The Hireling
TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Verse for the Day – John 10:12-13
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.
Daily Scripture Reading – Exodus 2
Puritan Catechism
Question #5: Are there more Gods than one?
Answer: There is but one only (Deut. 6:4), the living and true God (Jeremiah 10:10).
Devotional Thoughts
Bible Reading For Further Study
Recommended Songs for Worship
BONUS - Repentance and Restoration in the Day of the Lord
One of the Scripture Readings for further study today is taken from Joel 2:1-17. You can follow the link above to see and listen to a series of messages from the Book of Joel, or click on these links to listen to message 1 or 2 in the series, which overlap on this specific text in Joel chapter 2.
Verse for the Day – John 10:12-13
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.
Daily Scripture Reading – Exodus 2
Puritan Catechism
Question #5: Are there more Gods than one?
Answer: There is but one only (Deut. 6:4), the living and true God (Jeremiah 10:10).
Devotional Thoughts
Jesus now moves on to contrast Himself as the Good Shepherd to those who forsake the flock in times of need. He is talking about the hireling - someone hired to watch the flock while the shepherd is away or to assist him in caring for the flock from time to time. In the church today, the hireling represents the elders or pastors, those who help oversee the flock of God. As a matter of fact, the word used in 1 Timothy to describe the position of a pastor is the word "overseer."
Here Jesus is talking about hirelings who forsake the flock. A good minister of Jesus Christ will be faithful to the flock and discharge his duty whatever the cost. But in contrast to the Good Shepherd and those who are faithful to Him, Jesus is explaining how He is different from the hireling who is doing his job only for the money. The hireling here puts his own safety and pleasure ahead of his duty. He gets paid to do a job, but as soon as there is risk he turns and runs away!
The hired man does not own the sheep. They are not his. He is simply caring for them. But in reality he does not care for them at all. He cares about his job, and his own comfort and well being to the point that as soon as trouble shows up he deserts his post! Jesus on the other hand gives His life for HIS sheep - He shows ownership by purchasing them with His life.
When a wolf comes on the scene to threaten the flock, the shepherd will spend (give) his life to protect the sheep and ward of evil and harm. The hireling sees the wolf and fears for his own safety so he flees the scene, leaving the flock to be caught, harmed, and even killed. Tomorrow we will see why the hireling does what he does, but for today we are just looking at what the hireling does (or doesn't do). And remember, this is all in contrast to Jesus who is the Good Shepherd and those servants of His who are faithful to care for His sheep. He owns the sheep; the hireling works for pay. He cares for the sheep; the hireling cares for himself. He confronts danger and gives His life for the flock; the hireling flees and saves his own life while the flock is scattered.
We can see this in the church if a minister is in it for the money or for position, power, prestige, or for self gratification. He will not truly care for the sheep. He will do his job for a while as long as everything is okay, but as soon as trouble, rough seas, or danger appear - ZIP - he's gone! The minister must be surrendered totally to Christ and obedient to the point of death for the flock. If he is anything less, then the flock will be scattered, preyed upon, and killed.
If your minister is faithful let him know that you appreciate his faithfulness. He needs to know that you are aware of his love and care. And if your pastor is not faithful but deserts the congregation or members of his church whenever times get tough or a problem arises, talk to the other elders. If necessary, for your own safety - get another church! Your spiritual well being is the RESPONSIBILITY of your elders. If they are faithful you will be fed and will grow. If they are not faithful, you will suffer and your faith could become damaged. If you need to know what to expect from elders remember that our example (and the example for ALL Christians) is Christ Himself. He is the Good Shepherd and we are to imitate Him every day in every way!
Now Let us look briefly at why the hireling acts the way he does.
Why will a minister care more about his own self-interest instead of caring for those in his care? Why would a "hireling" forsake the flock in a time of danger when he was needed most?
First of all, Jesus says that the hireling is just that, a hireling. He is an employee, paid to do a job. He does not own the sheep. He has no investment in them at all. His livelihood is not based (in his own mind) on the condition of the flock. If he can just survive another day to watch the sheep, make sure they get fed and are rested, then he has earned his keep - made a buck, and he can look forward to his time off from work!
