Friends: With the U.S. election on our doorstep, what role in government should Christians assume to be our own? What about the politicians? May our nation be saved. Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #937

October 29, 2024

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Shepherd, Hireling, or Wolf?

By Bob Walters

“He who is a hired hand (hireling) and not a shepherd … sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. I am the good shepherd. I know my own … and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus, John 10:12,15 (ESV)

This presidential election next week, combined with a random comment I heard in church on Sunday, got me to thinking.

For President of the United States, will our nation be better off electing a shepherd, or a hired hand? While I am set in my preference of the candidates, it also is obvious that nobody wants to elect a disinterested hired hand. A shepherd is better.

So, later I was thinking about the shepherd/hireling dichotomy vis-à-vis the election and realized I was asking the completely wrong question.  Christians often say that we are electing “a president not a pastor,” supposedly removing religion from the docket.  And for darn sure, we had better not be mistaking – or imagining – that either “shepherd” elected is Jesus Christ. My point: is it a “shepherd” we should even seek?

I suppose there are many folks who do indeed view, errantly, that they are voting for some sort of civic or cultural shepherd or “savior.”  Huh uh, no.  It is not Jesus the electorate imagines it is voting for; it is Satan the electorate imagines it is voting against.

But back to my continuing thoughts on the shepherd/hireling thing.  Driving home it occurred to me – and I teach high school American Government – that I don’t want to elect a shepherd at all.  As an American citizen – you, me, all of us – are not sheep, not where our government is concerned. The government is supposed to be our servant.

Is that currently an accurate reflection of the state of American government on almost any level?  No … the government is a wolf. But you know what else? As an American citizen, I am supposed to be a wolf. A hungry, free, independent, responsible, purposeful, creative, and aspirational wolf. That should be my civic identity, not a sheep.

The Lord, not the government, is my shepherd. Let me be a citizen wolf.

Now, am I a sheep in the kingdom of God? Oh yeah. And on all matters divine, Jesus is my Shepherd, Savior, Lord, Way, Truth, Life, and Body and Blood of all my faith, hope, and love.  That is who Jesus is, but it is not who I’m voting for. Jesus has no “term in office” and is not up for election.  Christ is permanent, forever, just, and good.

Jesus was and is the Son of God, maker of all that was made, savior of mankind, and our only mediator with God. But his first and greatest duty was and is as a servant.

So, let’s not confuse the government of the heavenly realms with earthly politics. That “pay grade” thing our American leaders often joke about when faced with a task larger than their office, should never be confused with Jesus, or fanciful about the extent of what an American leader needs to be: a servant. Like Jesus? Sure. But not Jesus.

Most nation/tribal leaders in all history have been wolves.  The U.S. Constitution, written with a close and sacred understanding of the Bible, works only with a just, moral, and Christian people. Obedience? Yes … but not sheep. Love God, love others, be just.

Romans 13:1-7 tells us government is to provide order, protect citizens, and help the citizens protect their persons and their aspirations.  Where God is concerned, I’m part of the flock. Where this election is concerned, I’m howling against false shepherds.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) notes: wolves are loyal mates and protect the pack.

Spirituality Column #373
January 7, 2014
Current in Carmel-Westfield-Noblesville-Fishers-Zionsville

By Bob Walters

Christians develop an ear for identifying like-minded believers.

Not that all Christians are like-minded – we most decidedly are not – but sheep know their master’s voice (John 10:3, 4, 16, 27).  It shouldn’t be surprising that we can discern the voice of other sheep in our flock.

For example, when we hear the phrase “on my heart” – church-speak shorthand for “God has prayerfully put something on my heart” – we’ve likely encountered another Bible-believing evangelical.   The expression typically means a person feels “led” – another Christian code word – to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).

Christianity teaches that God’s laws are written “on our hearts” in faith.  The Bible is very plain about that (Romans 2:15, 2:29; 2 Corinthians 3:2-3).  People are saved by their faith in Christ, period (John 14:6), not their good works.

Christians properly “feel led” because Jesus says “Follow me” a couple dozen times in the Gospels.  Never once does Christ volunteer, or even remotely suggest, that He has any interest in following us.  Jesus came to lead, and to reveal the truth.

As for “speaking the truth in love,” Jesus did that a lot.  His message of faith inspired some but incensed others.  Jesus as the “fulfillment of the law” (Matthew 5:17) was something neither religious nor civil authorities wanted to hear, nor what His Jewish brethren were prepared to accept.  Jesus’s wisdom was respected and his miracles were spectacular, but His humility was mocked and His truth was attacked.

The truth of Jesus Christ has always been challenged by arrogant mankind because Christ’s truth, truly, is “the final answer.”  It is superior to any temporal “truth” – legends, societal “norms,” academic whims, political causes or spiritual fashions – created by self-praising man.

John 15:18 says not to be surprised when Christian believers are hated because the world hated Jesus first.  Modern cultural Pharisees still take Christians to task for publicly espousing the plain, scriptural totality of God’s truth in Jesus Christ.  And perhaps the three most important truths are that 1) God loves us, 2) salvation depends on faith in Christ, and 3) our human sin is a very big deal.

The Pharisees and the Romans killed the messenger who brought that message 2,000 years ago.  Many try to kill the message today.

“Duck Commander” impresario Phil Robertson, I’m guessing, can relate.  Witness the furious but mostly silly, self-righteous and biblically uninformed cultural backlash ignited by Robertson’s recent plainly spoken and scripturally-buttressed assessment of sin, love, truth and modern culture.

If we have an ear for it, we can recognize a faithful voice from our flock.

Even if it is a duck call.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) doesn’t hunt, but appreciates God’s truth. Have a happy, happy, happy New Year.