The Hireling Shepherd

John 9:39

39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

Listen to the Master. It is a serious thing when the Lord reveals Himself to a leader. There are many leaders in the Body of Christ who have no clue as to the mind of Christ or the purpose of God for their own ministry. But and if the Lord makes known His will and way, then that leader is responsible for what he or she has comprehended. Remember the leader in the previous chapter who is able to talk a good game? He is able to do so because He understands the Word. He knows what he should be and what he should do. The problem is in doing it.

John 9:40

40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?

Now listen to the response of the religious sect. “Do you think we are blind? We see you and know who you are. We know you were born out of fornication and are the bastard baby of the village carpenter.” Those who walk in the flesh tend to see after the flesh. To the contrary, the Church was instructed not to see each other after the flesh. I need you to see the two-fold sin here.

First of all, the Pharisees took pride in boasting about their exclusive knowledge of God. Secondly, their remark was a dare or a challenge to Jesus. The righteousness of God is not an issue here. This is what they were saying: “Do you know who we are? I dare you to say we are blind to the will of God. We are God’s men. We were chosen to lead the people and to call us blind would be an act of sedition.” They wanted Jesus to say something that would incriminate Him. It is the same old story. Under-shepherds sometimes look for something to incriminate the leader as if exposure of the leader justifies their negative character, motives and hidden agendas.

John 9:41

41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

Leaders, who document the fact that they have an understanding of sin and do not live according to that knowledge are in danger of missing bheaven.

John 10:1

1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

God has said that He is about to exalt leadership in the Body of Christ. However, He also said that only the pure in heart shall see Him. Although one can start out with a pure, seeking-out-righteousness heart the abundance of revelation and the ability to articulate that knowledge can give one a “big head”. Consequently, such a one is no longer satisfied with his or her position in the Church. Therefore, they begin to covet the positions of others and their heart is given over to self-exaltation.

SOME OTHER WAY

The leader must enter into the sheepfold by the door. Every member of the Body is a holy temple in which God dwells. Just as one had to enter the tabernacle through the door, we must do the same. The door of the tabernacle in the wilderness was a type of Christ. The door into the temple of man is Christ. Those who groom the sheep must do so by walking up and down in the soul realm to destroy every high thing that exalts itself above the knowledge of God.

Now it is the Lord who places leadership in the hearts of the people. He knows this is the place of service. This is the workspace. Likewise, the people must have love and respect for those who work in their souls to bring the glorious light of the gospel from their spirit (conscience) to shine in their heart, mind and body. But some have become over zealous in their quest to be exalted among the people. Therefore, they strive by seeking to uproot those who the Lord has placed in the hearts of the people. They lust for that place. They desire it at all costs. Therefore, it is easy for them to sow seeds of discord and roots of bitterness in the hearts of the people concerning those who are in the way of their efforts. Why is this thirst for exaltation so fervent? Because they have appointed a foreign destiny for their soul.

Such ministers are only interested in becoming renown and/or rich in the sight of the people. They want authority and control in the lives of the people. They want to be exalted. They seek their own by destroying the character of others. They are murderers, backbiters and haters of men and women whom God has favored. Such ministers have hidden agendas and unrighteous motives that drive them to overturn the table of shewbread, scattering the coals on the altar of incense and finally turning the light of the candlestick down to a flicker. These ministers destroy the fellowship of the saints, cause the purity of prayer to cease, and dim the light of the gospel that causes the victim to feel lost and hopeless in the midst of life’s trials. Now the destiny of the soul of the victim is in question. If the Lord does not raise up some one to retrieve that soul, it will end up in that foreign place along with the hireling shepherd.

John 10:2-10

2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

The hireling shepherd is a thief and a robber. He robs the saints of hope in the gospel and takes away their example of Holiness. He comes into the unsuspecting soul of the believer with great words and righteous speech. He plays a rap game with the people and his leader. He knows what to say and how to say it in order to convince others of his “righteous” intents. He is always presenting a plan in the church that will supposedly unify and edify the church. He makes sure that people think of him as a champion for love and peace in the Body when in essence, true love for the people and instituted authority are merely a message. Because the hireling comes to steal, kill and destroy, they are not trustworthy. They usually have a track record of talking too much, which causes the people not to confide in them.

St. John 10:11-13

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

Once the hireling has beguiled the sheep in iniquity, he is unable to help them face the crisis situations in their own personal lives. Though he may preach the truth from the pulpit, they have no confidence in the message because in their hearts they begin to realize that it is only a message to him. He robs them of the life example of the Word. Therefore, he robs them of the hope. Now where do they go? They will not go to another minister who God initially placed in their hearts for their hearts may not be pure towards that person. They will not go to the hireling, realizing that he is in worse shape than they are. They even hesitate to go to God seeing they are not sure if He will deliver them from their situations, seeing as how they have dishonored Him too. Oh what despair these souls face! They must be retrieved. Those who are spiritual must restore their confidence in God and God’s leadership.

John 10:14-15

14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. Is there hope for the hireling?

I dare to say yes. However, He must agree with God. He must seek God’s face for spiritual breakthrough. He must come into complete agreement with God’s Word and make it law for his life. He must pour out his heart before God and ask Him for the riches of His glory (Ephesians 3:16).

He must want nothing. He must truly repent, not as Esau, but as Jacob.