Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?

[DMHanke71]

When I teach on leadership or teach on justice, I teach on Ezekiel 34. These days, helping people to see the call to leadership as a call to work for justice is more challenging than it was thirty years ago. This is because leadership has been redefined as being loud, brash, and rigid. At the same time justice has been seen as co-opted by those who have an agenda of inclusivity that disregards moral clarity, especially in areas of human sexuality. The waters are muddied. The role of shepherd has never been more critical as a corrective to present leadership norms.

In Ezekiel 34, God instructs what He wants for His shepherd leaders by giving negative examples. The current shepherds ‘have been actively consuming the products and the flock, with disregard for the consequences.’ (152) They ‘eat the curds, clothe themselves with the wool, and slaughter the choice animals.’ They have ‘ruled them harshly and brutally.’ I would submit that these are the practices of many leaders, both inside and outside the church. There is a mentality of ‘what can I get out of this position or these people?’ It is paired with a fear that people who disagree with me will destroy me and what I love, so I need to be louder and stronger. Courage in leadership is translated as rigidity of viewpoint and quickness to shun. As it did in the days of Ezekiel, this style of leadership leaves sheep ‘wandering… scattered over the whole earth, [with no-one] searching for them.’

Meanwhile, in today’s cultural milieu, justice has been assigned to any perceived oppression. If one disagrees with that person’s experience of oppression, one questions their need for justice. But in Ezekiel 34:16, ‘Mishpat can mean justice (the supreme character of good government) or judgment (judicial decree). The word here brings with it a sober realization that harmony will not come simply from the dramatic rescue envisioned. The judgment of the ‘sleek and the strong’ is a prerequisite for the era of peace.’ God is the one who defines justice and God is the one who will shepherd his flock, who are oppressed, with justice. In today’s moment, we don’t throw out justice because we disagree with the oppressed. Instead we cherish this central feature of who God is and allow Him to set the agenda of the work that we do.

This brings us to the muddied water. It is striking that Ezekiel doesn’t just bring a charge about stealing clean water. He is appalled that the leaders have ruined, muddied, the water for everyone else. They drink what they want, stomp around, and then leave a muddy mess for others. “They drink first and then befoul the water for others.” (156) This is the most scandalous of leadership acts. This exposes a heart bereft of shepherding compassion. For those who are brash in their outspoken judgment and then dismissive of those who are longing for just treatment, the result is sheep who are scattered, looking for clean water, with only muddied pools from which to choose. I submit that this is the situation in many churches and denominations as leaders mishandle allegations of abuse, as leaders belittle parishioners who are trying to find grace in the midst of their brokenness, and as leaders grow things that bring them fame while ignoring the wicks and reeds that need their support (sorry to mix the metaphor). Forgive us for muddying the rest with our feet.
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David Hanke
restorationarlington.org