Apathy and False Teachers in the Church

Q: Zechariah 11:16 describes Shepherds who have failed to care for their sheep. Does this apply to apathy and false teaching in our churches today? And what can we do to change this?

A: To better understand this verse of Scripture, lets take a look at the verse in its context. Zechariah 11:15-17, Then the LORD said to me, Go again and play the part of a worthless shepherd. This will illustrate how I will give this nation a shepherd who will not care for the sheep that are threatened by death, nor look after the young, nor heal the injured, nor feed the healthy. Instead, this shepherd will eat the meat of the fattest sheep and tear off their hooves.....Doom is certain for this worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! The sword will cut his arm and pierce his right eye! His arm will become useless, and his right eye completely blind!

When we think about it, even Jesus used sheep and shepherds to illustrate many of His parables. Matthew 7: 15-20 also talks about those who might mislead people away from the truth: Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart.....You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You dont pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles. A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cant produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cant produce good fruit. So every tree that does ...