Knowing the Flock
Proverbs 27:23; John 10:7-18
Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, cares for his church: through a team of humble pastors who lead and teach together, through a church that honors and holds them accountable, and through deacons who meet material needs so pastors can give themselves to prayer and the Word. Last Sunday, Pastor Will showed us the qualities God requires of these men. Today we turn from who these men must be to the kind of care pastors should give to the church.
Tucked away in Proverbs, a father gives his son some excellent advice on how to manage his financial and material resources. He says:
Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds. (Prov 27:23)
This man speaks to his son as if he’s either a shepherd caring for animals or, more likely, a rancher responsible for the care of many flocks. He reminds him that wealth doesn’t last on its own, but if it’s managed well, it will provide for his growing family and workforce, with room for further growth (vv. 24-27).
To manage these resources well, the father doesn’t just tell his son to work hard. He tells him to pay close attention to his flocks so that he understands them well. And through the years, both in books I’ve read and in training I’ve received, this advice has been given to me as an important principle (or “best practice”) for pastors to follow in caring for a church.
Pastors must know people well to care for them well. This means more than knowing things about them. It means being present with them and paying attention to their particular needs. This personal care is essential because it reflects how Christ himself cares for us. To understand what this requires of pastors, let’s first see how good shepherds know and care for their sheep.
Good shepherds know their sheep well and care for them accordingly.
The Bible gives us some helpful perspective on how shepherds cared for their flocks.
Good human shepherds pay attention to their flocks.
In Gen 33:13–14, we see how Jacob paid attention to his sheep and let his knowledge of them affect how he cared for them.
Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die. Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace which the livestock that go before me, and the children, are able to endure...”
From this we see that Jacob had a difficult journey ahead of him, and he was traveling with his large, growing family and his many large flocks of animals (goats, sheep, and cattle). Rather than push forward at a fast pace, he chose to go forward at a slower pace, instead, because many of his animals were nursing young children and he knew that if they pushed them too hard, they would die. So, Jacob paced his flock based upon his knowledge of their condition.
In Luke 15, Jesus told the story of a man who cared for a flock of one hundred sheep, which he knew so well that he could tell if only one of them were missing.
What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? (Luke 15:4)
This kind of attentive care reflects the advice given in Prov 27:23.
Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds. (Prov 27:23)
“Be diligent to know” means taking personal responsibility to be well-informed. You don’t just know what happens to come your way; you seek it out. The Hebrew wording is emphatic. It means to know something well, or to “set your heart” on it.
The phrase “the state of” literally means “the face of.” This refers to how a shepherd can look at the face of an animal to tell by its appearance whether it is healthy and strong. A good shepherd can tell an animal’s condition by closely reading its face.
The second half of this proverb tells a shepherd to not only “attend” to them, too. This speaks of going out, being with them, standing among them, looking over them, and doing something with the knowledge you gain.
A good shepherd doesn’t care for his animals from a distance or treat them in a generic, universal way. He looks at them closely, observes their condition, and lets what he knows shape how he leads and cares for them. Jacob did this with his weak and nursing flocks, and the shepherd in Jesus’ parable did this when he noticed that one sheep was missing. But the Bible doesn’t stop with human shepherds. It shows us that God himself is the kind of shepherd who knows his flock well and cares for them accordingly.
God cares for his people like an attentive shepherd.
According to Isaiah 40:11, God cares for his people like a gentle and understanding shepherd cares for wobbly newborn lambs and mother sheep.
He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.
According to Ezek 34:1-16, God knows and cares for his people in numerous ways, even when other people who should’ve cared for them had failed. According to this passage:
God himself searches for his people (v. 11). He rescues them from the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day (v. 12). He gathers them from the foreign people and nations around them (v. 13). He brings them home to their own land (v. 13). He feeds them well in good, rich pastures (vv. 13-14). He gives them a safe place to stay in a good sheepfold on the high mountains (v. 14). He gives them rest by making them lie down (v. 15). He seeks those who are lost (v. 16). He brings back the strays that were driven away (v. 16). He binds up the broken (v. 16). He strengthens the sick (v. 16). And he shepherds with justice, feeding his flock in judgment and protecting the weak from those who want to abuse and harm them (v. 16).
According to John 10:3, 14, this is how Christ, the Good Shepherd, cares for his people.
The sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. … I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. (John 10:3, 14)
From this we see that Christ knows each of his sheep personally. He “knows them by name.” How precious is that? If someone “knows your name,” that’s special, right? It shows that they care about you. But “knowing someone’s name” and “knowing someone by name” aren’t the same thing.
To “know someone by name” is even more special. It means that someone knows who you are and what you are like. It means they know and understand you and will relate and respond to you in the best possible way. It means that they won’t just treat you as a generic, universal person but as the person you are uniquely.
As the Good Shepherd, Christ knows each of his followers in a close, personal, unique way, and he cares for them in a close, personal way that’s based on that knowledge.
Scripture shows us that good shepherds, and God himself, know their sheep well and care for them accordingly, and because Christ is the Chief Shepherd of the church (1 Pet 5:4), the men he gives to shepherd his church must care for it the same way.
Good pastors know their church well and care for them accordingly.
It’s fascinating to me how God often called men to lead and care for his people who had first been shepherds. Men like this include Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jethro, Moses, David, and the prophet Amos. This is noteworthy because good shepherding skills are important skills to have when caring for God’s people God’s way. We see this in two ways.
Good pastors pay attention to their own congregation.
Notice the focus of Paul’s instruction to the pastors of the church at Ephesus.
Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. (Acts 20:28)
We see the same focus in Peter’s instructions to the pastors of the churches he wrote to:
Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly. (1 Pet 5:2)
Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, cares for his church: through a team of humble pastors who lead and teach together, through a church that honors and holds them accountable, and through deacons who meet material needs so pastors can give themselves to prayer and the Word. Last Sunday, Pastor Will showed us the qualities God requires of these men. Today we turn from who these men must be to the kind of care pastors should give to the church.
Tucked away in Proverbs, a father gives his son some excellent advice on how to manage his financial and material resources. He says:
Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds. (Prov 27:23)
This man speaks to his son as if he’s either a shepherd caring for animals or, more likely, a rancher responsible for the care of many flocks. He reminds him that wealth doesn’t last on its own, but if it’s managed well, it will provide for his growing family and workforce, with room for further growth (vv. 24-27).
To manage these resources well, the father doesn’t just tell his son to work hard. He tells him to pay close attention to his flocks so that he understands them well. And through the years, both in books I’ve read and in training I’ve received, this advice has been given to me as an important principle (or “best practice”) for pastors to follow in caring for a church.
Pastors must know people well to care for them well. This means more than knowing things about them. It means being present with them and paying attention to their particular needs. This personal care is essential because it reflects how Christ himself cares for us. To understand what this requires of pastors, let’s first see how good shepherds know and care for their sheep.
Good shepherds know their sheep well and care for them accordingly.
The Bible gives us some helpful perspective on how shepherds cared for their flocks.
Good human shepherds pay attention to their flocks.
In Gen 33:13–14, we see how Jacob paid attention to his sheep and let his knowledge of them affect how he cared for them.
Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die. Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace which the livestock that go before me, and the children, are able to endure...”
From this we see that Jacob had a difficult journey ahead of him, and he was traveling with his large, growing family and his many large flocks of animals (goats, sheep, and cattle). Rather than push forward at a fast pace, he chose to go forward at a slower pace, instead, because many of his animals were nursing young children and he knew that if they pushed them too hard, they would die. So, Jacob paced his flock based upon his knowledge of their condition.
In Luke 15, Jesus told the story of a man who cared for a flock of one hundred sheep, which he knew so well that he could tell if only one of them were missing.
What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? (Luke 15:4)
This kind of attentive care reflects the advice given in Prov 27:23.
Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds. (Prov 27:23)
“Be diligent to know” means taking personal responsibility to be well-informed. You don’t just know what happens to come your way; you seek it out. The Hebrew wording is emphatic. It means to know something well, or to “set your heart” on it.
The phrase “the state of” literally means “the face of.” This refers to how a shepherd can look at the face of an animal to tell by its appearance whether it is healthy and strong. A good shepherd can tell an animal’s condition by closely reading its face.
The second half of this proverb tells a shepherd to not only “attend” to them, too. This speaks of going out, being with them, standing among them, looking over them, and doing something with the knowledge you gain.
