Now we meet Jesus – the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls. We talk a lot about Jesus as the Good Shepherd, but what does it mean to say he is Guardian of our souls?
Guardian comes from “epi,” which means on, upon, over, or to. That’s added to “skopos,” like “telescope,” which means looking, examining, observing. So, if you add them together, the most literal meaning would be “overseer.” This was a job that had existed for hundreds of years in Greco-Roman society. It’s even the word that was translated “bishop” in the early church!1
One kind of overseer would be someone who looks over what’s happening, like a supervisor or a merchant. They might be in charge of budgets for temples or cities. Or, they may be more like project managers who make sure everyone’s doing what they need to be doing and that they’re doing it right. At times, this included the power to charge, convict, and punish folks who did wrong!2
Another kind of overseer worked for the government. Back around the 5th century BC, Athens sent these overseers out to the subject states in their empire. When you conquer and govern people, you’d better believe you need someone on the ground to keep an eye on them, to get the truth out of them. In some instances, they were basically spies.3
People who worked in temples were overseers, too, whether of the day-to-day goings on or of their holy stories or supernatural arts. Sometimes, even the gods were called guardians. Swearing an oath or signing a treaty in the name of your god meant calling on their power to enforce that you would do what you said or that you were telling the truth. Well, invoking the god often enough meant that people believed that that particular god had a special interest in what was true or just. Hence, they were “guardians of truth” or “guardians of justice.”4
In these examples, an overseer is a specific job title, one generally appointed by someone with greater authority – a god, an emperor, even the owner of a house. All this makes sense for an overseer, but what about Jesus? Is he the supervisor of our souls? The project manager or accountant or bureaucrat or spy of our souls?5
No offense to folks in those fine professions, but I don’t think so. Someone who watches over you could also be a protector, like a guard. But a guard might be keeping something dangerous in or keeping something dangerous out. In this case, at its heart, being a guardian isn’t about mighty weapons that fight off violent opposing forces. A shepherd and guardian is someone who keeps an eye on what people need and makes sure they can get it. It’s about being there, caring for them.6 As shepherd and guardian of our souls, Jesus is protecting what is immortal within us, what makes us fundamentally us.7 The Good Shepherd knows what our souls need, leads us to green pastures, makes us lie down beside still waters, and guides us always. Sheep don’t always know why the shepherd chooses to go north or east. They wouldn’t know if the shepherd spent his life savings bandaging them up and helping them heal. So much of what keeps them safe and warm is beyond their understanding. And yet…the shepherd devotes his life to their lives. Our Good Shepherd devotes his life to our lives and calls us to follow in his footsteps.
[1] Vinson, Richard B, Richard F. Wilson, & Watson E. Mills. 1 & 2 Peter, Jude. Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary. Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys, 2010, p. 130. & https://scielo.org.za/pdf/at/v29s12/10.pdf & https://advindicate.com/articles/1695 & https://www.christianresearcher.com/uploads/1/6/2/9/16298120/01greekenglishlexicongrimmthayer.pdf & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episkopoi
[2] https://www.christianresearcher.com/uploads/1/6/2/9/16298120/01greekenglishlexicongrimmthayer.pdf & https://cbumgardner.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/episkopos-as-guardian-36/ & https://scielo.org.za/pdf/at/v29s12/10.pdf & https://advindicate.com/articles/1695 & https://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/0472110640-03.pdf & https://www.greece-is.com/complete-guide-to-the-parthenon-sculptures-part-1/
[3] Vinson, Wilson, & Mills, p. 137. & https://advindicate.com/articles/1695 & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episkopoi & https://scielo.org.za/pdf/at/v29s12/10.pdf & https://www.restorationlibrary.org/library/TNTWSV1/TNTWSV1_SIPDF.pdf & https://academic.oup.com/past/article/257/1/11/6554418 & https://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/0472110640-03.pdf & https://www.rosieanderson.net/post/invisible-women-spies-in-ancient-rome-greece-and-persia
[4] https://scielo.org.za/pdf/at/v29s12/10.pdf & https://media-cloud.sermonaudio.com/text/929112126140.pdf & https://www.restorationlibrary.org/library/TNTWSV1/TNTWSV1_SIPDF.pdf & https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781135976972_A23831322/preview-9781135976972_A23831322.pdf & https://cbumgardner.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/episkopos-as-guardian-36/
[5] https://cbumgardner.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/episkopos-as-guardian-36/ & https://scielo.org.za/pdf/at/v29s12/10.pdf
[6] https://advindicate.com/articles/1695 & https://media-cloud.sermonaudio.com/text/929112126140.pdf & https://www.christianresearcher.com/uploads/1/6/2/9/16298120/01greekenglishlexicongrimmthayer.pdf & https://moments.nbseminary.com/archives/46-jesus-our-guardian-episkopos-1-peter-225/ & https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781135976972_A23831322/preview-9781135976972_A23831322.pdf
[7] https://www.thetbs.org/study-materials/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/1-Peter-Baker-Exegetical-Commentary-on-the-New-Testament-BECNT-by-Karen-H.-Jobes-z-lib.org_.epub_.pdf