Demonstration 10: On Shepherds

Demonstration on Shepherds The shepherds sit at the head of the flock, and they give to it the food of life. He who watches and toils over the face of his flock, he is diligent over it, over his pasture. And his disciple is the one who shepherds well, who gives himself over the face of his flock. And he who does not turn to his flock well, is like a hireling who is not diligent over the flock. Behold, O shepherds, the examples of the faithful shepherds of old. Jacob shepherded the flock of Laban, and he guarded, toiled, watched, and received a reward. For Jacob said to Laban: "Behold, I have served you for twenty years. Your flock and your goats I did not shear, and the rams of your flock I did not eat. I did not bring you a broken one. For I used to seek after it with my hands. By day the wolf devoured them, and by night the cold. I separated my service from my wages." See, O shepherds, this shepherd, how diligent he was over his pasture. He was awake by night to guard, and he watched and toiled by day to shepherd. Jacob the shepherd, and Joseph the shepherd, and his brothers the shepherds. Moses the shepherd, and also David the shepherd, and Amos the shepherd. All these are shepherds who shepherded the flock and led it well. And why, my beloved, were these shepherds? Before they shepherded the flock, they were shepherds, and then they were chosen to shepherd the people of men. But because they learned how a shepherd is diligent over his flock, and watches and toils over the face of his flock, and when they learned the ways of shepherds, they were chosen for leadership. Jacob shepherded the flock of Laban, and toiled, watched, and led well, and then he shepherded and led his sons well, and taught them the pattern of shepherding. And Joseph was a shepherd with his brothers of the flock, and in Egypt he was a governor over many people, and he turned out to be like a good shepherd to his flock. And Moses shepherded the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, and was chosen from the flock to shepherd his people, and like a good shepherd he led them.

Moses took his staff upon his shoulder and went at the head of the people whom he led. And he shepherded them for forty years, and he watched and toiled over the face of his flock, a diligent and good shepherd. When the Lord of the flock desired to destroy them because of their sins, for they worshipped the calf, Moses prayed and entreated from his Lord and said, Either forgive the people their sins, or erase me from your book which you have written. That shepherd is worthy who gave himself over the face of his flock; that leader is victorious who gave himself over the face of his flock; and that father is compassionate who hovered over his sons and raised them. And Moses taught the great, wise, superior one who knew how to turn the divisions, to Joshua son of Nun, a man of spirit, who led the divisions of the whole camp of Israel. He destroyed kings and conquered the land, and gave them the land of the pasture, and divided the quarters of the dwellings to his flock. Again David shepherded the flock of his father, and with the flock he was led to pasture his people. And he shepherded them with the integrity of his heart, and with the skill of his hands he led them. And when David brought the divisions of his flock, wrath rose up among them, and they began to be destroyed. Then David gave himself over the face of his flock, as he was praying and saying, Lord God, I have sinned in that I brought destruction to Israel; let your hand be upon me and upon my father’s house. These are faithful flocks with sinners, and also all worthy shepherds. Thus they gave themselves over the face of their flocks. And those shepherds who did not toil over the flock, these are hirelings who shepherded only themselves. Because of this the prophet called to them and said to them, O shepherds who destroy and scatter the flock of my pasture, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I tend my flock as a shepherd tends his flock on a day of storm, and I demand my flock from your hands, O foolish shepherds.

