The Book of Ezekiel shifts its initial focus from helping the Jewish Exiles cope with their situation to one of proposing how to rebuild the nation post-exile. One great concern is leadership — what he calls the “shepherds.” He suggests that Israel got into this mess because of poor shepherding. The shepherds “did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sick nor bind up the injured, did not bring back the strayed nor seek the lost.” The great African bishop. St. Augustine, preached a series of sermons on the Ezekiel passage challenging his priests, the shepherds of his day (fifth century AD), to live up to the ideals Ezekiel sets. Perhaps today’s pastors should be judged by those human connections instead of by their institutional acumen.
