Anchor My Faith

Jesus Shows Compassion

Scripture: Mark 6:34; Luke 9:11; John 6:3

We ended the previous lesson with Jesus and the disciples planning to cross the Sea of Galilee and go to a desolate place for some time away from the crowds, but as they arrive, a growing crowd forms. We will pick up the narrative as Jesus and the disciples go ashore. ^{Mk 6:34} “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

Jesus and the disciples were tired from traveling to villages and towns, sharing the gospel and touching the lives of people by healing and casting out evil spirits.  Going to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, they had hoped to go to some desolate place for some time away from the crowds. Arriving on shore they realized that was not going to happen because of the large crown that was gathering. How they really felt when seeing the gathering crowd was not told us, but Jesus again steps up to the need and shows compassion on them, because he sees them like sheep without a shepherd.

In Numbers 17:15 – 17, Moses speaks to God about the congregation of the Lord being like sheep with no shepherd: “¹⁵ Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, ¹⁶ “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation ¹⁷ who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.”’

Later in the Old Testament we find the people are still without a shepherd. In Ezekiel 34:1 – 6 (ESV) we read: “The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? ³ You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. ⁴ The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. ⁵ So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; ⁶ they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.”’

In Ezekiel 34:11 – 16, the Lord God makes a promise that he would overcome the failure of the Jews to shepherd the people under them, by coming and being their shepherd: “¹¹ “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. ¹² As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. ¹³ And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. ¹⁴ I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. ¹⁶ 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, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.”’

Jesus is that shepherd and to fill that role, he felt compassion and prepares to teach and meet their needs. To “teach” and to “meet” suggest two groups of people. There are those who believe in him and follow him to learn from him, and then there are those who come primarily to have their needs met or enjoy the energy experienced in a crowd like this.

^{Lk 9:11} “[Jesus] welcomed them ^{Jn 6:3} [and then] went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. ^{Mk 6:34} And he began to teach them many things ^{Lk 9:11} [about] the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.” As Jesus welcomed them he probably used that time to meet the needs of those there. When that activity was finished, Jesus probably positioned himself on the side of the mountain, just above those who were there to hear him teach. There were the twelve disciples, but there were many others who were also called disciples who sat before him to learn from him.

Conclusion

This lesson is rather long because of the two long passages included. They were included to point out the Jews failure to shepherd those God gave to their care and to indicate that a solution would be forthcoming. That solution stands before us as the person of Jesus, the Son of God. His assignment from his Father was to demonstrate his authority and to teach the people that he was that shepherd and that he must go to the cross to suffer and die and then rise from the dead to meet our spiritual need of salvation.