June 16, 2023
The Hireling Attitude
“He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.” John 10:12-13 (NASB)
I asked my wife why so many employees who worked at her store left after the holidays. They were seasonal employees. They were hired to perform certain duties and supplement the work load during holidays. At the end of the holiday time, the seasonal employee could apply for full-time work. There was a down side to hiring these folks. Many did not want to do any more than was absolutely necessary. If fact, many demanded the right to keep their cell phones with them during the work day. Company policy mandated phones were to be placed in lockers until a lunch hour or end of work. Many quit because they couldn’t. A few were also caught on their phones during work hours using social media apps. When confronted, they said they were taking care of an emergency. How times have changed compared to twenty years ago. If there was an emergency, someone called the main office and asked to speak to the employee...
“He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.” This person is hired to take care of the sheep but shares no real investment in their lives. This hireling, “... is not concerned about the sheep.” This word “hireling” is the word, melō; meaning to be an object of care, concerned, defer, worry.[1] So when the sheep are attacked, he shares no real care. He doesn’t know the sheep the way the shepherd does. In fact he might not be concerned, other than what the employer thinks when the sheep are missing. He also doesn’t worry about the loss because it doesn’t affect him personally or financially. So when the wolf comes and snatches one of the sheep, the rest flee from the danger. Thomas says, “The hireling here is not necessarily the thief and robber of verses 1 and 8. He may conceivably be a nominal shepherd (pastor) of the flock who serves only for the money.”[2] He is like the temporary employee. He will work for the employer, but when it comes to doing anything outside of the normal duties he is asked, will not oblige. He doesn’t have a long-term commitment to the employer. His only concern is for the monetary compensation he will receive as a result of his half-hearted service. The Pharisees fell into this category. While they performed the duties assigned to them each day, they shared no real investment into the lives of the Jews. They were more interested in the public persona and prestige of those who saw them performing their outward duties. Their actions were self-serving at the cost of those who needed their guidance.
Today, we find an increasing percentage of this “hireling” attitude in society today. Do no more than is expected of you. If it not perfect, don’t worry about it. If something happens blame it on the sheep. “It wasn’t my fault that they got eaten!” “They should have known something would happen.” The Pharisees were doing the same thing. They didn’t really care about actually serving their people. They had self-serving motives; “Hirelings.” Today don’t fall into this style of thinking. Serve as everyone you meet as unto the Lord (Ephesians 6:7).
[1] Thomas, R. L. (1998). In New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : updated edition. Foundation Publications, Inc.
[2] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Jn 10:12). Broadman Press.