Shepherd and Bishop of Souls

“For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:25).

Names of God 

God has many names and titles in the Bible. Each one tells us something important about Him—His character and how He relates to us. And how we must relate to Him. Here is another one of His many Names, which is Shepherd and Bishop of Souls.

Jesus – Shepherd

The name “Shepherd” pictures the ceaseless vigilance and self-sacrificial love of God for those who become “the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)

Psalm 23, proclaims: “The Lord is my shepherd.”  Isaiah says, “He will feed his flock like a shepherd: he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11).

Jesus took upon himself the Shepherd title when he said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11).

Jesus – Bishop

Scottish Bible commentator, William Barclay, notes that “Bishop” is a word with a great history. In Homer’s Illiad, Hector, the champion of the city of Troy, was a “Bishop” or guardian of that great city. In Plato’s laws the “Bishop” was the guardian of the state, who “supervised personal conduct, keeping an eye on temperate and outrageous behavior, so as to punish him who needs punishment.” In Athenian law, the “Bishop” was a governor, administrator, or inspector that was sent to see that the subject states observed law and order and were loyal. [1] In other words, Christ is the overseer of public morals – the administrator of public law and order.

Jesus is the “Shepherd and Bishop of our souls.” He provides both internal and external liberty. He rescues the lost and provides personal salvation. By his presence in the human heart He frees us from the bondage of sin.

Therefore

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)