Strike the Shepherd

When Jesus was crucified, his followers were devastated. They had assumed that, as Messiah, Jesus wouldn’t die. But now he had been crucified. His followers were afraid that the same thing might happen to them. So they hid from the authorities and they forgot all the promises that Jesus had made about His resurrection. Jesus had told them about the resurrection, but that was hard to believe when He was on the cross.

This scene brings to mind an Old Testament prophecy from Zechariah 13:7: “Strike the shepherd and the sheep with scatter.” Jesus had referred to this prophecy several times in Matthew 26:31 and Mark 14:27. And, in fact, when Jesus (“the Shepherd”) was struck, His followers (“the sheep”) did scatter! They would eventually regroup, but in this moment, they were afraid, lost, and leaderless.

Groups need leaders. In business, CEOs or other leaders shape direction and give guidance. Without leadership, groups fall apart. The same thing happens in any organization: governments, families, even churches. Leaders are crucial. And good leaders are even more important. Good leadership exhibits confidence, concern for the team, vision, honesty, decisiveness, responsibility, accountability, empathy, and focus. Without good leaders, organizations fall apart.
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The lesson is clear: sheep need shepherds! The disciples needed Jesus. And we need the Good Shepherd too.

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