The Wolf

"The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away -- and the wolf snatches them and scatters them" (John 10:12).

Set against the good shepherd and the sheep are the hired hand and the wolf. The shepherd and sheep are good and innocent, while the same cannot be said for the hired hand or the wolf to whom the hired hand exposes the flock.

As the antagonist of the sheep, the wolf imagery suggests violence and rapaciousness. Wolves are predators. Friberg refers to the wolf "as a fierce beast of prey..." When used metaphorically, he says it refers to "a person with dangerous pretenses, such as a false prophet, false teacher, or false leader vicious person, fierce person."

Are we taking care to protect our people from such "wolves?" Are we educating them to discern for themselves between good and bad teaching, between fads and eternal truths? What about our own hearts? Are we feeding off our sheep or feeding them God's Word and the sacraments? Don't we need to guard our own hearts to be sure we don't have some wolf in us?

wolf picture

The Hired Hand

John 10:12, 13

12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away -- and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.

The status of the average shepherd wasn't that great, but as the owner, at least he had a vested interest in his sheep. A hired hand, however, was working simply for the money, not caring about the sheep. If shepherds were not especially trustworthy, then hired hands were even less so. Some certainly did not do the one job they were hired to do--guard the sheep!

The hired hand leaves them when trouble, in the form of a wolf, comes (verse 12). The hired hand runs away in fear. Unprotected, left alone, the sheep are scattered when the wolf approaches.

There used to be a blog entitled "You've Really Got to Love Your People." This name runs through my mind frequently, especially when we speak of healthy and unhealthy congregations. Are we as leaders abdicating responsibilities of love and care for all God has called us to? Are we loving our people, whoever, wherever they may be? Or are we just in the job for the money, the prestige? Are we being good shepherds or hired hands?

hired