The flock ate the flesh of the birds, and the birds ate the flesh of the flock, and the flock was not shepherded, the sick were not healed, the broken were not bound, the weak were not strengthened, the lost and the scattered were not sought out, and the hard and the bitter were not guarded, but you enslaved them with a rod, and you shepherded them, a good shepherd. And what remained of the milk you trampled under your feet, and you drank the sweet water, and what remained of the bread you trampled under your feet, and the shepherd of the flock trod upon the pasture which your feet had trodden, and drank the water which your feet had muddied. These were the shepherds, the wicked, the lowly, and the hirelings, who did not shepherd the flock and lead it well, and did not free it from the wolves. But when the great Shepherd came, he called the chief of the shepherds and sheared his flock, and commanded its shearers, and those shepherds were dead, and he made an account with them, and condemned them for their deeds. And those who shepherded the flock well, the chief of the shepherds rejoiced over them, and granted them life and rest. Or you, a foolish and ignorant shepherd, who abandoned the flock upon your hand which is defiled and upon your eye which is defiled, concerning which you said over the flock, "The dead shall die, and the lost shall be lost, and the hand which is left shall eat the flesh of its companions." Because of this, behold, I have blinded your eye which is defiled, and I have withered your arm which is defiled. Your eye which looked upon a bribe shall be blinded, and your hand which did not lead with righteousness shall be withered. And you said to me, "My flock, the flock which I shepherded, has come to me in fire." And I said, "I am the Lord your God. Behold, from now on I will shepherd you in the house of a good and faithful shepherd." And the good shepherd gave himself for the sake of his flock, and again he said, "I have other sheep, and even them I have not brought to you, and the whole flock shall be one, and one shepherd." And my father, because of this, loved me, that I gave myself for the sake of the flock. And again he said,

The door of the flock was opened, and all who entered were beasts, and they went in and out, and the shepherd was found. The shepherds were compared to this diligent shepherd, the head of the whole pasturage, how much he toiled over his flock, and brought near the distant ones, and turned back the straying ones, and tended the sick ones, and strengthened the weak ones, and bound the broken ones, and guarded the scattered ones. He gave himself over for the sake of the flock, and chose and taught the excellent lambs, and entrusted the flock into their hands, and gave them authority over his whole pasturage. For he said to Simon Cephas: Shepherd my sheep and my lambs and my kids. And Simon shepherded his flock and completed his sacrifice, and entrusted the pasturage to you and went. Shepherd also you, and lead well. For a shepherd who toils over his flock does no other work with it; he does not plant a vineyard, nor does he press grapes, nor does he involve himself in the troubles of this world. Never is a shepherd seen who left his flock in the desert and became a merchant, nor one who neglected his pasturage and became a farmer. But if he left his flock and worked at these things, he entrusted his pasturage to the hands of wolves. And remember, my beloved, that I wrote to you about the former fathers, that they used to learn the tending of the flock first, and from it they would take the help of diligence, and then they would be chosen for leadership, so that they might learn and see how much the shepherd toils over his pasturage, and just as they used to lead the flock diligently, so also in this leadership they would be perfected. For Joseph was chosen from the flock to lead the Egyptians in the time of distress, and Moses was chosen from the flock to lead his people and to shepherd them, and David was led from behind the flock to be king over Israel, and Amos his Lord took him from behind the flock and made him a prophet over his people, and also Elisha was led from behind the plough to be a prophet in Israel. Moses did not return to his flock, nor did he abandon the pasturage that was entrusted to him.

And David did not return to the flock of his fathers, but led his people with the integrity of his heart. And Amos did not return to tend the flock and gather wood, but his prophecy led and was fulfilled. And Elisha did not return to his plough, but served Elijah and filled his place. And the beasts that were his, over the villages and trade, the vineyards and olive groves and cultivation, he did not desire to have a disciple, nor did he entrust the pasturage to his hand. I ask you, shepherds, that you not appoint over the pasturage foolish and ignorant beasts, nor even the young and lovers of the threshing-floor. Everyone who eats from the flock, eats from its milk; and everyone who drives the plough, is sustained by its labour. And priests, from the altar, and not for division; and Levites take their tithes. He who eats from the milk, his heart is upon his pasturage; and he who is sustained by the labour of his plough, is diligent in his work. And priests who divide from the altar, serve the altar with zeal; and Levites who take tithes, have no portion in Israel. Or you, shepherds, disciples of the great Shepherd, do not be like hirelings, because a hireling has no concern for the flock. Be like the good Shepherd, who did not spare himself from his flock. Increase the flocks and exalt the virgins, and love the lambs, and be raised up by your lives. When you go to the chief of the shepherds, bring your whole flock to him in peace, and he will give you what he has prepared, that you may be the place of this one, and you also will be. These things, though few, suffice for good shepherds and good beasts. Above, my beloved, I wrote to you of the conduct befitting the whole pasturage. And in this discourse I have written to you concerning the shepherds, the administrators of the flock. These reminders I have written to you, my beloved, concerning what your beloved epistle asked of me. The master of the house has brought me into the treasure house of the king.

