A group of business leaders were touring a mental hospital, with one of them making some very insensitive and insulting remarks about the patients.
After the tour was completed, the group met with various members of the mental hospital staff in the cafeteria. The unkind visitor chatted with Bill, a kind and wise ex-policeman, who was on the security staff.
“Are they all sick and crazy loonies in here?” the insensitive and rude visitor asked.
“Only the ones who fail the test,” replied Bill.
“What is the test?” asked the man.
Bill replied, “Well, we show them a bath filled with water, a large bucket, a large cup, and a spoon. We then ask them what the quickest way to empty the water in the bath would be.”
The man said, “Oh, I see… that is pretty simple – the ‘normal one’ knows it’s the bucket, right?”
“No actually,” replied Bill. “The normal ones say pull the plug. Should I see if there is a bed free for you?” (Michael G. Rogers, Leadership Development is About You Too! Short Funny Leadership Story, www.teamworkleadership.com).
Some of you have served such insensitive, ignorant leaders. So, what do you do in those situations? What do you do when your boss is a selfish, self-centered snoot? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Ezekiel 34, Ezekiel 34, where God addresses such leaders in the presence of their followers, who were suffering as result of their poor leadership.
Ezekiel 34:1-6 The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them (ESV).
Israel and Judah were in exile, because their rulers, their so-called “shepherds,” refused to take care of the people in their charge. On the contrary, these kings exploited the people, abusing them for their own benefit. They ruled with an iron fist, ignoring the lost, the lame, and the sick.
On commentator said, “They had served themselves at the expense of their people, rather than serving the people at any cost to themselves (Wright, The Message of Ezekiel: A New Heart and a New Spirit, Inter-Varsity Press, 2001). As a result, God declares that He will remove them from power.
Ezekiel 34:7-10 “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them (ESV).
God opposes those who exploit His people, and He will prevent them from further exploitation. He will remove them from power as He calls them to account.
And that is exactly what happened. Israel and Judah’s monarchy ended with the Babylon captivity and has yet to be restored. In fact, for over 2,500 years, the land of Israel remained under foreign control until 1948, when Israel became a nation again. God most certainly removed those greedy “shepherds” for a long time!
Now, God pronounced judgment on those “shepherds” in the hearing of those they exploited. They had led God’s people into idolatry, which is why there were in exile in the first place. So, the message is clear to God’s people: Stop following those shepherds. Refuse to listen to them anymore.
REJECT THE GREEDY SHEPHERDS.
And stay away from their attempts to dominate you.
When he first became a Christian, Augustine's ambition was to live the rest of his life as a private person, focusing on prayer and quiet contemplation. But other church leaders noticed the depth of his spiritual life and tapped him to be a bishop. From that point on, Augustine would have to relinquish his desire for a quiet, private life and focus on overseeing a number of churches.
Author Gary Thomas tells what happened next in Augustine's life:
In 427, the Arian Vandals advanced into North Africa, where Augustine lived and ministered. Genserik, the Vandal King, specifically sought out Christian churches… Refugees poured into Hippo, the city where Augustine was serving, and it wasn't long before Genserik had laid siege to Augustine's city.
The refugees not only brought heightened responsibilities for Augustine; they also brought disease. In the fifth century, so many people packed into so tight a space, it inevitably created a sick environment. At this point, Augustine had three choices: He could flee…, he could stay holed up in his palace and ignore the needs of his people but preserve his own health, or he could get his hands dirty, and risk becoming ill himself.
Augustine did not know how to be a bishop from afar, so he kept up his active schedule, being present with the people—and paid dearly for his service. During the third month of the siege, in August of 430, Augustine developed a high fever from which he never recovered. This powerful man of God, whose books Christians still read… gave his last hours ministering to the most basic needs of a frightened flock (Gary Thomas, Authentic Faith, Zondervan, 2001, pp. 25-26; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s the kind of leader you follow—one who is willing to sacrifice himself for your sake. On the other hand, reject those who serve themselves at your expense.
In fact, Augustine’s contemporary, Jerome, said, “Shun, as you would the plague, a cleric who from being poor has become wealthy, or who, from being nobody has become a celebrity” (Jerome, “Money in Christian History,” Christian History, no. 14; www.PreachingToday.com). In other words…
Stop listening to those preachers who have gotten rich off the backs of poor donors. Or if you are in an abusive relationship, get out before you are seriously hurt. Or if your boss takes advantage of you on the job, find a different job. Reject the greedy shepherds and…
RELY ON THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
Depend on the Lord, who will take good care of you. Commit your life to Christ, who sacrificed Himself for you.
