Herding sheep is the very first profession mentioned in the Bible: “Abel became a herder of flocks” (Gn 4:2). Sheep are the most prominent animal mentioned throughout Scripture. They provided staples for food, sacrifice and clothing. But sheep cannot defend themselves against predators. They need constant guarding. It is easy to understand how the shepherd became a metaphor for leaders and rulers in a pastoral culture. The ancestors of Israel were all shepherds when called to use their pastoral skills to lead God’s people.

We are familiar with this biblical metaphor of shepherd in such places as Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd”), Micah 7:14 (“Shepherd your people with your staff, / the flock of your heritage”) and Isaiah 40:11 (“Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; / in his arms he gathers the lambs, / Carrying them in his bosom, / leading the ewes with care”). While these references to shepherds are positive, that was not always the case. Being a shepherd was mostly a low-level occupation. Most shepherds were not given much respect; to be referred to as a shepherd was not necessarily a compliment. Ultimately, shepherds were to serve by guarding and protecting their flocks. Some shepherds were unreliable, while others were good.

The Shepherd in Scripture

The metaphor of shepherd, however, takes on added importance when we realize that God, first and foremost, was understood to be the shepherd of Israel. Here, shepherd implies the protection and devotion of a shepherd toward his sheep. This is expressed again in the ever-popular Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; / there is nothing I lack” (v. 1).

God calls forth leaders who are entrusted with shepherding God’s people. However, more often than not, Israel’s shepherds failed in their exercise of leadership. This failure is frequently mentioned in the prophetic books of the Bible. The classic reference is Ezekiel 34, which describes in detail the failure of Israel’s shepherds.

Ezekiel experienced firsthand the exile of 586 B.C. Israel’s leadership had consistently failed to serve the people. They had been warned numerous times that if they kept up their corrupt ways, they would pay a terrible price. These warnings were given no credence. So Israel, in fact, ended up in exile in the foreign land of Babylon. God, speaking through Ezekiel, issues a harsh condemnation of these totally incompetent leaders. For 31 verses, Ezekiel lists the many ways these leaders failed to care for the flock entrusted to them. These shepherds were interested in shepherding only themselves. They cared nothing for the sick, the weak or the injured. They let the sheep stray and made no effort to find them. Because of their many and consistent failures, God felt compelled to remove the sheep from the hands of these shepherds. Now God alone will lead the sheep, but he will appoint “one shepherd” over his flock to be “prince in their midst” (Ez 34:23-24). This brings to mind the great leader of the past, David, and at the same time looks forward to that kind of leader for the future. For Christians, this Davidic leader points to Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ, the Good Shepherd.

When we move from Ezekiel 34 to the New Testament, we find the image of shepherding expanding. Some references are meant to be taken literally while others are metaphorical. Criticism is still prevalent as we can see from the Gospel of Mark, in which Jesus perceives the crowd to be “like sheep without a shepherd” (6:34). Matthew portrays divine judgment as sheep being separated from the goats (Mt 25:32). Luke pictures a shepherd leaving 99 sheep behind to go in search of one lost sheep (Lk 15:3-7).

The Good Shepherd Discourse

A major shift in the use of shepherd imagery emerges with Chapter 10 of the Gospel of John, where the shepherd imagery climbs to a new height with an extended metaphorical passage focused on Jesus, “the Good Shepherd.” Jesus begins this first section of the Good Shepherd discourse (10:1-21) with a double “Amen,” which always indicates the seriousness of whatever follows. Here Jesus states clearly that the only legitimate way of entering a sheepfold is through the gate. Those who attempt a different way disclose themselves as thieves and robbers. On the other hand, whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper recognizes the legitimate shepherd’s voice and thus opens the gate for him.

The shepherd calls his sheep by name, leads them out of the sheepfold and walks ahead of them. Keep in mind that a sheepfold was a large pen that contained several flocks, and shepherds would identify their sheep by calling them. If the sheep recognize the shepherd’s voice, they dutifully follow him out of the pen and through the gate. If the sheep do not recognize the voice of the one calling them, they will not follow. Sheep do not follow strangers.

We are told that those listening to Jesus’ discourse here did not realize what he was trying to say. He employed a “figure of speech” (v. 6). This is not the same as a parable found in the synoptic Gospels. The Greek word is paroimia, and it means something similar to a proverb or a kind of veiled saying. It prohibits the audience from understanding what Jesus is saying. Allegorically, the audience is the Pharisees, who are at odds with Jesus and his identity.

Again, Jesus utilizes the double “Amen” as he moves the discourse forward. Employing metaphor, he states clearly and boldly, “I am the gate for the sheep.” He repeats the point made earlier regarding thieves and robbers before stating again that he is the gate, and this gate contains saving power. While the thief comes to steal, slaughter and destroy, Jesus, the gate, came so that the sheep might have life and have it more abundantly. This leads to the further declaration, “I am the good shepherd” (v. 11), Jesus’ second metaphor for his divine identity.

Both metaphors — gate and shepherd — point to the divine authority Jesus possesses. Jesus can be trusted, but thieves and robbers cannot. The mission of a good shepherd is to lay down his life for the sheep. This is the supreme act of obedience to the Father (vv. 17-18). A good shepherd is contrasted with a hired man, who flees the moment he sees a wolf, causing the sheep to scatter. A hired man has no commitment to the sheep. He works for pay and flees from all danger. Once again, Jesus repeats the basic attributes of a good shepherd but now adds the important characteristic of mutual knowledge between shepherd and sheep. This divine mutuality focuses on the dynamic that the Father knows Jesus and Jesus knows the Father. The result of this is that Jesus will literally lay down his life for his sheep.

