As my wife and I with our family taught the Gospel in Tehran, Iran, we lived on the second floor of a house with the church meeting place on the ground floor. One could see for miles around from the picture windows of the kitchen on two sides.
My wife, Sylvia, drew great comfort and security, confidence and hope, looking north toward the big El Bourz Mountains. Down below, almost coming up under a balcony porch off the side of the house, a shepherd daily brought his flock of sheep to drink in a brook running past our house.
She often marveled at the gentle way he led them, talking to them and even singing. As they reached the water, he generally reclined on the bank in a position to see them all. At times, he even would sit under that balcony where he could lean against our house, keeping an eye on his sheep.
Frequently—almost always, one at a time the sheep would come to him. He would scratch their ears and around behind their ears or pat them on the head, always saying something in a soothing tone, allaying any fear or uneasiness they must have felt. A number of different sheep would come to him each day, and each would seem to have its own story or problem it confided to him.
As they were filled, he rose and slowly walked away. He did not command them to follow; he merely walked on, and they followed.
Sylvia commented to me many times about that shepherd and the sheep. She said it is no wonder the Lord chose the parables of the shepherd and his flock to illustrate and explain the work of the overseers in the church.
She saw the care and trusting relationship between that Persian shepherd and the sheep that depended on him for their protection, nourishment, leadership and care. The work of good elders today in the Lord’s church provides those same things to the flock.
[Elders or pastors or bishops lead fully organized congregations of the New Testament church (1 Peter 5:1-4; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Timothy 5:17). ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