And he showed many good things. And when I saw the flock, my mind was captivated by the great treasure. And when I looked into it, it illuminated the eyes, and carried away the thoughts, and scattered the shepherds among many flocks. From what he took, his wealth increased and made wealthy; open and free before all who sought him. And when many took from him, nothing was lacking. And when they gave from what they took, their own increased greatly. What they took freely, they gave freely, just as they took. For it is not sold for prices, because there is nothing that equals it. For the treasure does not diminish, nor do its takers become satisfied. The thirsty and the parched, the eaters and the hungry: when one is not thirsty, he cannot drink; and when one is not hungry, he cannot eat. His hunger satisfies many, and his thirst drives forth springs from him. For what is at the head of the approach to the worship of God? For a man who is thirsty approaches the spring, drinks and is satisfied, and the spring lacks nothing. And the earth that is thirsty for water to drink drinks from the spring, and its waters are not cut off. And the earth, when it drinks, is again thirsty to drink, and the spring is not diminished by its irrigation. Such is the knowledge of God: when all the sons of men took from it, no loss occurred in it, nor is it withheld from the sons of flesh. Not that one who takes from it receives permission to take, nor when he gives does anything lack. A fire, when a light is taken from a flame, kindles many lights from it; the flame does not diminish when taken from it, nor does the light decrease when it kindles for many. One man cannot take the entire treasure of a king, nor can a thirsty man, when he drinks from a spring, cut off its waters. And a cloud, when a man stands on a high mountain, his eye reaches near and far; and not even when the stars of heaven stand and shine can he exhaust the powers of heaven; nor when he approaches the worship of God.

the whole of it can be taken. And even when one takes much, it is not known that it has diminished, nor when one gives something of what he took, does it come to an end from him, and it reaches its limit. And remember, my beloved, what I wrote to you in the first discourse on faith, that he who takes a gift gives a gift, and he does not give as he took, as the Lord said: "Take a gift, give a gift." For he who withholds anything from what he took, even what he received is taken from him. Therefore, my beloved, as you have found to take at this time, from that treasure which does not diminish, I have sent to you from it. And when I sent to you, it is all with me. For the treasure does not diminish; it is the wisdom of God. And the master of the house is the Lord Jesus Christ, as he testified and said: "Everything was delivered to me from my Father." And when they were the storehouse of wisdom, they were also wisdom, as the Apostle said: "Christ is the power of God and his wisdom." And this wisdom was distributed to many, and nothing diminished, as I reminded you above, that the prophets received the spirit of Christ, and Christ was not diminished. Ten discourses I have written to you, my beloved, of what you asked of me, that I might not weary you, and what you did not request from me I gave to you. You asked your name, and I wrote to you, and I asked of myself, I asked you. And I asked you as I found to please you. These things that I have written to you, meditate upon them at all times, and be diligent to read the scriptures, those that are read in the church of God. These ten books of the fathers that I have written to you, take one by one, and one upon another, and do not separate them from each other. From Alpha to Yod I have written to you, letters after their companions. Read and learn, you and the brothers, the sons of the covenant and the sons of faith, those who are far from bitterness, as I wrote to you above. And remember what I have marked for you.

These words have not reached their limit, but they are from the limit. And these words are not new, but they are from what is heard that is not new. And the brothers in the houses of instruction have inquired after them. And everything that is heard, if it is asked, receives an answer. And everything that other teachings ask, they overturn and refute their refutations, because a new question cannot be found. But I, my beloved, have brought stones like a sculptor to the building, and wise architects have hewn and placed them in the building. And all the workers who labour at the building receive their wages from the master of the house. The demonstration on shepherds is completed.