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From the beginning, Jesus came to tend to his flock. His parable on the lost sheep demonstrates his philosophy on the importance of saving souls despite the cost to the shepherd:

“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." [Lk 15:4-7, NRSVCE]

This was also a message in the Old Testament:

... there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice. [Ez 34:14-16, NRSVCE]

Over his three-year ministry, Jesus selected his apostles, who would be the shepherds of his Church, from his flock. They were not prominent figures or princes -- many of them were fishermen, while one was even a tax collector, an occupation hated by most. He called the Apostle Peter his “Rock” because God had revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Son of the living God:

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." [Mt 16:15-18, NRSVCE]

Then Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, making him the head of the apostles and his future church:

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” [Mt 16:19, NRSVCE]

This act of conveying the authority of the church onto Peter is pre-figured in the Old Testament and is the scriptural basis for Papal authority/autonomy in the Catholic church:

On that day I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and will clothe him with your robe and bind your sash on him. I will commit your authority to his hand, and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open. I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his ancestral house. [Is 22:20-23, NRSVCE]

Furthermore, Jesus gave them the power through the Holy Spirit to accomplish these tasks:

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. [Jn 14:26, NRSVCE]

The early church hierarchical structure evolved beginning with St. Peter as the head of the church and the other apostles as bishops. As the number of disciples grew, it was understood that more structure was needed to serve the corporal needs of the new Christians so the Apostles could devote themselves to prayer and evangelization. Hence, the office of deacon was added:

And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” [Acts 6:2-4, NRSVCE]

Paul and Barnabas appointed presbyters (priests) in each parish during their travels:

And after they had appointed elders (presbyters) for them in each church, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe. [Acts 14:23, NRSVCE]

In his first letter to Timothy, St. Paul states the importance of the bishop within the church:

The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. [1Tm 3:1, NRSVCE]

The structure which holds today of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons evolved quickly in the Early Church out of need. The responsibilities of the three offices are summarized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church [1592-1596]:

1592.       The ministerial priesthood differs in essence from the common priesthood of the faithful because it confers a sacred power for the service of the faithful. The ordained ministers exercise their service for the People of God by teaching (munus docendi), divine worship (munus liturgicum) and pastoral governance (munus regendi).

1593.       Since the beginning, the ordained ministry has been conferred and exercised in three degrees: that of bishops, that of presbyters, and that of deacons. The ministries conferred by ordination are irreplaceable for the organic structure of the Church: without the bishop, presbyters, and deacons, one cannot speak of the Church (cf. St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Trall. 3,1). 

1594.       The bishop receives the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders, which integrates him into the episcopal college and makes him the visible head of the particular Church entrusted to him. As successors of the apostles and members of the college, the bishops share in the apostolic responsibility and mission of the whole Church under the authority of the Pope, successor of St. Peter. 

1595.       Priests are united with the bishops in sacerdotal dignity and at the same time depend on them in the exercise of their pastoral functions; they are called to be the bishops' prudent co-workers. They form around their bishop the presbyterium which bears responsibility with him for the particular Church. They receive from the bishop the charge of a parish community or a determinate ecclesial office. 

1596.       Deacons are ministers ordained for tasks of service of the Church; they do not receive the ministerial priesthood, but ordination confers on them important functions in the ministry of the word, divine worship, pastoral governance, and the service of charity, tasks which they must carry out under the pastoral authority of their bishop.

Bishops perform the sacrament of Holy Orders to consecrate all three degrees of the priesthood. It is conferred by the laying on of hands followed by prayers to God for acquisition of the graces of the Holy Spirit required for the ministry just as it was by the Apostles during the beginning of the Church:

For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. [2Tm 1:6-7, NRSVCE]

See Article 6 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church [1536-1600] for a complete review of the Sacrament of the Holy Orders.