At the same time, I’ve been preaching through Zechariah. This fall we’ve been in a sermon series entitled The Last Prophets, working our way through Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. One image that Zechariah uses consistently is that of a shepherd. The leaders in his day were selfish, opportunistic, and uncaring. And because of this, God’s people were struggling.
Together, these sources, both Brooks’ book and Zechariah, have prompted me to consider my role as pastor. Am I caring for people? Am I loving people? Am I really getting to know people?
I like how David Brooks describes “Illuminators vs. Diminishers.” Brooks is talking about how we function in terms of our relationships with others. In similar fashion, Zechariah speaks of the worthless shepherd in contrast to the good shepherd. Brooks says that diminishers,
see other people as things to be used, not as persons to be befriended
In Zechariah 11, the worthless shepherd is described in like manner.
(Zechariah 11:15-16 NIV) … the equipment of a foolish shepherd… who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves.
As I pastor this congregation, I need to pay attention to how I treat people. Am I an illuminator or a diminisher? What kind of shepherd am I?
Brooks goes on to describe one who truly strives to know another as,
attentive and sensitive and unhurried
I love these words.
These qualities particularly challenge me. They’re rare in our hurried culture. As we continue to study Zechariah, we understand that he’s ultimately pointing to Jesus, who describes himself in the Gospel of John as the good shepherd. These three words might describe his posture as recorded by the Gospel writers.
I think of the woman who touched his cloak in Mark 5:25-34. Jesus is on his way to heal a dying young girl. Time is short, but he takes the time to respond to this woman who’s been struggling for years. He’s attentive, seeking her out among the crowd. And in the end he calls her “Daughter,” sensitive to what she needs to hear.
I also think of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10. Jesus is just passing through town but stops to speak to Zacchaeus, who has climbed a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus. He calls him by name. He even invites himself to stay at his house. Zacchaeus was a lost sheep. And Jesus is the good shepherd seeking him.
I’ll keep these words in front of me. For most of us, life is busy with demands from all angles. Yet God calls us as pastors to truly know people as Jesus knows them. He calls us to shepherd in a way that allows personal connection. May we as pastors strive to be attentive, sensitive, and unhurried in all that we do.
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