The hireling is just doing a job, and as a result doesn't actually care for the sheep, he cares about himself. That is the second reason he flees when danger arises. It is the difference between the hireling and the shepherd that exists between a calling and a job. One involves only self-interest. The other daily self-sacrifice.
We must realize that in day to day life we are CALLED to follow Christ. That is our calling and it is to be our life no matter what else we accomplish, we must be faithful to follow Him. It is part of who we are. Very rarely today is a job part of who we are! It is a means to an end. we work to earn money to provide for our needs and wants. It is how we survive and thrive in today's world.
We must not be like the hireling. We need to find out what God is calling us to, we need to care about our job, our calling, our ministry, or whatever else God gives us. Otherwise we become just another hireling. One who flees at the sign of danger and allows those in our care to be harmed. Of course this applies to elders - but I think it also applies to each of us every day.
Do we just do a job? Or do we have a calling? Jesus was called - the disciples were called - the early church was called - and that calling cost many of them their lives. Today, we are called (Eph. 4:1)! Called by the Spirit of God to abandon all to follow Him. Everything we love and care deeply about in this world needs to look like we hate it in comparison to our love for God! The hireling does not care, he does not invest himself in his work. He has no calling. We, on the other hand, have a divine call and an obligation to forsake even our safety in place of our duty to God and our fellow men! Safety or duty? Self-interest or self-sacrifice? A job or a calling?
And the wonderful news is, as we will learn tomorrow, Jesus is the good shepherd and by no means a hireling. He will not flee when danger appears. He is always there to set the example of the consistency that the Spirit makes us able to exhibit as well day to day. Today, be a faithful sheep and thank God for your faithful pastor and elders. Answer the call and forsake the idolatry of self worship and service. Serve Him. Find out what Jesus wants you to do today, and do it.
Here Jesus is talking about hirelings who forsake the flock. A good minister of Jesus Christ will be faithful to the flock and discharge his duty whatever the cost. But in contrast to the Good Shepherd and those who are faithful to Him, Jesus is explaining how He is different from the hireling who is doing his job only for the money. The hireling here puts his own safety and pleasure ahead of his duty. He gets paid to do a job, but as soon as there is risk he turns and runs away!
The hired man does not own the sheep. They are not his. He is simply caring for them. But in reality he does not care for them at all. He cares about his job, and his own comfort and well being to the point that as soon as trouble shows up he deserts his post! Jesus on the other hand gives His life for HIS sheep - He shows ownership by purchasing them with His life.
When a wolf comes on the scene to threaten the flock, the shepherd will spend (give) his life to protect the sheep and ward of evil and harm. The hireling sees the wolf and fears for his own safety so he flees the scene, leaving the flock to be caught, harmed, and even killed. Tomorrow we will see why the hireling does what he does, but for today we are just looking at what the hireling does (or doesn't do). And remember, this is all in contrast to Jesus who is the Good Shepherd and those servants of His who are faithful to care for His sheep. He owns the sheep; the hireling works for pay. He cares for the sheep; the hireling cares for himself. He confronts danger and gives His life for the flock; the hireling flees and saves his own life while the flock is scattered.
We can see this in the church if a minister is in it for the money or for position, power, prestige, or for self gratification. He will not truly care for the sheep. He will do his job for a while as long as everything is okay, but as soon as trouble, rough seas, or danger appear - ZIP - he's gone! The minister must be surrendered totally to Christ and obedient to the point of death for the flock. If he is anything less, then the flock will be scattered, preyed upon, and killed.
If your minister is faithful let him know that you appreciate his faithfulness. He needs to know that you are aware of his love and care. And if your pastor is not faithful but deserts the congregation or members of his church whenever times get tough or a problem arises, talk to the other elders. If necessary, for your own safety - get another church! Your spiritual well being is the RESPONSIBILITY of your elders. If they are faithful you will be fed and will grow. If they are not faithful, you will suffer and your faith could become damaged. If you need to know what to expect from elders remember that our example (and the example for ALL Christians) is Christ Himself. He is the Good Shepherd and we are to imitate Him every day in every way!
Now Let us look briefly at why the hireling acts the way he does.
