WHAT KIND OF SHEPHERD?

The place of shepherds from old testament times has been an irreplaceable position because of the primordial duties attached to them in the general welfare and guidance they render to their sheeps or flock. The Good shepherd in the Gospel of John {10} presents Jesus as the ideal shepherd who takes care of his sheep, protects his sheep, loves and nourishes them such that they are kept in the bosom of safety and well being. However in that same presentation we see the vivid description of the shepherd who is not genuine but largely interested in the exploitation of the sheep. If I may ask, what kind of shepherd do we have in our world today and what kind of shepherds are we turning out from the tent of our Christianity and places of responsibility.
In the prophet Jeremiah 23:1-6 he outrightly denounces the shepherds. The reasons behind the prophecy of doom against the shepherd are for the following reasons. They have allowed the sheep entrusted into their care to be scattered and kept wandering away. These shepherds were merely interested in the material and monetary gains that accrued from the sheeps.They lacked the care and concern for the sustenance and welfare of those entrusted into their care. It is in this depravity and lacks from among the shepherds that Yahweh God promised that he will raise up shepherds.
Jeremiah in his prophesy says “I will raise shepherds to look after them and pasture them; no fear, no terror for them any more; not one shall be lost it is the Lord who speaks”.
Jesus is presented to us as the shepherd we must look up to in our day to day lives. One of the things he does is the unification and mending of the wounds of division among the lost sheeps.He brings them together under the umbrella of one shepherd and one fold. The letter of St Paul to the Ephesians 2:13-18 states “in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart”. The Psalmist in {23} states that the Lord who is the shepherd guides along the right path, provides fresh and green and leads by the restful waters.
In the Gospel according to Mark {6:30-34}, Jesus observes a pastoral evaluation with the disciples after their return from evangelization of the people. He instructs them on the basic need for rest, contemplation, meditation and reflection. This is to put the shepherd in touch with the master of the vineyard. However we still observe that the Jesus, who insisted on the disciples resting, is put to concern after seeing the pitiable situation of the sheeps before him. He goes after caring for them and bringing them help. Thus we could say, that the shepherd must learn to be untiring for the welfare of the sheep, no matter the circumstances around.
In these various instances, shepherds of today should learn to be more interested in their sheep and become instrument of the unification of their flock and wards. The shepherds who lack interest for the promotion and enhancement of their ward and flock explains the bane of the Nigerian situation and even the world in general. Let our profession of being shepherds be anchored in true objective of fulfilling our duties and doing this with all forms of dedication and sincerity without negative motives.