Sheep, Elections, & Jesus
Right now in Burning Hearts, our 2026 Bible reading plan, we are reading selections from the prophet Ezekiel. Yesterday’s reading was from chapter 34, a chapter that focuses in on bad ‘shepherds’ of God’s people, Israel. Without getting super political, let me get political:
it was an interesting reading for an election day.
(I did not plan it like this, by the way…I promise!). But let me explain why it’s so interesting, and how it can put our politics into the right perspective.
When Ezekiel was writing, the image of the ‘shepherd’ wasn’t really about shepherds at all – it was about the leader of the people: the king. Moses, who was not a king but was in that position of leadership over Israel, was famously a shepherd – and of course David was a shepherd, and would be the king – the model king – of Israel. As shepherd, as king and leader of the people, he was in that position to care for, protect, and feed the flock.
Makes sense as a metaphor, right?
In Ezekiel 34, God levels a scathing condemnation of the ‘shepherds’ of Israel, saying that they had made a habit of exploiting the people under their care, they got fat and wealthy at their expense, they did not care for the weak and defenseless among them, and they did not lead the flock together towards unity – which allowed them to be easy prey for wild beasts. Rather than feeding the sheep, the shepherds were guilty of feeding themselves – often times by eating the very sheep in their care!
They used their power and position for their own glory and wealth, as they lorded it over those who they were meant to serve.
Doesn’t sound like politics has changed all that much in the last 2500 years!
Along with this condemnation, God holds out to them a very important promise: in the absence of ‘good shepherds’, God himself – will come and be their shepherd. Listen to how God puts it (34:11-16):
I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.
I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.
I will feed them with good pasture.
I myself will be the shepherd of the sheep.
I will seek the lost and I will bring back the strayed.
I will bind up the injured and I will strengthen the weak.
I will feed them with justice.
On a day like today, here’s what I think God was saying then – and is saying through this ancient passage today:
As humans, you need kings and senators and governors and leaders. And as humans being human, they’re going to probably fall into ‘bad shepherding’. That’s politics. That’s humans. That’s people. And while you should hope for (and vote for) good shepherds who will take good care of the flock – and take that very seriously,
Your real hope is to be found in God and God alone, our Good Shepherd.
Politics matter because policies effect people – and people matter. But regardless of whether you were crushed by the results of yesterday’s election – or – your coffee tastes better this morning because of the results of yesterday’s election, may we not forget that our real, deepest, most meaningful – and only – hope is in God, our Good Shepherd.
When we read a chapter like Ezekiel 34, about bad shepherds who get fat and rich off at the expense of their own people, it sheds even more light on what Jesus meant when he says what he says in John 10:11 (talk about a ‘story that gives us Jesus’!):
“I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
It really couldn’t be much clearer. Jesus simply is God coming in person as the good shepherd – to seek out and save the lost, to rescue us from thick darkness, to feed us, the care for us, to heal our wounds, to strengthen us, to bring us justice, and ultimately, to lay down his life so that we can have life in him.
Not even the best politician can do that.
But Jesus can, and has done it, and will do it still.
So whether our ‘side’ won or lost, may we follow Jesus – the Good Shepherd – and our only true hope.