Matthew 9:35-38
The more He preached the gospel of the Kingdom and brought healing, the bigger and bigger the crowds became. Jesus has a magnetism when the Gospel we share is truly good news.
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
That’s the way it goes, though, with a leader worth following. People followed Him because they knew- this Man cares about me. This Man wants to be my friend.
The Great Noticer’s heart broke when He noticed that there were crowds of people who were like sheep without a shepherd. At the time there was no shortage of religious leaders or synagogue-goers; there was a severe shortage of people who showed compassion: of shepherds.
The problem was not entirely that there were so many harassed and helpless. It was that they had no one to show them compassion. And compassion is only compassion when it moves your hands and feet.
Sheep without a shepherd are vulnerable and easily lost. They’ll get themselves stuck between rocks and hard places, up creeks without paddles. It’s not that they want to be this way, they just don’t know better. They don’t know they’ve wandered too far until it’s too late.
But sheep know their shepherd’s voice. And the shepherd will always come looking for the sheep. That’s what makes a shepherd- they are so moved by compassion for their sheep that they go after it.
God’s compassion led to the greatest inconvenience this world has known. “My people are harassed and helpless,” so He stepped down from His throne, left the thousands of angels who all sang, “holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come!” and came to His people to shepherd them home.
The compassion Jesus shows is one to bet your life and death on.
Who compassionately shepherded you?
Who are you compassionately shepherding? What about their situation pulls at your heart?