The Good Shepherd
Symbolism linked with the shepherd and his flock is present in all three synoptic Gospels.
Jesus Christ - His Life and Teaching, Vol. 5: The Lamb of God, by Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev
We use the term “pastor” today figuratively, regarding members of the clergy. The Greek and Hebrew terms from which we receive “pastor” literally mean “shepherd.” As early as in Genesis we find the Shepherd idea:
Genesis 49: 24 But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel)
There are several such passages in the Psalms; just a couple examples:
Psalm 23: 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 79:13 So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; We will show forth Your praise to all generations.
There are also such passages in Jeremiah and Ezekiel:
Jeremiah 23: 1 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the Lord.
Ezekiel: 34: 1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.
The Lord makes clear that the flock is His; the shepherds are to be stewards:
Ezekiel 34: 10 Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”
23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.
Of course, this refers to a descendant of David.
At the same time, this shepherd is to be a lamb that is slaughtered:
Isaiah 53: 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
This idea continues in the Gospels:
Matthew 9: 35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
John 10: 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. … 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”
All of the teaching of the Good Shepherd paints a picture of an inner unity between the Shepherd and His flock. He is not a stranger, but a friend; they belong to Him. This shepherd brings life in abundance; He gives His life for His sheep; He knows His sheep and they know Him; finally, there are sheep not of this fold, yet they are also His.
This shepherd is also the door, the way, the gate. While this door is open to both Jew and Gentile, His sheep – the Church Triumphant – will include only those who enter through Him. There is no other way.
Matthew 7: 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
This idea of the Good Shepherd formed the ecclesiology of the Church – the pastors and bishops were to be shepherds for the flock entrusted to them.
1 Peter 5: 1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Here we see not only the role of the shepherd in the pastors (elders), but also that they are stewards and responsible to the Chief Shepherd for the manner in which they care for the flock.
Conclusion
Proverbs 13: 24 He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
A verse used by many to support corporal punishment and beating as discipline. Does this sound anything like what is presented in Scripture? Does this sound like the proper use of the rod by the Good Shepherd? Did the Shepherd beat the one lost ship out of one hundred when He found him? I think not.
Then there is this:
Psalm 23: 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Would the rod comfort me if I knew I was in for a beating? Hardly. The rod and staff were used to both keep the sheep together under the protection of the shepherd (discipline the son promptly) and to beat the wolves (the valley of the shadow of death) away when they came.
This is the Good Shepherd. He is the narrow gate, and He shepherds us on the difficult path which leads to life.
Proverbs 13 isn't about Jesus or His relationship to His sheep.
That being said you can read multiple passages in the NT talking about the discipline of the Lord, church discipline, and even excommunication. All of these things are the rod as applied to believers in the church. If you think God's discipline isn't extremely painful, I don't know what to tell you. I've been through it several times. I prefer being spanked by my Earthly father.
Proverbs 23 addresses Earthly discipline directly. It's very clear what it means. I don't think it means cruelty either. It isn't describing what we think of as child abuse, but it describing a method of discipline that God says fathers should use, and the effect when carried out properly in love in patience with restraint for the purpose of correction and not as a way to express anger or frustration.
13 Do not hold back discipline from the child,
Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall strike him with the rod
And rescue his soul from Sheol.
For 60 years, I was a city boy. For nine years, I’ve been a rural retiree. My neighbors have small, mixed herds of sheep and goats. I just spent a half hour with ChatGTP asking questions about what I see and what sheep herding was like in the ancient Levant. The biggest difference is here, the pastor manages the dogs and the dogs manage the herd. Herding sheep on grasslands in antiquity was a very active job for the shepherd!
I love this word picture used to describe our relationship with God, and then the twist, “Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world”!