Sheep bite.
That’s one unfortunate lesson I’ve learned as an under-shepherd. When pastors desire to lead their people to greener pastures, sometimes sheep fight back.
Sheep also wander.
When pastors desire to see their people grow in holiness, sometimes sheep seemingly stray in the opposite direction.
These tendencies discourage, if not hurt, many pastors and are the subject of much conversation. It never fails that when I’m at an event for pastors, during side conversations or breakout sessions, brothers start talking about sheep biting or wandering.
Sometimes, the conversation remains innocent. But many times, it turns into sarcastic grumbling.
These things ought not be so (James 3:1–12).
Scripture lists gossips and slanderers as the types of people whom God has given up to a debased mind (Rom. 1:28–30), those “saying what they should not” (1 Tim. 5:13). All of Christ’s sheep must put off this part of their old nature—especially shepherds, who are in office to be imitated (Heb. 13:7, 1 Pet. 5:3).
But bridling the tongue is hard when sheep discourage you. How can shepherds fight to put off gossip and put on Christ, even when Christ’s sheep make them ask, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be
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