St. Gregory the Great on the shepherd and the hireling

THE GOOD SHEPHERD (John 10.11-16) 

'But the hireling, who is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees.' 

We can never really know whether someone is a shepherd or a hireling until they are tested.  During times of peace even hirelings frequently stand up and protect the flock like true shepherds.  But when the wolf comes, they then reveal what their intentions were while they were standing as protectors of the flock.  Any rapacious intruder preying upon you, God's people of faith, is a wolf coming upon the sheep.  Those who appeared to be shepherds, but were not, leave the sheep and flee.  While they are afraid of the danger to themselves they don't venture to resist the wrong the intruder is doing.  Their flight isn't physical, but a withholding of help; it is to see the wrong the intruder is doing and to remain silent; it is to hide under the cover of silence.  Addressing people like this, the prophet said:  You have not offered any opposition, nor have you fortified the house of Israel, to hold fast in battle on the day of the Lord.  To offer opposition means to openly denounce any wrongdoing; we hold fast in battle for the house of Israel on the day of the Lord, and fortify it, if we defend innocent believers against the wrongdoing of the wicked with the authority of righteousness.  Since hirelings do none of this, we can say that they flee when they see the wolf coming.   

'And the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep.'  

The wolf comes, and the hireling flees.  The evil spirit tears apart the hearts of believers by tempting them and those holding the place of the shepherd take no responsibility.  Souls perish while they enjoy the prerogatives of their office.  The wolf snatches and scatters the sheep when it carries one off in the dissipation, another in greed and another in pride; it destroys one by anger, stirs up another by envy and trips up another by deceit.  When the devil kills off believers through temptation, he is like a wolf dispersing the flock.  No zeal rouses hirelings against these temptations, no love excites them.  They seek only outward advantages, carelessly allowing internal injury to their flocks.