But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees: and the wolf catches them, and scatters the sheep.
All Commentaries on John 10:12 Go To John 10
Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
But he that is an hireling, &c. An hireling seeks not the good of the sheep but merely his own profit. "Hirelings are they," says S. Augustine, "who seek their own things, and not the things of Christ and of the sheep." So too S. Basil. But the apostles, though they fed not their own sheep, but the sheep of Christ, were not hirelings, because they sought not their own temporal gain, but the spiritual and eternal gain of the faithful. "He is called a hireling, and not a shepherd," says S. Gregory (Hom. xiv.), "who feeds the Lord"s sheep, not from deepest love, but for worldly gain. The hireling is he who holds the post of a shepherd, but seeks not to gain souls; is eager for earthly advantages, rejoices in the honour of the prelacy, feeds on temporal gains, delights in the reverence paid to him by men."
Seeth the wolf coming. "For in a time of tranquillity," says S. Gregory, "very often the hireling, as well as the true shepherd, stands on guard over the flock. But the approach of the wolf shows the temper of mind with which they did so. The wolf attacks the sheep when the violent and the spoiler oppress those who are faithful and humble. But he who seemed to be a shepherd and was not, leaves the sheep and runs away, because through fear for himself he does not venture to withstand his injustice."
Fleeth: "Not by change of place," says S. Gregory, "but by withdrawing support. He flies, because he saw injustice and held his peace: he flies, because he conceals himself by silence. To whom the prophet well says, "Ye have not gone up against him, nor raised up a wall for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord" ( Ezekiel 13:5).
And the wolf catcheth them, i.e. A heretic, or any wicked Prayer of Manasseh , who strives to pervert the faithful by word or example, or (as S. Gregory says) "the devil, who seizes them when he draws away this man to luxury, inflames another with avarice, puffs up another with pride, parts asunder others through anger, stimulates another with envy, supplants another by deceit. The devil therefore scatters the flock when he kills the faithful by temptations. But the hireling is not inflamed by zeal against such attacks, is not enkindled by any warmth of love. Because by looking after mere outward advantages, he carelessly takes no account of the inward injury which is done to the flock."
And hence, Christ leaves it to be gathered by contrast that the good shepherd when he sees the wolf coming neither flies nor forsakes his sheep, but stands firm and fights for them even to death, and in this way lays down his life for them. But when it is allowable for a pastor to fly when persecuted, and when not, see notes on S. Matthew 10:23. Also S. Augustine (Epis. clxxx. ad Honoratum). I use on this matter the words of S. Gregory the more freely, because he had full experience of those things in his own person.
