How Shepherds Provide The Best Food Ever

What can shepherds teach us about how to "feed" a flock?

As a long time pastor, I've heard my share of people expressing a need to feel well "fed" in their weekly services. The very word pastor means shepherd, and the main responsibility they see shepherds having is providing them good spiritual nourishment on a  regular basis.

But just how is that best accomplished?

In the minds of many, it involves having special persons in the congregation, usually under the leadership of an ordained pastor, preparing appealing and nourishing fare in the form of well chosen hymns and a well crafted 20-25-minute sermon every Sunday morning (or at least whenever it's convenient for them to attend). Congregants are expected to line up in orderly rows each week as consumers of this fine menu.

But do Biblical shepherds normally bring well-prepared bales and bushels of food to feeding troughs, or do they lead sheep to good pastures where they actively graze together? And should spiritual nourishment come in the form of a buffet prepared by a team of professional chefs or more in the form of a carry-in meal, where each member is prepared to bring a Spirit-inspired "psalm or hymn, a word of instruction or encouragement, a revelation, an ecstatic utterance or an interpretation"?

Most members come to services with a consumer mentality, and rate their Sunday experience by how interesting or inspirational they find the morning sermon. If it doesn't get a five-star rating, they are prone to shop around for a congregation that will offer them a better product and a more emotionally satisfying spiritual experience of feeling truly well fed. For many, good ratings are based on whether what they hear reinforces their already set beliefs and biases.

This reminds me of a story I read as a child called "The Best Food In The World." It was about a young prince who was not doing well because he had little appetite for the royal fare prepared for him every day. As I recall the tale, the king offered a handsome reward for anyone who could come up with "the best food in the world," delicacies his son simply wouldn't be able to resist, and thus having him begin to thrive and grow. But no one in the kingdom, try as they may, was able to come up with a dish that appealed to the young prince's tastes.

Finally a peasant couple offered to help, but with the provision that he come live with them for a time. In desperation, the king consented. The couple simple engaged him in their everyday life, with lots of fresh air and outdoor work activities that were part of their daily routine. All of which contributed to his gaining the kind of appetite that made him hungry for the simple and nutritious daily meals they enjoyed together around their family table.

Which indeed proved to be the best food in the world.