Ezekiel 34:11-13 “For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country (ESV).
Since Israel’s shepherds abused their sheep, God says He will take care of the sheep Himself. First, He will seek and rescue them from all the places they ran.
Now, this excited the Jewish exiles in Babylon—God was going to bring them home again! And indeed, God did that 70 years after the Babylonians captured the Jews. He did it again in 1948, 1900 years after the Romans scattered the Jews all over the world. Then, when the antichrist desecrates the temple in Jerusalem and forces the Jews to flee (Matthew 24:15-21), God will bring them back to their land at Jesus’ Second Coming (Matthew 24:31).
When earthly leaders fail, God succeeds at seeking and rescuing His people no matter how far away they have strayed from home.
Do you know? That’s God’s promise to you, as well, even if you are not a Jew. For Jesus, who is Israel’s God in the flesh, made the same promise. He said, “[I] came “to seek and to save the lost,” whoever they are (Luke 19:10), declaring that He has sheep outside the fold of Israel (John 10:16).
So, if other shepherds, if other leaders have used and abused you…
TRUST THE GOOD SHEPHERD TO BRING YOU HOME.
Depend on Christ to seek and rescue you. Put your faith in Jesus who is looking for you right now to bring you home.
Britain's so-called "loneliest sheep" was stuck at the foot of a remote cliff in Scotland for at least two years. Then, Cammy Wilson led a risky rescue mission to bring him home.
Kayaker Jillian Turner first discovered the sheep in 2021 on the shore of the cliff in Brora. Photos show the sheep at the base of the cliff surrounded by steep rock on one side and water on the other.
In October of 2023 Turner said she spotted the sheep several times since, stuck in the same spot each time. Turner said, “It is heart-rending. We honestly thought she might make her way back up that first year.”
Wilson runs a Facebook page called "The Sheep Game" that chronicles his life as a farmer. After another farmer brought the sheep to his attention, he named the sheep Fiona and continued to give updates about her on Facebook.
Wilson then had an exciting update for followers. He and four others used a winch, a mechanical device that can act like a pulley, to get to Fiona. One person stayed at the top of the cliff, while the others traveled about 820 feet down the cliff to get to her.
A Scottish SPCA inspector checked over the sheep and found her to be in good bodily condition, although needing sheared. Wilson then transferred ownership of the sheep to Dalscone Farm, a tourist attraction in Edinburgh with activities for children (Caitlin O'Kane, “Britain's "loneliest sheep" rescued by group of farmers after being stuck on foot of cliff for at least 2 years,” CBC News, 11-6-23; www.PreachingToday.com).
Do you find yourself stuck and alone with no way out? Then know that Jesus is looking for you. He is the Good Shepherd who came to seek and to save the lost. He gave His life for you on the cross and rose again. So trust Him to bring you home. Then…
TRUST THE GOOD SHEPHERD TO BRING YOU WHAT YOU NEED.
Depend on Christ to feed and heal you. Rely on Jesus to supply all your needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). That was God’s promise to Israel.
Ezekiel 34:14-16 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice (ESV).
God will feed and heal the weak, protecting them from the bullies in the flock. Now, this promise awaits ultimate fulfillment during the future reign of Christ on this earth when He fully restores Israel to prosperity and removes all her enemies.
However, this promise applies in some measure today to all who put their trust in Christ. Jesus said, “I am the door. If ANYONE enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:9-10).
Find a full and meaningful life only in Christ. Other pursuits will leave you feeling empty. Pursuing Christ will fill your life with meaning and purpose.
Cicely Saunders was a British nurse and social worker, who later trained to be a doctor. What she discovered in 1950s England shocked her. Hospitals had no idea what to do with patients who were dying. Doctors would tell the family, “There is nothing more that can be done.” And nothing more was done for this suffering person.
Cicely Saunders, who had become a Christian, refused to accept that. She spent seven years researching pain control and working among the dying. She began dreaming of a place serving cancer patients but was afraid of stepping out and asking for funds for what would be the world’s first hospice. Then one day she read Psalm 37:5 “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
So in 1961, Cicely Saunders opened St. Christopher’s in London. There, they did pioneering research on using morphine for pain control. And unlike hospitals, in her hospice, a patient can garden, or get their hair done, or enjoy art therapy, music therapy, drama therapy. Cicely believed, “You matter because you are you, you matter to the last moment of your life."
