Today we take off from our last posting if only for emphasis. John 10:4 and John 21:15-17 are two critical scriptures of the Lord, pointing us as followers to what should serve as distinctive marks of a shepherd leader —a consciousness of the differences between the lamb (baby sheep) and sheep (the mature).
And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. John 10:4
So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. John 21:15-17
There is a difference in their capabilities, hence the manner of handling each differs!
- sheep hear His voice, not lambs, therefore we feed the lambs (the thrust of discipling), but
- we tend and feed the sheep
The same sense is implicit in Matthew 28:19,20. These scriptures point to there being a pathway, a process to get to maturity.
Note that the mature sheep hear the Master’s voice, not the lambs. Baby sheep or lambs follow adult sheep until their senses are trained. There is grace for the immature to be nurtured, so if their spiritual senses (ears) aren’t developed yet God will use the mature to work with them till they are able to hear His voice and can behave appropriately. This shows the cause for the judgment of strong sheep polluting the waters and disenfranchising the young or weaker sheep in Ezekiel 34.
As there is grace for the immature, there is a responsibility for the sheep to be good examples. This truth is emphasised in the following scriptures that you are encouraged to study for complete understanding of shepherd-to-sheep relationship, and sheep-to-lamb/sheep relationship.
Receive grace to live correctly in the fellowship of saints, Selah.
Pastor Afolabi Oladele
Leave a Reply