Discuss How the Biblical Image of Shepherd Provides Foundational Understanding of Pastoral Care.
The metaphor of shepherd is often used to provide a biblical understanding of the function of a pastor and their role in pastoral care. This essay looks at how the biblical image of the shepherd provides foundational understanding of pastoral care looking particularly at the implications on the role of God as the divine shepherd, the roles and requirements of human shepherd’s and the character of the shepherd.
What is a Shepherd?
The Australian Oxford Dictionary’s defines “Shepherd” as one of two things. The first is a man who tends to sheep and the second is a person who guides or directs people.1Abel was the first Shepherd to be mentioned in the Bible2 and biblically speaking, it has become a popular image to denote the work of a Pastor or someone in Pastoral Care. The shepherd motif is perhaps the most closely associated with ‘Pastor’ in the modern Christian mind. This may be because ‘Pastor’ is the Latin translation of the Greek ‘poimen’ for ‘shepherd. '
Kinnison, in his writings, suggests that the Shepherd metaphor has three main usages in the Old Testament.3 The first being a traditional Shepherd, who had a life full of challenges. They had a clear-cut responsibility to find pasture and water in a land that was arid, protect the sheep, and search for any that were lost.4 The second is the one denoting human leadership. These were the Earthly religious and political rulers appointed to care for the people of Israel The last use of the Shepherd metaphor is to denote God as Israel’s Shepherd. The notion that God was the Shepherd of his people and there to shepherd them all their life, was deeply embedded in Israel.5
The role of God as the Divine Shepherd
Tidball states in his work, that even though it was rare for people in the Old Testament to speak of God as ‘the Shepherd”, the evidence that they saw God as their Shepherd is found everywhere.6 It was used to show God as the divine Shepherd who would never fail his people. It described
What is a Shepherd?
The Australian Oxford Dictionary’s defines “Shepherd” as one of two things. The first is a man who tends to sheep and the second is a person who guides or directs people.1Abel was the first Shepherd to be mentioned in the Bible2 and biblically speaking, it has become a popular image to denote the work of a Pastor or someone in Pastoral Care. The shepherd motif is perhaps the most closely associated with ‘Pastor’ in the modern Christian mind. This may be because ‘Pastor’ is the Latin translation of the Greek ‘poimen’ for ‘shepherd. '
Kinnison, in his writings, suggests that the Shepherd metaphor has three main usages in the Old Testament.3 The first being a traditional Shepherd, who had a life full of challenges. They had a clear-cut responsibility to find pasture and water in a land that was arid, protect the sheep, and search for any that were lost.4 The second is the one denoting human leadership. These were the Earthly religious and political rulers appointed to care for the people of Israel The last use of the Shepherd metaphor is to denote God as Israel’s Shepherd. The notion that God was the Shepherd of his people and there to shepherd them all their life, was deeply embedded in Israel.5
The role of God as the Divine Shepherd
Tidball states in his work, that even though it was rare for people in the Old Testament to speak of God as ‘the Shepherd”, the evidence that they saw God as their Shepherd is found everywhere.6 It was used to show God as the divine Shepherd who would never fail his people. It described
Bibliography: Gerkin, Charles V. An Introduction to Pastoral Care. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997. Jeremias, Joachim. Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus. London: SCM, 1969. Klein, Ralph W. Ezekiel: The Prophet and his message. Columbia: University of South Carolina, 1988. Kinnison, Quentin P. “Shepherd or one of the Sheep.” Journal of Religious Leadership. Volume 9: No 1, Spring 2010. Taylor, Harold. Tend My Sheep: Applied Theology 2. London: Dotesios Printers Ltd, 1990. Tidball, Derek. Skillful Shepherds: An Introduction to Pastoral Theology. Leicester: Inter-varsity Press, 1991. Tidball, Derek. Builders and Fools. Nottingham: Inter-varsity Press, 1999.