Her work helped create a new specialty in medicine, called palliative care. And when euthanasia began growing in Europe, Cicely Saunders strongly opposed it, because of her Christian faith, and because she had shown that effective pain control is possible.
In 2005, Cicely Saunders died from breast cancer—at the very hospice she had started. In a culture that viewed a dying patient as a medical failure, Cicely Saunders taught the world how to view that same patient as a whole person (Staff, “Dame Cicely Saunders,” StChristophers.Org, accessed 10/14/22; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s how Jesus views you no matter how sick you are. He views you as a whole person deserving the utmost care. Only, He can do more that relieve the pain until you die. He can grant you eternal life if you trust Him to do it for you.
Please, if other shepherds have used and abused you, 1st, trust the Good Shepherd to bring you home. 2nd, trust the Good Shepherd to bring you what you need and then some! And 3rd…
TRUST THE GOOD SHEPHERD TO BRING YOU JUSTICE.
Depend on Christ to deal fairly with those who bully you. Rely on Jesus to make all things right in the end.
Ezekiel 34:17-22 “As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet? “Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep (ESV).
There were bullies within Israel, God’s flock. So God promises to judge them as He judged Israel’s enemies on the outside. He will not allow anyone, inside or outside, to threaten His people.
Now, this is true not only of Israel, but of the church, as well. The New Testament describes arrogant and disruptive people in the church like these fat sheep (1 Corinthians 1:10-11; 3:1-4, 18). Then it says to the church as a whole, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
So don’t mess with God’s people, whether they be His people the Jews or His people in the church. Because if you mess with God’s people, God will mess with you.
Dear friend, if someone in the church has mistreated you, don’t judge the whole church because of that one person. Instead, trust Jesus to judge that person fairly and leave it in His hands.
Dr. Katrina Firlik was the first woman admitted into the neurosurgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Her recent book, Another Day in the Frontal Lobe, provides a glimpse into the training of a brain surgeon. In one chapter she shares a story from the last year of her residency—a time when she was already becoming jaded to the tragedies of neurological devastation. She writes:
I walked into yet another examining room… a brand-new consult from out of town: 18-years-old, cerebral palsy, spasticity. Okay, okay, I've seen this before, I just need to get a good history before my attending [physician] walks in. Efficiency is key. I looked at the patient for a second: very skinny, special wheelchair, arms contracted, head support in place, mouth hung open. It was clear I wasn't going to get the story from him, so I turned to the parents, my back toward the patient, and started to take down the history…
[Then my mentor walked in]… He sat down on the examining table, the only seat left in the cramped room. After introducing himself, he surveyed the compact scene—the patient, the parents—and then focused his gaze back on the patient. After what seemed like several, almost uncomfortably quiet seconds, he looked the patient in the eye and asked, “So, when did you graduate from high school?” The young man's face lit up like I had no idea it could.
My mentor had noticed something I had missed. The patient was wearing a large high-school ring, so large that it looked a little silly on his bony finger. His body, far more than his mind, had borne the brunt of his cerebral palsy. He was a proud, beaming high-school graduate, who used a specialized computer to help him communicate. For the remainder of the visit I sat in the corner, dunce like, humbled by the enormity of this ring now staring me in the face (Katrina Firlik, Another Day in the Frontal Lobe, Random House, 2007, pp. 138-139; www.PreachingToday.com).
People misjudge you all the time, especially if you have any kind of disability, and don’t we all. Well, let me tell you. Jesus will never misjudge you. On the contrary, He knows your heart and will treat you fairly and with respect.
Please, pay no attention to those who would belittle and bully you. Reject the greedy shepherds and rely on the Good Shepherd. 1st, trust Him to bring you home. 2nd, trust Him to bring you what you need. 3rd, trust Him to bring you justice. And 4th…
TRUST THE GOOD SHEPHERD TO BRING YOU TOGETHER.
Depend on Jesus to reconcile brothers and sisters, who have become strangers to one another. Rely on Christ to break down the barriers that keep you apart.