Why will a minister care more about his own self-interest instead of caring for those in his care? Why would a "hireling" forsake the flock in a time of danger when he was needed most?
First of all, Jesus says that the hireling is just that, a hireling. He is an employee, paid to do a job. He does not own the sheep. He has no investment in them at all. His livelihood is not based (in his own mind) on the condition of the flock. If he can just survive another day to watch the sheep, make sure they get fed and are rested, then he has earned his keep - made a buck, and he can look forward to his time off from work!
The hireling is just doing a job, and as a result doesn't actually care for the sheep, he cares about himself. That is the second reason he flees when danger arises. It is the difference between the hireling and the shepherd that exists between a calling and a job. One involves only self-interest. The other daily self-sacrifice.
We must realize that in day to day life we are CALLED to follow Christ. That is our calling and it is to be our life no matter what else we accomplish, we must be faithful to follow Him. It is part of who we are. Very rarely today is a job part of who we are! It is a means to an end. we work to earn money to provide for our needs and wants. It is how we survive and thrive in today's world.
We must not be like the hireling. We need to find out what God is calling us to, we need to care about our job, our calling, our ministry, or whatever else God gives us. Otherwise we become just another hireling. One who flees at the sign of danger and allows those in our care to be harmed. Of course this applies to elders - but I think it also applies to each of us every day.
Do we just do a job? Or do we have a calling? Jesus was called - the disciples were called - the early church was called - and that calling cost many of them their lives. Today, we are called (Eph. 4:1)! Called by the Spirit of God to abandon all to follow Him. Everything we love and care deeply about in this world needs to look like we hate it in comparison to our love for God! The hireling does not care, he does not invest himself in his work. He has no calling. We, on the other hand, have a divine call and an obligation to forsake even our safety in place of our duty to God and our fellow men! Safety or duty? Self-interest or self-sacrifice? A job or a calling?
And the wonderful news is, as we will learn tomorrow, Jesus is the good shepherd and by no means a hireling. He will not flee when danger appears. He is always there to set the example of the consistency that the Spirit makes us able to exhibit as well day to day. Today, be a faithful sheep and thank God for your faithful pastor and elders. Answer the call and forsake the idolatry of self worship and service. Serve Him. Find out what Jesus wants you to do today, and do it.
Bible Reading For Further Study
Recommended Songs for Worship
- Hymn 174 – Hosanna, Loud Hosanna!
- Hymn 106 – Praise Him! Praise Him!
BONUS - Repentance and Restoration in the Day of the Lord
One of the Scripture Readings for further study today is taken from Joel 2:1-17. You can follow the link above to see and listen to a series of messages from the Book of Joel, or click on these links to listen to message 1 or 2 in the series, which overlap on this specific text in Joel chapter 2.
posted by Phillip M. Way | 1:19 AM
2 Comments:
Phillip,
I enjoyed your thoughts on the hireling shepherd and I certainly don’t want to disagree with what you are saying about the Good Shepherd. However, don’t you think that we should, in all humility, consider ourselves to be merely hired shepherds until the time of trial comes and proves otherwise, or not?
As you can see from the title of my journal, I think it behooves us to take care lest we fall while we are standing. Am I a faithful-unto-death pastor? I don’t know that, yet.
You raise a good point, however, I think that Jesus here is talking about those who were never faithful anyway. They have always just been hirelings and never truly concerned for the flock. The self centered worldview that the hirelings have would equate to those false teachers who are in the ministry for self and for money (their god is their own belly) even while those they watch over and work alongside may not be aware of their true nature. Eventually the hirelings will be found out to be the fakes that they have always been.
I do think that a pastor can be faithful all his life and then blow it. I pray often that God by His grace would keep me faithful to the end. While these types of ministers would ruin whatever good they had accomplished, that does not mean that they never accomplished any good before falling.
This one is faithful and later disqualifies himself. The hireling is disqualified from the start because his very motive for watching over the flock is for the money he makes doing it. That is why he flees immediately when danger approaches.
I also agree that we pastors are indeed undershepherds and accountable to the Good Shepherd for the work we do - the work He accomplishes through us being the focus. And we should press on, striving to be faithful unto death. May God keep us faithful for His glory!
~pastorway
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