A good shepherd doesn’t care for his animals from a distance or treat them in a generic, universal way. He looks at them closely, observes their condition, and lets what he knows shape how he leads and cares for them. Jacob did this with his weak and nursing flocks, and the shepherd in Jesus’ parable did this when he noticed that one sheep was missing. But the Bible doesn’t stop with human shepherds. It shows us that God himself is the kind of shepherd who knows his flock well and cares for them accordingly.
God cares for his people like an attentive shepherd.
According to Isaiah 40:11, God cares for his people like a gentle and understanding shepherd cares for wobbly newborn lambs and mother sheep.
He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.
According to Ezek 34:1-16, God knows and cares for his people in numerous ways, even when other people who should’ve cared for them had failed. According to this passage:
God himself searches for his people (v. 11). He rescues them from the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day (v. 12). He gathers them from the foreign people and nations around them (v. 13). He brings them home to their own land (v. 13). He feeds them well in good, rich pastures (vv. 13-14). He gives them a safe place to stay in a good sheepfold on the high mountains (v. 14). He gives them rest by making them lie down (v. 15). He seeks those who are lost (v. 16). He brings back the strays that were driven away (v. 16). He binds up the broken (v. 16). He strengthens the sick (v. 16). And he shepherds with justice, feeding his flock in judgment and protecting the weak from those who want to abuse and harm them (v. 16).
According to John 10:3, 14, this is how Christ, the Good Shepherd, cares for his people.
The sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. … I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. (John 10:3, 14)
From this we see that Christ knows each of his sheep personally. He “knows them by name.” How precious is that? If someone “knows your name,” that’s special, right? It shows that they care about you. But “knowing someone’s name” and “knowing someone by name” aren’t the same thing.
To “know someone by name” is even more special. It means that someone knows who you are and what you are like. It means they know and understand you and will relate and respond to you in the best possible way. It means that they won’t just treat you as a generic, universal person but as the person you are uniquely.
As the Good Shepherd, Christ knows each of his followers in a close, personal, unique way, and he cares for them in a close, personal way that’s based on that knowledge.
Scripture shows us that good shepherds, and God himself, know their sheep well and care for them accordingly, and because Christ is the Chief Shepherd of the church (1 Pet 5:4), the men he gives to shepherd his church must care for it the same way.
Good pastors know their church well and care for them accordingly.
It’s fascinating to me how God often called men to lead and care for his people who had first been shepherds. Men like this include Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jethro, Moses, David, and the prophet Amos. This is noteworthy because good shepherding skills are important skills to have when caring for God’s people God’s way. We see this in two ways.
Good pastors pay attention to their own congregation.
Notice the focus of Paul’s instruction to the pastors of the church at Ephesus.
Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. (Acts 20:28)
We see the same focus in Peter’s instructions to the pastors of the churches he wrote to:
Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly. (1 Pet 5:2)
First, see the boundaries of pastoral care. Pastors must pay close attention to and give personal spiritual care to people who are “in the flock,” those whom they are “among,” and to those who are “among you.” This first emphasizes the importance of pastors knowing who is “in” their flock. This second emphasizes the importance of pastors focusing their care on those people who are in their flock, not people who are outside the flock or in other flocks – or churches.
We live in an age where both these things have become unclear. People come and go with no clear commitment to any church, expecting pastors to care for them loosely, especially in a crisis. At the same time, pastors can spread themselves so thin through books, podcasts, online content, and speaking elsewhere that they do very little actual caring for the people in their own church.
To solve this problem, pastors must take the lead in two ways. They must call people who attend their church informally and occasionally to commit themselves to that church as a flock formally. Then they must commit themselves personally to caring for those people in an attentive, devoted, and intentional way.
Remember Jacob, who paced his flock based on their condition, and the shepherd in Jesus’ parable, who noticed that one sheep out of a hundred was gone?
Good shepherds know their sheep well and care for them accordingly. So once pastors know who is in their flock, they must also come to know each person in it. It is not good for pastors to call for a clear membership commitment but then fail to care for the members whom God has entrusted to their care on his behalf.
Good pastors pay attention to each person in their congregation.
The apostle Paul makes this expectation very clear to the pastors at Ephesus. After telling them to take heed “to all the flock” (v. 28), he adds:
Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. (Acts 20:31)
Notice the emphasis and focus here:
Paul goes on to say that this attentive care includes warning the church about spiritual dangers they face, doing so at all times of day, even doing so with emotion and tears. In fact, he mentions “with tears” and “with many tears” not once but twice (Acts 20:19, 31).
