“When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:26 NIV)
It’s easy to be annoyed by a loud and needy crowd. It is Christ-liked to be compassionate. Jesus saw the deaf and mute, blind and bleeding and demon oppressed as sheep without a shepherd, as easy prey for an insatiable enemy. Jesus was not put out but piqued; He had the healing they needed in hand.
I read today’s text and recall a displaced Moses maybe a thousand years prior. Moses had fled Pharaoh and found himself in Midian. He’d stopped at a well to quench his thirst and happened upon a swarm of sisters being harassed by local shepherds. He “came to their rescue and watered their flock.” (Exodus 2:17) The rest is patriarchal history: Moses married Zipporah as a reward for his bravery.
The similarities in these two accounts are not lost on me. Moses and Jesus alike have compassion on the provoked. And eventually, the beleaguered became the Bride.
We are all sheep without a shepherd apart from Jesus. Our Savior has generously intervened, extended His holy Self on our behalf. He’s addressed our affliction and invites us to be His intended forever.
We honor our Groom when we pay attention to the cries of the hurting crowd. When we respond to suffering with compassion and assistance, Jesus is exalted. He asks us to consider the plight of lost people and remember our own rescue. He implores us to attend to the critical task of telling others about Him.
“Then He said to the disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few, therefore, send out workers into His harvest field.” (Matthew 9:38 NIV)
I suspect the harvest field looks a lot like loud and miserable sheep scattered in the pasture. Jesus asks us to have compassion, to lay aside our self and tend to their overwhelming need. Let’s be obedient to His call.
Lord, attune our hearts to the cries of others. Align our desire with Yours; that none should perish. Let us see the affliction of the lost. Move us with Christ-like compassion. Use us in Your fields, freeign folks from the enemy’s insidious agenda. May we work hard and remain grateful for divine intervention in our helpless situation. Amen.