A Job Sheet for Shepherds
John 21: 15
What I have in my hand is a job sheet. It’s my old job sheet. When I worked for the U.S. Government it is was absolutely necessary that every employee have a job sheet. This one that I was on contained a number of important items including my name, title, and duties and responsibilities. It consisted of 4 pages. Also, it contained the names of my supervisors.
I now have a new job sheet. The title is Shepherd. The duties and responsibilities are contained in 3 verses, 15-17 of chapter 21 of John’s Gospel. It’s the same job sheet the Lord Jesus gave to Peter after his resurrection. It’s interesting to note that Jesus gave Peter this job sheet after they had finished eating breakfast. This is the first time Jesus has sat down with Peter or engaged in any meaningful conversation since Peter’s denials of the Lord in the high priest’s courtyard. You’ll recall that Peter denied the Lord Jesus Christ when he was asked by a girl in the courtyard if he was one of Jesus’ disciples. Peter not only denied Christ three times, but he even used some curse and swearing words in his denial of Jesus.
It was after these three denials and Jesus’ resurrection that we now read about Jesus eating breakfast with Peter. Jesus’ questions following breakfast to Peter were threefold:
Peter’s responses were also threefold:
Jesus’ responses to Peter were threefold:
Lots of 3’s are here -three questions, three responses, and three commands that include duties and responsibilities. There were three denials and here we have three questions, answers, and commands. Perhaps this was the Lord’s way of bringing Peter back into full fellowship. I believe these are critical duties for me as your pastor. Nothing I do here week in and week out is as critically important as my feeding and caring for the people of God.
Now, I am commanded to feed the people of God. I feed you after I have eaten and are full. I try very hard to avoid coming here to worship hungry. I don’t ever want to come here like some people go to Giant Eagles and Tops. They go shopping hungry. That’s a no, no. You buy things you don’t need; you eat things out of the cart that are not healthy for you. You over eat. You over spend. I try to avoid this mistake. I study, pray, meditate day and night, sit quietly before God, write out what I believe God wants me to say to you, or what I see, I ask God to prepare me to stand and to speak for him, and go into the pulpit in faith. He has promised to be with me even until the end of the age. So work hard to get a good meal before I go into the pulpit to preach and testify on behalf of God.
I have only one source for what I feed God’s people. It’s God’s word. A man recently asked me if I had lots of ideas I get from books to help me preach to people week after week. I told him that I had the Bible. He looked at me and said, “Yes, I know about the Bible, but do you other books? I said, “Yes, I read as much as I can. I read devotional materials. I read books written on lots of religious topics. But that I rely on the Bible for my ideas. I pull lots of illustrations and examples from my readings and my life experiences. He then said, “Oh, I understand. I see your point.” I believe this is the best meal you can eat week in and week out. The old folks in the south had a saying about preparing for working in the fields. Get you some food that will stick to your stomach. Get some food that will hold you until the next meal. I think the Scriptures will keep. They will guide you through all types of things from one week to another.
I want to stay focus on this job sheet. I want to spend my time feeding the people of God and caring for the people of God. The most precious resources God has are his people. He entrusted them to shepherds. I believe he will ask shepherds did you feed my people. Did you care for them? Of course I want to say as Peter said, “Lord, you know all things you that I love you” and that I cared for your people. Amen.