I've gotten this from this passage:
A good shepherd has three qualities:
- Selflessness (John 10:11, Ezek. 34:2-10)
- Pastorship (John 10:14)
- Guardianship (John 10:24)
Each of us is a shepherd, whether we want to be or not. Whether you're a pastor, a father, a quarterback on your football team, or a member of the local bingo club, you have been given a flock that looks up to you. Christ calls you to lead your flock with grace and with biblically-grounded leadership. I would encourage you to take a look at the passage of Jesus's talk to the Jews in John 10:11-18, (you might start from the beginning of chapter 9, because the shepherding passage proceeds from the story told in the preceding chapter.)
You can read the shepherding passage here: John 10:1-21
You should also read the passage in Ezekiel, where God reprimands the shepherds of Israel for their sub-par leadership of their flocks.
As shepherds, we are called to be selfless, placing the good of the flock over the good of ourselves. The idea of group-over-individual was in place all throughout bible times, invading into the way that families and government worked.The belief of bible times was that the good of the group took greater importance that the good of the individual. A young man married a woman for the good of the family, not for his own personal happiness (of course, they often times were happy in their marriage, but it was not the main reason for their marriage).
This mentality has almost disappeared in American society. Nowadays, marriage is based on how the other person makes you feel, or how they show their love for you. But the marriage mentality of bible-time cultures was that marriages were for the good of the family, not for personal satisfaction. It was a matter of what the spouse could do for the good of your family, not necessarily for you personally.
The flock is more important than you. This simply does not mesh with modern thought. Christianity is all about me. It's about my relationship with Christ, and I'm called to help others along, but the only necessary thing is my relationship with Christ. We need to strike this from our thought. You relationship is exceedingly important, but we need to pursue others' relationships with Christ with the same intensity that we pursue our own - if not with more.
Your relationship with Christ is vital, however. Christ says in John 10:14, "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father - and I lay my life down for the sheep." You are called to be pastor to your flock; your relationship with your sheep is the same as your relationship with God. Just as you must seek a relationship with your sheep, you must seek a relationship with your Father. Your relationship with God has direct implications to your relationship with your flock.
As a shepherd, you are called to protect your flock. This ties the whole pack together. You are called to be selfless, to know your flock personally, and to protect them from danger. You need to guide your flock to "pastures" that are safe and healthy for them. When wolves attack, you need to be willing to lay down your life for the flock (John 10:11). You need to love your flock enough to die for them.
Wherever your flock is, there you will be also - and vice versa. You and your flock stick together, like it or not. You can't live life steeped in sin and attempt to guide your flock to a closer relationship with Christ. You can't lead a successful Bible study and go to strip clubs at the same time - it just won't work. Without the blessing of God, your attempts will not succeed. You will crash and burn.
You're a shepherd whether you want to be or not. We need to live accordingly. I need to look at the way I live and decide what things I need to strike in order to lead my flock with a more pure leadership. We need to draw ourselves closer to Christ, and guide others to a closer relationship with Him as well.
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