"In order to be an immaculate member of a flock of sheep, one must above all be a sheep oneself"
--- Albert Einstein (Theoretical physicist; 1879 - 1955)
Whereas some religious denominations have pastors who lead the congregation, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has "Bishops". But vocabulary aside, their general purpose is the same. The term "pastor" in a religious connotation, of course, is analogous to shepherds who take care of sheep. The general consensus is that the word "pastor" has etymological roots meaning "to feed and protect". In much the same way, Bishops in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have overall responsibility for ministering the temporal and spiritual affairs of the congregation. Although they're just normal laymen with normal day jobs and families, they strive to be the best examples of Christ that they can be and to love everyone trusted within their care.
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BISHOPS
As a reminder, a Bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the man primarily responsible for overseeing a congregation called a "Ward" (See "Set Apart and Setting Out"). "Bishop" is a calling, not a job, meaning that it's a temporary non-paid service assignment. Like all callings, it's a position that is assigned after prayerful consideration. No one applies to be a Bishop and there is no voting process; it's all by revelation through the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost and voluntarily accepted. In the case of Bishops, the Stake President who oversees a handful of local Wards has the responsibility of assigning Bishops through this process of revelation (See "Prophets and Callings" and "Church Organization"). As Bishops, they hold the priesthood keys and authority to preside over a Ward which includes many responsibilities such as caring for the needy (See "Priesthood" and "Return of the King -- Part 4.2"). The English word "Bishop" originally comes from the Late Latin episcopus meaning "watcher" or "overseer" as it is the responsibility of a Bishop to oversee the wellbeing of the people in his Ward.
Obispo Flores (Oh-bees-poh; Spanish for “Bishop”) was my favorite bishop whilst a missionary. If you want to talk about a good attitude, he’s your guy. He went above and beyond what was required of him. Not only was he a responsible leader. He loved to crack jokes. He loved everyone. He was just the kind of guy you felt safe around and he didn’t take himself too seriously. The four of us missionaries would go over to his house every Sunday night to have a good chat with him and enjoy an occasional meal. He prioritized missionary work which was more than I could say about some leaders I met in those two years. I attribute a lot of the growth and retention of the Riveras Ward during his time as a Bishop to him. And really, all he had to do was be a friend and half the problems were solved.
For his birthday, I drew Obispo Flores a portrait that earned a place on his fridge. According to him, I was the first person who ever made him a drawing. It wasn't unusual for me to doodle a thank-you picture on a napkin and leave it as a surprise for the hosting family after lunch appointments. I enjoyed drawing and the members were always appreciative and frequently kept the napkin artwork on their fridge for weeks at a time. It might seem like a small thing but I believe that we should use our talents to bless others, and I have a talent for art. A couple of years later, I drew another, higher-quality, picture for his birthday.
At the end of the day, Obispo Flores was a normal good-hearted guy like anyone else. His son was serving as a missionary in California at the time I was in Riveras and later attended LDS Business School (which was renamed "Ensign College") here in Utah. I got to meet up with their family a couple of times when they visited Utah for his graduation and General Conference and on a few other occasions. It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how many countless missionaries come through over the years, so many Church members remember and reach out to the missionaries after they go home. It means the world to me to know that they care about us individually, and not just as one drop in an ocean.
There are many qualities that one might say make for a good Bishop, but if I had to select only one thing, it might be that of knowing and loving your sheep. I don't think you can be a good Bishop without loving the people you are serving. One of Jesus’ titles is “The Good Shepherd”. Says John 10, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine” (vs. 14). A great leader will know those whom he is entrusted with by name. I’ve known many bishops who could look at a long list of names and tell me something about each one. Incredible! When there was a visitor to the Ward being taught by the missionaries, Bishop Flores was quick to introduce himself and welcome them. After their baptism, he would open his home to them for an evening with his family. There was no distinction of persons. All were loved and welcomed. That's what Christ did and that's what Christ teaches us to do.
SHEPHERDS
There is a difference between shepherds and sheepherders. A sheepherder is usually at the rear of the flock, slouched down on his horse, sound asleep. And doing the work are half a dozen small dogs yapping and barking at the heels of the sheep. A shepherd, on the other hand, has a staff in hand, singing, walking in front of his flock; and the flock follows behind him. When he turns to the left, the sheep turn to the left; when he goes to the right, they go to the right. There are no dogs barking at the heels of his sheep. They know their shepherd and follow the path he takes. A good leader is one who leads the way with love like Jesus Christ does.
The Ancient Israelites were a pastoral people. Many of the prophets were literal shepherds such as Abraham, Jacob, Moses, King David, and Amos. According to Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, every messenger of God had the occupation of being a shepherd at one point in their lives.
