“And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them” (I Samuel 8:7).

Even though the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt and cared for the people in the wilderness, the people of Israel wanted a human king to judge them, “like all the nations” (8:5).

Is there not a parallel today? The Lord did eventually take on human flesh and walk among humans, but we cannot see Him now. Though the Bible informs us that the Lord Jesus is the “great shepherd [Pastor] of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20), it is hard for some to see Him now functioning as pastor.

Not only does the Lord Jesus still commune with His people in the deepest recesses of our being through the Holy Spirit, but He also keeps us breathing when we sleep. In fact, every cell of our body lives because “by Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17). Faithful undershepherds of the Lord are not always available. The Lord, however, is there even before we pray, working for our good (cf Romans 8:28).

When He emphatically claimed to be “the good shepherd” (John 10:11,14), it was not just for the first-century believers, but for all who would follow. Luke wrote that his first treatise (the gospel) related “all that Jesus began both to do and teach” (Acts 1:1), but his second treatise revealed an ascended Jesus who continued/continues to act and teach (cf Acts 2:33; 7:56; 9:5; etc.). Through His word and Spirit, He comforts, guides, and restores the souls of His people today and “ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

Should not church bulletins list the Lord Jesus Christ as “chief Shepherd” (I Peter 5:4) over all of the listed undershepherds? The Chief pastor is more alive and real than they, for He, the Lord, is “alive for ever more” (Revelation 1:18). May His name be praised now and for evermore. PGH