So, what should you expect of your pastors? If good pastors know their church well and care for them accordingly, here is what that should look like at Brookdale.
First, expect your pastors to be among you and to know you, not just your name. Peter tells pastors to shepherd the flock “among you,” and Paul cared for the church publicly and “from house to house” (Acts 20:20). So, you should see your pastors not only in the pulpit but in your homes, at hospital bedsides, around the table, and in classes and life groups. And when we ask how you’re doing spiritually, how your family is doing, or what you’re struggling with, we’re not being nosy. Like a shepherd reading the “face” of each animal, we’re getting to know the condition of the flock.
Second, expect your pastors to come to you if you are going the wrong way. The shepherd in Jesus’ parable noticed the one sheep that was missing and went to recover it, and God himself seeks the lost and brings back the strays. Paul warned the Ephesians “night and day with tears,” so if you begin to slip spiritually, you should expect a call or a visit from your pastors. That isn’t controlling behavior, that’s loving, shepherding care.
Third, expect your pastors to give their first and best attention to this church. The Holy Spirit has made them overseers of this flock, not of a following online or an audience somewhere else. Other ministry opportunities may come, but they should never crowd out the people God has entrusted to their care.
And finally, help your pastors do this. Commit yourself to this church as part of the flock. Actually become a member of this flock so that your pastors can commit themselves to caring for you. Let your pastors into your life and be honest with them about how you’re really doing. And of course, don’t require them to do all the work around here. Follow their example by caring for one another the same way.
Be diligent to know the state of your flocks and attend to your herds.
A wise father gave that advice to his son about sheep and cattle, but it describes something far more precious. Jacob paced his flock by their condition. The shepherd in Jesus’ parable noticed the one sheep that was missing. God himself seeks the lost, binds up the broken, and strengthens the sick, and Christ, the Good Shepherd, knows each of his sheep by name.
Oliver Goldsmith, an eighteenth-century poet, described the village pastor he remembered from his youth, a man who knew and cared for every person in his parish. Listen to how he describes him in his poem “The Deserted Village.”
Near yonder copse, where once the garden smiled,
And still where many a garden-flower grows wild;
There, where a few torn shrubs the place disclose,
The village preacher's modest mansion rose …
Remote from towns he ran his godly race,
Nor e'er had changed, nor wished to change his place;
Unpractised he to fawn, or seek for power,
By doctrines fashioned to the varying hour;
Far other aims his heart had learned to prize,
More skilled to raise the wretched than to rise …
Thus to relieve the wretched was his pride,
And even his failings leaned to Virtue's side;
But in his duty prompt at every call,
He watched and wept, he prayed and felt, for all.
And, as a bird each fond endearment tries,
To tempt its new-fledged offspring to the skies;
He tried each art, reproved each dull delay,
Allured to brighter worlds, and led the way.
Beside the bed where parting life was layed,
And sorrow, guilt, and pain, by turns, dismayed
The reverend champion stood. At his control
Despair and anguish fled the struggling soul;
Comfort came down the trembling wretch to raise,
And his last faltering accents whispered praise.
May God raise up good pastors like this at and from Brookdale who know the church well and care for them accordingly. And may that same care spread from the pastors to every member so that the whole church reflects the heart of the Good Shepherd, who knows his sheep and laid down his life for them.
We live in an age where both these things have become unclear. People come and go with no clear commitment to any church, expecting pastors to care for them loosely, especially in a crisis. At the same time, pastors can spread themselves so thin through books, podcasts, online content, and speaking elsewhere that they do very little actual caring for the people in their own church.
To solve this problem, pastors must take the lead in two ways. They must call people who attend their church informally and occasionally to commit themselves to that church as a flock formally. Then they must commit themselves personally to caring for those people in an attentive, devoted, and intentional way.
Remember Jacob, who paced his flock based on their condition, and the shepherd in Jesus’ parable, who noticed that one sheep out of a hundred was gone?
Good shepherds know their sheep well and care for them accordingly. So once pastors know who is in their flock, they must also come to know each person in it. It is not good for pastors to call for a clear membership commitment but then fail to care for the members whom God has entrusted to their care on his behalf.
