleeding them dry, and then throwing them away when they have no more money.
Watch out for people who profit big off of selling end-times prophecies. Don’t be fooled by the fact that they quote the Bible to make their point. Almost 100% of the time, they are taking what Scripture says out of context and trying to apply it directly to today. Guys, I hate to break it to us, but America is not in the Bible. The Book of Revelation was written to a group of people in the 1st Century, and the images were things that they would have understood and been able to recognize.
Watch out for false shepherds.
Human Shepherds Always Fall Short
Human Shepherds Always Fall Short
Be wary of placing your full trust or allegiance into any human leader. We are all sinners and all fall short of the glory of God. If we place faith and trust totally in a person, if we look to a person and say, “I’m placing my hopes and my dreams in you to revamp our church, to revamp our country, to revamp our home” we will be disappointed.
Every human shepherd will fail at some point.
Good Shepherds Recognize their Failures and Repent
Good Shepherds Recognize their Failures and Repent
But, good shepherds recognize their failures and repent. One mark of a good leader is one who owns up to their mistakes and makes it right when they do. Humble apology - “I failed and I hurt you because of it. I’m sorry. How can I help repair the relationship?” That’s a good apology.
“I’m sorry you feel that way?” - That’s not an apology, that’s a manipulative suggestion that the one hurt is too sensitive.
“We apologize, it was never our intention to cause harm and the situation was out of our control.” - Still not an apology. That’s an excuse and it shifts the blame.
“I apologize. This situation has caused great harm to us both.” - Nope, not an apology. It’s garnering sympathy for the wounder and cheapens the pain of the wounded.
“I’m sorry that I hurt you.” Those words are the words of a good leader who repents.
Good Shepherds Value their Sheep
Good Shepherds Value their Sheep
Have you ever been in a relationship — whether it’s at work with a boss, a romantic relationship, a church setting, whatever — where it was very clear that, even if the person said they valued you, it was clear that what they actually valued was what you brought to the table?
Good leaders value their people simply because God gave them to the leader to lead for a time. Not for what they do, but as people.
People are worth loving because they are people. Every person is worth loving because every person is made in the image of our great God. Not because of what they do. Not because of how much money they give. Not because they volunteer so much time. Not because they are good at what they do.
No, Jesus goes after the least. The simplest. The lowly. The ones who don’t get it right every time. And he gives them a place of honor to serve, even though he knows they’re going to mess up. Because He loves His sheep.
There is a Good Shepherd Who Gave His Life for His Sheep
There is a Good Shepherd Who Gave His Life for His Sheep
Next, Jesus is a good shepherd who loves His sheep such that He gave His life for them. Jesus says these words in
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Don’t neglect the shepherd
Don’t neglect the shepherd
Finally, don’t reject the Good Shepherd.
Why do people reject Jesus today?
Some have no interested in believing there is a God. Some have trouble believing that Jesus is God. Many think He is just some relic from an old religion that’s now been distorted by men. Some won’t come because it’s embarrassing to take on His name.
Many reject Jesus because they believe they are good people and they’ll be fine in the end.
Some, perhaps even some who claim to follow Him, fall away when they hear more about him,. When Jesus was on Earth, a lot of his disciples began to fall away when He started saying things like, “I am the only way to God.” Or, “You have to love those who hate you.” Or, “it’s really hard for rich people to get into heaven.”
More rejected Him because He revealed that their old religious life meant nothing and they were actually called to stop thinking of themselves give up every shred of control of their life to Him and give away everything because God owns everything.
When Jesus walked on this earth, the people of Israel used all of those reasons to reject Him. And all of them are still prevalent today.
Do not reject the Shepherd. He doesn’t promise a comfortable life. The call is to die to yourself, no longer consider yourself your own, but be pledged wholly and solely to Him.
Embracing Jesus brings eternal life, because of His love for us. Rejecting Him brings only death.
There is a Good Shepherd who loves you and promises to lead you into His righteousness. Simply receive Him: confess that you have sin and come to Him in faith that He will lead. No more condemnation, only love. Because He is love.