Jesus defined Himself as the good shepherd, and His people as His sheep. A good shepherd is most concerned with those under His care. In fact, in John 10 we read Jesus expressing just how far he’ll go to care for His own, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Having such care, and knowing He would not walk with them in the flesh for long, Jesus gives His sheep a warning, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”
Jesus gives this warning after a lengthy discourse on a right understanding and application of the Law – a discourse where He redefined how the Law ought to be taught.
Taken in context, what Jesus is now warning His followers about is not limited to those who stand up and say, “Thus says the Lord…” After all, prophesy is not only fore-telling. It is also forth-telling. When a preacher gets up to expound on the Word of God, they are disseminating the Word of God for God’s people. Such must only be done after the preacher has first heard from the Lord. To preach the Word without first hearing from God about and through the Word of God is to put on display one’s own cleverness and wit. That may be very engaging and educational to the spiritually immature, but if it isn’t what God has for that group on that occasion, then it is unhelpful at best. It may grow one’s reputation as a great speaker, but how will it grow His church? It may even grow a large congregation, but how does it further the Name of the Lord, if it isn’t His work? The preacher must be diligent to study the written Word (aka the Law) and to dialogue with God through prayer before daring to get up in front of His people to share what God has for them! To do otherwise is to lead people down the broad road of destruction instead of the narrow road to life, and it is certain to lead to the Lord’s wrath for having misspoke in His Name.
All the same, the responsibility to avoid the wrong path does not rest solely on the shoulders of those who preach and those who shepherd. In telling us to “watch out”, Jesus is saying that congregants also have a role in ensuring they are not being misled. God’s people must be sure to do due diligence. Due diligence before calling an individual to shepherd them, and due diligence to ensure that the shepherd they have over them is not taking speaking pretentiously. For false prophets will come to them in disguise, looking to capitalize on the innocence and willingness of the sheep to follow.
Jesus likens false prophets to a wolf in sheep’s clothing – a monstrous beast pretending to fit in among the innocent. Today that phrase is so commonplace that we tend to overlook the danger it conveys. False prophets are not mere inconveniences or adolescent troublemakers. They are monsters in disguise. Truly the devil’s handiwork, for “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” Like the devil, their inward thoughts and character are not consistent with how they present themselves. They are the very epitome of dishonesty, void of integrity and overflowing with selfishness. Such people are not true shepherds, for they see the sheep only as a means to better themselves. Like wolves among sheep, they will destroy other’s lives to further their own careers and prosperity. Indeed, they do so gleefully, as a wolf is glad to rip apart and consume the unwitting and helpless sheep.
To that point the wise among the sheep must “watch out”. We must practice wisdom by carefully observing those in spiritual positions over us. This is the hope we have, that Christ allows us a way to spot such wolves before it is too late.
Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.
Charles Spurgeon
APPLICATION: Intentionality
Who are you following? We sharpen our skill in observation and in discernment the same way we sharpen our skills in any discipline; learning from those who are wiser in these matters than us, and by careful and consistent practice.