Good pastors pay attention to each person in their congregation.
The apostle Paul makes this expectation very clear to the pastors at Ephesus. After telling them to take heed “to all the flock” (v. 28), he adds:
Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. (Acts 20:31)
Notice the emphasis and focus here:
- “Take heed” means to pay close, careful attention.
- “To all the flock” means to everyone in the church.
- “Among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers” means that God himself has assigned the pastors of a church to care for those particular people.
- “Watch” means to be on high alert and always paying attention to the needs of the church.
Paul goes on to say that this attentive care includes warning the church about spiritual dangers they face, doing so at all times of day, even doing so with emotion and tears. In fact, he mentions “with tears” and “with many tears” not once but twice (Acts 20:19, 31).
So, what should you expect of your pastors? If good pastors know their church well and care for them accordingly, here is what that should look like at Brookdale.
First, expect your pastors to be among you and to know you, not just your name. Peter tells pastors to shepherd the flock “among you,” and Paul cared for the church publicly and “from house to house” (Acts 20:20). So, you should see your pastors not only in the pulpit but in your homes, at hospital bedsides, around the table, and in classes and life groups. And when we ask how you’re doing spiritually, how your family is doing, or what you’re struggling with, we’re not being nosy. Like a shepherd reading the “face” of each animal, we’re getting to know the condition of the flock.
Second, expect your pastors to come to you if you are going the wrong way. The shepherd in Jesus’ parable noticed the one sheep that was missing and went to recover it, and God himself seeks the lost and brings back the strays. Paul warned the Ephesians “night and day with tears,” so if you begin to slip spiritually, you should expect a call or a visit from your pastors. That isn’t controlling behavior, that’s loving, shepherding care.
Third, expect your pastors to give their first and best attention to this church. The Holy Spirit has made them overseers of this flock, not of a following online or an audience somewhere else. Other ministry opportunities may come, but they should never crowd out the people God has entrusted to their care.
And finally, help your pastors do this. Commit yourself to this church as part of the flock. Actually become a member of this flock so that your pastors can commit themselves to caring for you. Let your pastors into your life and be honest with them about how you’re really doing. And of course, don’t require them to do all the work around here. Follow their example by caring for one another the same way.
Be diligent to know the state of your flocks and attend to your herds.
A wise father gave that advice to his son about sheep and cattle, but it describes something far more precious. Jacob paced his flock by their condition. The shepherd in Jesus’ parable noticed the one sheep that was missing. God himself seeks the lost, binds up the broken, and strengthens the sick, and Christ, the Good Shepherd, knows each of his sheep by name.
Oliver Goldsmith, an eighteenth-century poet, described the village pastor he remembered from his youth, a man who knew and cared for every person in his parish. Listen to how he describes him in his poem “The Deserted Village.”
Near yonder copse, where once the garden smiled,
And still where many a garden-flower grows wild;
There, where a few torn shrubs the place disclose,
The village preacher's modest mansion rose …
Remote from towns he ran his godly race,
Nor e'er had changed, nor wished to change his place;
Unpractised he to fawn, or seek for power,
By doctrines fashioned to the varying hour;
Far other aims his heart had learned to prize,
More skilled to raise the wretched than to rise …
Thus to relieve the wretched was his pride,
And even his failings leaned to Virtue's side;
But in his duty prompt at every call,
He watched and wept, he prayed and felt, for all.
And, as a bird each fond endearment tries,
To tempt its new-fledged offspring to the skies;
He tried each art, reproved each dull delay,
Allured to brighter worlds, and led the way.
Beside the bed where parting life was layed,
And sorrow, guilt, and pain, by turns, dismayed
The reverend champion stood. At his control
Despair and anguish fled the struggling soul;
Comfort came down the trembling wretch to raise,
And his last faltering accents whispered praise.
May God raise up good pastors like this at and from Brookdale who know the church well and care for them accordingly. And may that same care spread from the pastors to every member so that the whole church reflects the heart of the Good Shepherd, who knows his sheep and laid down his life for them.
Posted in Sermon Manuscript
Posted in Feeding the Flock of God, Shepherding, Pastoral Care, Pastors, Church, Ecclesiology
Posted in Feeding the Flock of God, Shepherding, Pastoral Care, Pastors, Church, Ecclesiology
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