‘Feed My Sheep’

Jesus Christ told Peter to ‘feed my sheep’ three separate times after he was resurrected and before he ascended. He did not say to Peter ‘I now give you my sheep’, he did not say Peter ‘feedyour sheep‘. He said to Peter ‘feed my sheep’. The sheep that Peter was tasked to feed were only God’s sheep. They did not belong to Peter. Jesus authorized Peter, a person fully yielding to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Compared to God, we are sheep, all of us, all of humanity are the sheep of his pasture.

We know that sheep are dumb, sheep are sometimes stubborn, sheep are weak. Sheep have no strength or weapons to defend themselves. Sheep can easily be controlled, destroyed or harvested for whatever purpose a person wants.

Human beings are like sheep when compared to God and Christians are the sheep owned by Jesus Christ.

But…

We are not the sheep of other men; no man can ascend to the place of owning sheep.

Christian should not look to other Christians as their shepherd. As a permanent teacher status or authority over them. Submission is to be mutual and have Godly love as its foundation and basis not authoritarianism or titles. There is to be equality within any group of serious Jesus followers. Jesus openly taught against there being hierarchy and ‘authority over’, within and among his people.

Paul openly taught against people needing perpetual teachers. It has also been prophesied that the word of the Lord would be written on our hearts, all of us.

We Demand An Authoritarian King

Yet we want a leader, we want to act like dumb sheep, we want to lay down our lives and empower someone to tell us how to live. Some of us want to be told when to come in, when to sing, when to give and how much to give. When to ‘repeat after me’, what ‘vision’ to work for, when to stand, when to bow our heads ,when to raise hands, when to worship. Which songs to worship to, how many songs to worship to, when to dismiss the meeting and when to go home.

So as act like demanding sheep who look for a king, some of us rise up, and become the local ‘king’. They take ownership of Gods sheep, demand a salary and title and some loyalty. However just because this happens it does not mean that Jesus has anything to do with it. No more than Jesus approved of Israel demanding king Saul. Remember in response to this God said to Samuel “they have not rejected you but they have rejected me as king.”

Peter was an authorized sheep to feed Jesus’ other sheep for a time and a purpose. Peter was the first of the Christians who had spent years with Jesus. His influence and leadership was critical in the early years after the resurrection. Jesus never gave Peter sheep to consider his own. Peter was tasked with feeding the sheep that always belonged to Jesus’ workers just get to join in for a time and a specific purpose in the feeding of God’s other more immature sheep.

That is an critical distinction to accept.

Only Jesus Christ is my shepherd, only Jesus Christ is my pastor, I am a sheep only to Jesus Christ. How about you?