In a rather surprising revelation, Jesus states that in his role as the Good Shepherd, his responsibility extends beyond the immediate flock: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice and there will be one flock, one shepherd.” Scholars debate over who is meant by “my other sheep.” However, most conclude that “my other sheep” refers to Gentiles. The ultimate goal of the Good Shepherd is to bring these other sheep into the one fold. There is to be one flock and one shepherd.

The mission of Jesus the Good Shepherd is to lay down his life for his sheep in order to take it up again. Because of his intimate relationship with the Father, Jesus has the power to lay down his life and take it up again. This is a reference no doubt to Jesus’ death and resurrection. The response to Jesus’ discourse on the Good Shepherd again is mixed. This results in a division among the hearers. Some feel Jesus is possessed and out of his mind, while others believe his words are true.

What Makes a Good Pastor?

This is a good place to ask a key question: What might be the implications of all this for today’s priest? There is currently in the Church much discussion around what makes a priest a good leader. In these discussions a leading metaphor for priestly leadership is “the pastor.” The priest is to relate to his congregation as a shepherd relates to his flock.

This was a key teaching of Pope St. John Paul II when, in 1992, he issued an apostolic exhortation on the training of priests in the circumstance of the present day. It was not by accident that he titled that exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (“I Will Give You Shepherds”). This title is taken from Jeremiah 3:15: “I will appoint for you shepherds after my own heart, / who will shepherd you wisely and prudently.” Pope Francis also stressed the need for priests to shepherd their flocks wisely and prudently almost from the first day of his election.

These concerns about good pastoral leadership are voiced numerous times in the Bible. We have looked at two areas where they are expressed: Ezekiel 34 and John 10. These two passages still have much to teach us about the characteristics of the priest as a good pastoral leader.

Recall that in Ezekiel 34 the Lord is portrayed as being thoroughly disgusted with the shepherds of Israel. The fundamental failure of these shepherds is that they spend their time pasturing themselves rather than their flocks. They do not care for the sick, weak or injured. They let the sheep stray and get scattered. Because of this incompetence, the Lord declares that he is taking over the whole shepherding enterprise. He will pass judgment on these shepherds and prepare for the advent of a new shepherd. What we learn first and foremost from this divine tirade is that shepherds are to focus their ministry on their flocks and not themselves.

Caring for the people is the primary task of the priest today. Every congregation has needs that the priest must tend to. Building community is also an important challenge for a priest. It takes time and energy and can move slowly, but it is at the very heart of priestly ministry. What we need most of all in our shepherds is that they be good. Every priest should be a good shepherd.

The primary text that unfolds the meaning of the Good Shepherd is John 10; it is a rich text that offers us important insights. Two metaphors are used to describe Jesus. He is the gate through which the sheep must pass to get to the pasture, and he is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. What does this mean in terms of the priesthood today?

Every priest by virtue of his ordination belongs to the school of the Good Shepherd. The requirements of that school are the following: The priest must know his people and listen to them. He can call them by name. He knows his people, and his people know him. Like a good shepherd, the priest guides and leads his flock. He feeds his people with the word of God and the sacraments. He protects his flock with sound teaching. He heals the sick and comforts the dying. The priest as good shepherd is rooted in meekness and tenderness of heart. He takes upon himself the frailties of his people. He gathers the people into one fold. And most important of all, the good shepherd-priest gives his life for his sheep.

‘The Odor of the Sheep’

Pope Francis commented on the nature of the priesthood in his homily at the Chrism Mass on March 28, 2013: “The priest who seldom goes out of himself … misses out on the best of our people, on what can stir the depths of his priestly heart. … This is precisely the reason for the dissatisfaction of some, who end up sad — sad priests — in some sense becoming collectors of antiques or novelties, instead of being shepherds living with ‘the odor of the sheep.’ This I ask you: be shepherds, with the ‘odor of the sheep.’” While this image of the Good Shepherd became very popular throughout the whole Church, there is a deeper reality at work of which many are not aware.

Keep in mind that Pope Francis was a Jesuit. Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a central part of Jesuit spirituality. On Oct. 24, 2024, the pope issued an encyclical on the Sacred Heart titled Dilexit Nos (“He Loved Us”). What is important to realize is that for Pope Francis the Good Shepherd and the Sacred Heart of Jesus are both images that represent Jesus’ love and compassion for people. He often used the image of the Good Shepherd to represent the Sacred Heart. The pope was convinced that the heart of the Good Shepherd must also be the heart of the priest. He made this clear in a homily he gave for the Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 2016, during the Jubilee of Mercy for Priests.

The pope begins his homily by stating, “Today we contemplate two hearts: the Heart of the Good Shepherd and our own heart as priests.” He then makes the point that the heart of the Good Shepherd is not only the heart that shows us mercy, but is itself mercy. The heart of the Good Shepherd shows us that his love is limitless. It is never exhausted and it never gives up. It is here that we see Jesus’ infinite and boundless self-giving.

Pope Francis continues by emphasizing that the heart of the Good Shepherd reaches out to us, especially to those who are most distant. At this point he reaches the highlight of the entire homily: “Contemplating the Heart of Christ, we are faced with the fundamental question of our priestly life: Where is my heart directed?” For Pope Francis this was the key question all priests must ask daily.

He concludes these reflections by declaring that the great riches of the Heart of Jesus are two: the Father and ourselves. “The heart of the priest is a heart pierced by the love of the Lord,” he says. This is what it means to be a good shepherd. This is what it means to be a good priest, always knowing where the heart is directed. 

FATHER EUGENE HENSELL, OSB, is a monk of St. Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana, and professor emeritus at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.