The metaphor of the church being like a flock (Luke 12:32; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2; D&C 6:34) is the reason behind the term “Pastor” (which is originally the Latin word for shepherd) used to denote clergy in many Christian denominations, although we don't use the word "Pastor" in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. On another note, Al Pastor, as in Tacos Al Pastor, means "In the style of a shepherd" because it was Mexican shepherds who adapted the style of spit-roasting pork from the Lebanese (See "Food, Glorious Food -- Part 1")
THE ROD
The shepherd’s crook, or crosier, has come to be a symbol or insignia of various churches. The origin of the crosier as a staff of authority in these churches is uncertain. A shepherd’s rod was a club about three feet long, with a knob on the end used to beat wolves away from the herd. A staff, sometimes called a rod, is longer and was used for walking, resting, or guiding sheep, as in Lev. 27:32; Ps. 23:4. Perhaps the insignia has something to do with Moses’ staff, or “rod” in the Old Testament (Exo. 4:2). God endows Moses’ rod (or staff) to perform miraculous signs unto the Egyptian captors. Aaron’s rod has similar capabilities. Aaron’s rod was placed in the Ark of the Covenant as a symbol of God’s authority (Heb. 9:4; Num. 17:8) after Israel sought after priestly offices in vain (Num. 16:3); Aaron’s rod was the only one that budded and yielded almonds proving that he was whom God anointed. (Num. 17:8-10)
There are other metaphors where “rod” could symbolize God’s authority such as Psalms 110:2 or Isaiah 11 where Isaiah prophesies “there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse” (vs. 1) and “He shall smith the earth with the rod of his mouth” (vs. 4). An interesting similarity could be suggested with Lehi’s vision of the Tree of Life at the beginning of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ where an iron rod is said to represent the word of God, which would be the supreme authority.
As you might already know, legend has it that in 1670, the cane-shaped candy became historical when a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany bent the sugar sticks into canes to appear as shepherd's hooks.
We will be quick to remember that angels appeared to shepherds to announce the birth of the Savior. The following excerpt by Eric D. Huntsman from Good Tidings of Great Joy: An Advent Celebration of the Savior's Birth explains:
"It is clearly significant that the announcement came first to shepherds. Though Matthew relates that the news is conveyed later to the wise men—no doubt representing the privileged and educated—via the means of astronomical phenomenon, the lowly shepherds in Luke were informed by direct revelation immediately after Jesus’ birth. There is a tendency to romanticize the shepherds, making them in our imagination good, gentle, humble figures. In actuality, shepherds at the time were often looked upon as unclean and outside the law, sometimes even as dishonest, because they often grazed their flocks on other people’s lands.
In this case, they fit well with Luke’s emphasis elsewhere in his Gospel, where Jesus declares he has come not to the righteous but to the outcasts and sinners. Others have noted, however, that many of the flocks near Bethlehem, which is only six miles from Jerusalem, were intended for temple sacrifices, in which case one sees an entirely different symbolism. Jesus came as the Lamb of God, to die for the sins of the world, and it was perhaps to the keepers of temple flocks that his birth was first announced. A particular site, Migdal Eder, or “the Tower of the Flock,” is noted in connection with these sacred flocks."
Not only is Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd, but He is also the Lamb of God, the great and last sacrifice. (See "Great Sacrifice")
LOVE
Returning to them of authority and love: James and John came to Jesus asking, “Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, the other on thy left hand, in thy glory” (Mark 10:37). But Jesus denied them saying, “To sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared” (vs. 40). But then Jesus teaches:
“Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority over them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (vs. 42-45)
Truly, there is something to be said of the great ones who know and love the one:
“…If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.” (Matt. 18:12-13)
To quote something that was said in the October 2014 General Conference by Jeffrey R.
Holland using his words recounting a story, said he:
“A journalist once questioned Mother Teresa of Calcutta about her hopeless task of rescuing the destitute in that city. He said that, statistically speaking, she was accomplishing absolutely nothing. This remarkable little woman shot back that her work was about love, not statistics. Notwithstanding the staggering number beyond her reach, she said she could keep the commandment to love God and her neighbor by serving those within her reach with whatever resources she had. ‘What we do is nothing but a drop in the ocean,’ she would say on another occasion. ‘But if we didn’t do it, the ocean would be one drop less [than it is].’ Soberly, the journalist concluded that Christianity is obviously not a statistical endeavor. He reasoned that if there would be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety and nine who need no repentance, then apparently God is not overly preoccupied with percentages.”
If there is one thing that I know, it is that our Heavenly Father loves all of His children. He knows them by name because they are His. He is aware of their situation and needs and efforts and dreams. He longs to bless them all. He doesn’t love them because of anything they have done but because they are His children. We are all the lost sheep. He is the Good Shepherd. What the Master asks is that we “Feed [His] Sheep.” (John 21:15-17)
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