February 10, 2021
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. – Matthew 9:36
The phrase for the crowds of people that surround Jesus, “like sheep without a shepherd” is repeated several times in the gospels. The phrase also has roots in the Old Testaments appearing in several prophetic books talking about the people of Israel, and their propensity to seem lost or astray.
The concern of Jesus is that the people lacked any true motivation of leadership. They were subjugated under Rome, and the Roman appointed authorities. The peoples religious leaders, the Pharisees and Sadducees, were said to “not teach with authority.” In many ways the people were often like sheep left in the field to graze and no one to gather and lead them onward.
Now it might be troubling to think of people like sheep, in the sense of following blindly, and simple of mind. However, the Biblical view of the flock is that of a group, dedicated to the shepherd and the sheep will hear his voice, and they will follow him, and will not follow a stranger (Jn 10:1-5). Therefore, when speaking of the people as sheep, and their leaders as shepherds, the Bible is not being derogatory, but evoking the respect that rural communities, such as those in the Bible, had for the shepherds who tended their flocks in a responsible manner. Jesus, then, as the Good Shepherd, is the leader that will lead his people into the care and comfort of God, portraying the loving relationship with us, that God desires to have with all creation.
The compassion of such a shepherd, is to lead them to a place physically, emotionally, spiritually, of peace and rest. Jesus has compassion on us, today, knowing that we are a people who need tender care, who need to be led to the waters of everlasting life, who need to know the love of someone who will take care of us. The compassion of the Good Shepherd reminds me of the refrain of an old hymn: “God will take care of you, through every day, o’re all the way’ he will take care of you, God will take care of you.”
May we cast our cares, our burdens, and worries into the arms of our Savior, and know his compassion is with us now and forever, Amen.
Grace & Peace,
Sam