When Ezekiel wrote this prophecy, God’s people were divided. Assyria had already taken the 10 northern tribes away, and Babylon had just taken the 2 southern tribes away. Civil war had divided north and south until their enemies destroyed them, but that’s not the end of the story!
Ezekiel 34:23-24 And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the LORD; I have spoken (ESV).
God will unite Israel under one Shepherd, under one King, who will sit on David’s throne. That King is Jesus, David’s direct descendant (Matthew 1:1), who will preside over a united Israel when He comes again.
Even today, there is no talk of north and south in Israel. They are one nation soon to be under one King, Jesus! For God has already begun the work of reconciliation in Israel.
However, even more amazing, is the work of reconciliation God has brought between Jew and Gentile, some of Israel’s bitterest enemies.
Ephesians 2 says, “Remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh… were… separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility… that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Ephesians 2:11-16).
Jesus’ death on the cross brought Jew and Gentile together in “one new man,” the church. For God designed the church to be an expression of the unity desired by so many in the world.
Jesus prayed for His followers… “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21).
When we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, whether they be Jew or Gentile, black or white, rich or poor, and dare I say Republican or Democrat, when we love one another despite our differences, people in the world sit up and take notice and that love draws them to the Jesus we follow. So, set your differences aside by depending on Jesus, who died to bring us all together as a testimony to the world.
Sanderson Jones, a former stand-up comedian, now leads a Sunday Assembly in London—also known as the “atheist church.” One Sunday, he attended three London churches and tweeted about his experience. His observations were surprising and an encouraging. He wrote:
“I think churches should recognize that they are already doing so much right.” He was referring to the greeter who welcomed him at the front door.
He was also impressed that church people knew where and when to set up for coffee after church. “I went to the American Humanist Association,” he wrote, “and they had a special lecture on why it's important to be welcoming. It's just the most basic things which you'll take for granted in ‘Churchland,’ which are in fact really powerful” (Lucinda Borkett-Jones, “A well-known atheist visited three churches in one day and this is what he made of it,” Christian Today, 3-30-15; www.PreachingToday.com).
The simple ways we love one another impresses people, even atheists.
So, even if you have been mistreated, 1st, trust the Good Shepherd to bring you home; 2nd, trust the Good Shepherd to bring you what you need; 3rd, trust the Good Shepherd to bring you justice; 4th, trust the Good Shepherd to bring you together; and finally…
TRUST THE GOOD SHEPHERD TO BRING YOU PEACE.
Depend on Jesus to secure you in His home forever. Rely on Christ to give you that sense of well-being despite all that you have been through. That was God’s promise to Israel.
Ezekiel 34:25-31 “I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord GOD. And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord GOD” (ESV).
This looks to a time yet future when Jesus will secure the nation of Israel under His reign. He’ll bring them peace and prosperity such as they have never known before.
However, Jesus also promises peace to those who put their faith in Him today. Jesus said to His followers, “In the world you will have tribulation,” but “in me you may have peace” (John 15:33).
Ron and Joke Jones serve with the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Israel. And during a tumultuous time in the Middle East, they wrote the following in a prayer letter:
The result of the fighting and killing has left a profound sense of discouragement that hovers over the country. Several times we have come into closer contact with this conflict than our comfort zone allowed.
Yesterday a friend shared with us something she observed that was a delightful reminder of God's care for us. She watched a shepherd caring for his flock near the area where guns are fired. Every time the shots rang out the sheep scattered in fright. The shepherd then touched each of them with his staff and spoke calmly to them, and the sheep settled down immediately because they trusted the shepherd. And then another shot sounded, and the same routine happened again. Each time, the sheep needed the shepherd to orient them again and to reassure them they were safe (Ron and Joke Jones, Christian and Missionary Alliance missionaries).
My dear friends, that’s what the Good Shepherd does for you, too! He brings peace even when you’re under fire, so trust Him!
Reject the greedy shepherds and rely on the Good Shepherd. Trust the Good Shepherd to bring you home. Trust the Good Shepherd to bring you what you need. Trust the Good Shepherd to bring you justice. Trust the Good Shepherd to bring you together, and trust the Good Shepherd to bring you peace.
It’s like the old song says:
Earthly friends may prove untrue.
Doubts and fears assail.
One still loves and cares for you.
Jesus never fails (Arthur A. Luther).
Dear friend, Jesus will never fail you, so trust Him with your life.
