(This post is the third in a short series of four posts on Hebrews 13:20-21. All posts in this series are adaptations from Emily's session at the women's event "Equipped to Serve" on February 18, 2023 in Newport, TN.)
"Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen" (Hebrews 13:20-21).
The writer of Hebrews ends his letter with an amazingly beautiful prayer filled with a depth of theology that is critical to understand if we want to live a life of service and be equipped to serve. The author orders his words in such a way that prioritizes the one who is doing the equipping. The focus is not on the equipped or on the method of equipping but rather on the Equipper. We must pause and behold the beauty and the glory of the one who equips us in order to be properly equipped to serve. This prayer brings to light one title for God and two titles for Jesus that are important for us to remember as we serve in any form of ministry: the God of peace, our Lord Jesus, and the great shepherd of the sheep. This third post of the series will focus on the third title, the great shepherd of the sheep.
As the great shepherd, Jesus lovingly and sacrificially leads his sheep. This passage in Hebrews is not the only place in Scripture where we see Jesus described as a shepherd. Jesus uses it himself in John 10: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. … I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:11,14-15). Jesus goes on to say that his sheep hear his voice and that he calls his sheep by name. What a beautiful image!
Sheep need a shepherd because they don’t know where to go or how to protect themselves. They must learn their shepherd’s voice in order to live and to thrive. We are no different. We are the sheep, and Jesus is our shepherd. It’s vital for our survival that we know his voice. But how do we learn his voice? It's simple. We read his Word. We are equipped to follow him and serve him when we fill our hearts and our minds with his truths. We can’t expect to serve well when we’re not listening to his voice and being filled with the power of his Word. There’s no overflow from an empty cup. Puritan John Owen offers great wisdom when he writes, “If the word does not dwell with power in us, it will not pass with power from us.” We must know our shepherd’s voice well so that we can be equipped to serve.
We are the sheep, and Jesus is our shepherd. It’s vital for our survival that we know his voice.
Only when we behold the beauty of our Equipper as the God of peace, our Lord Jesus, and the great shepherd of the sheep can we begin to focus rightly on ourselves, the ones who are equipped. That’s where we will turn next time in the final post of this series.
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