ecause, after all, they are not the Good Shepherd. Nor will they ever be. Even the bravest may one day decide that the danger is too much for their heart. Or that their heart has run out of caring. Or that their life is not worth laying down for yours. Or that the opportunity cost is not worth the paycheck.
No one can ever match up to the Good Shepherd himself—that is the point. If you expect any hired hand to be equal with the Good Shepherd, it is not their sub-par performance that is the issue, but your own misplaced expectations.
All metaphors break down eventually. Where this one breaks down is when we realize that even the hired hands are just fellow sheep hired for an impossible task.
You can look on them with disappointment, or even disdain, but until you’ve put in the work with the Good Shepherd’s flock, you don’t really know. And if they’ve done it for any length of time, that is noteworthy. Maybe even praiseworthy. So extend grace. Have compassion. Show love.
