Our Lord Jesus tends the flock of Almighty God our Father, taking them to pasture, and rescuing them. Our Lord goes after those lost, and the Lord Jesus will judge them.
The Lord speaks to us through God’s Holy Prophet Ezekiel to warn us against being bad shepherds as we tend His flock. We are given a duty to tend God’s flock through our evangelizing and through our love for our neighbor, as well as our enemy.
When God moves us into the path of another person, he expects us to do the best we can to either return the lost into His flock, try and help them with their problems, try to guide them back to the safety of the flock, or care for them, or simply keep the flock together, feeding and safe from all harm.
God does not expect miracles from us, that’s His department, but, neither does God when he puts someone in need into our path, expect us to ignore them and turn away thinking only of ourselves and our comfort.
EZEKIEL: 34: 2-5; 8; 10; 12; and 16
Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be unto the shepherds of Israel, that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again, that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd:
v8: As I live saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became a meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherd search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and fed not the flock;
v10: Thus saith the Lord God; Behold I am against the shepherds and I will require my flock at their hand,
v12: As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep and deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day,
v16: I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.
To illustrate this lesson further, Jesus tell the story we refer to as the story of “The Good Samaritan”
LUKE: 10: 30-36; Then to strengthen and re-inforce this lesson for us, Jesus tells us straight out, by stressing the importance of us being good shepherds too.
In MATTHEW: 25: 35-36; 40
v. 35-36; For I was hungered and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
v.40; And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my bretheren, ye have done it unto me.
We ask the same question often; “Am I my brother’s keeper?” ultimately if we are truly “Christian” our answer must be a resounding “YES!” for indeed we are called to be our brother’s keeper, we are called as “Shepherds” of God’s flock, to tend to those whom God has placed in out path and ask us to return safe and sound to God’s Flock.
To refuse to do as requested, to fail to give what is required of us by God is but another lash from the whip, another pounding of that hammer, into the nails in Jesus hands and feet.