Shepherds and sheep in modern America?

Zechariah 13:7 prophisized that the Shepherd will be struck that "the sheep may be scattered." Yet a third will call on "My (God's) name and I will answer them; I will say, "They are my people," and they will say, "The Lord is my God."

We see the fullfillment of this prophesy as the Chief Shepherd Jesus hung on a cross, yet He arose and is now seated at the right hand of His Father, where He has been given "as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." He ascended and "He gave gifts to men" that His church will mature "to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."

God has a plan. We, the church, grow up into the fullness of His Body. To this end, "He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as shepherds and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the works of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."

Jesus came as the Chief Shepherd and it is because of Him that I have the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort me, to teach me, to bring me into the relationship with the Father that I can call Him, "Abba." Yet God also has given brothers and sisters to walk with me. He has given shepherds here on earth that can lead and watch over me as a shepherd does for his sheep. They are those who lay down their lives to serve the body "not lording it over those entrusted to you but being examples to the flock."

God does place in our lives those that can be examples to us of what it looks like to walk out our salvation here on earth. Because they do not walk perfectly as Christ the Chief Shepherd did, does not mean that God has not provided shepherds to help lead us into maturity. I do not know anyone that has walked on water but I have known people over the years that have encouraged and challenged me and assisted in the equipting for "works of service." Because there have been those who have called themselves shepherds and have "lorded it over those entrusted to them" does not mean that God has not provided shepherds. It simple means that they have abused the trust others have put in them. There is one Chief Shepherd but Ephesians makes it clear that there are those who are shepherds here to help us mature. From one who wants to see none "tossed here and there by waves, carrried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming," I thank God for those shepherds willing to lay down their lives to serve those whom God has "entrusted" to them.