Matthew 9:35-10:8
Pastor Nathan P. KassulkeThird Sunday After Pentecost
Sunday, June 18, 2023
“Jesus Shows Compassion to Shepherdless Sheep”
What do you think when you see a crowd of people? Maybe at times you are excited to see and to be a part of a crowd. You are attending a concert or a sporting event, and there’s a special energy that being in a large group of people brings. Maybe when you see a crowd, you get a little worried. Where am I going to find a place to stand or to park or to sit? Who am I going to be next to and how will they smell? Whose germs am I going to be exposed to? Maybe when you see a crowd, you feel judgmental. What are they doing there? They must be up to no good! And if that crowd is gathered for a purpose you don’t agree with, like a rally for a political candidate you don’t support, then you are quite certain they are up to no good.
But do you ever look at crowds of people the way Jesus did? Are you filled with compassion for them? Do you long to see them receive the loving leadership that they need? Our sermon text today comes from the end of chapter 9 and the beginning of chapter 10 of the Gospel of Matthew. These verses we read earlier in the service tell us about the interaction Jesus had with his disciples and with the crowds, and there is no mistaking what Jesus thought when he saw so many people. And there is no mistaking that Jesus put his feelings into action. As we briefly consider this account today, we see that Jesus Shows Compassion to Shepherdless Sheep. We’ll take note of his compassion as we consider his perception, his prayer, and his plan.
First, his perception. Jesus had the opportunity to see or perceive the crowds because they were curious about him. He was traveling and teaching. He was preaching and healing. And the people were interested. Obviously, the healing would have appealed to those who needed it. The people who didn’t were likely still impressed and curious. But they certainly did not fully understand the situation. They didn’t really comprehend who Jesus was. So this was his perception of them: “they were troubled and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Now, when I read “troubled and downcast,” that sounds to me like they were just sad. The Greek words used to describe these crowds as Jesus considered them are stronger than that. In the context of sheep, these words describe being scratched and broken by thorns and being left helpless and abandoned. When Jesus looked at the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless. They were beaten and bruised. They were beaten by Satan and temptation. They didn’t have any true and useful leadership. They were left wandering on their own and would wander right to hell if nothing changed.
These crowds were like any other crowds. They were made up of people who were born in sin and unbelief. The people who made up these crowds were just like all the other people born into this world. These people were just like you and me. They needed help. They needed leadership. They needed a Savior. They needed salvation. Jesus perceived their need and had compassion on them.
And in that compassion, he instructed his disciples to pray. The world was and is filled with crowds of people just like the ones who gathered around Jesus. The harvest is plentiful. The need is great. Sinners who deserve hell are beaten and bruised by Satan and wandering around in this world. So pray for harvesters. Pray for pastors. Pray for people who can reach these crowds with the good news that salvation is found in Jesus Christ. Pray for those who would commit hours and days and lives to the work of sharing Jesus and leading his people and offering them the shepherding that they need.
When Jesus perceived the need, he instructed his disciples to pray. When we perceive the need for ourselves and for others, our prayer should be the same. But we often fail on both of these counts. Our perception is off. For ourselves, we like to imagine that we can do just fine without a shepherd. We like to think that we are generally good people and at least well-intentioned. We don’t like to really examine our lives for all of the shameful things that are lurking there.
And we tend to do the exact opposite for others. We view people as enemies and rivals. They are getting in our way and are opposing our efforts. They are our political foes and our competition for goods and services.
When they do something that bothers or annoys us, we don’t assume that it was a mistake in spite of good intentions, we assume that they can’t possibly be as good as we are.
So Jesus corrects our perceptions, and he leads us to pray. He looks on others with compassion. He moves us to do the same. He leads us to realize that we are truly miserable sinners who from the start have deserved nothing but God’s anger. But we have received Christ’s compassion anyway, and we are motivated to respond with loving compassion of our own. I ought to be amazed every day to remember and consider that Jesus died to take away my sins. And if he died to take away my sins, I can look with compassion on others.
So we pray. We pray that God would send workers into his harvest field. We pray that he would reach the people we see around us with his love and compassion and grace. We pray that he would give to them what we have, the assurance of forgiveness of sins and along with forgiveness, life and salvation.
And it would be disingenuous for us to pray for others and then to ignore opportunities to help them. It would be disingenuous to pray that God would send out workers but then refuse to give offerings in support of that work. It would not make sense for us to pray for others and then to go out and disparage others. If we are praying genuine prayers for the people all around us, we will also want to treat them with compassion and to let our lights shine among them.
And that is Jesus’ plan. We see it play out in our Gospel for today. Jesus perceived the needs of the crowds and had compassion on them. He invited his disciples to pray. And then he set his plan in motion. He sent them out with the good news, “The kingdom of heaven is near.” He had his twelve close disciples. He sent them out as apostles—that’s what the word means. He gave them unique authority over disease and evil spirits so that their powerful actions could verify the powerful words that they spoke. And he sent them out first of all to his own people and theirs, the children of Israel.
Our “Holy Ministry” worship series reminds us that Jesus is still carrying out his plan by calling people to serve as missionaries and pastors and teachers and staff ministers. He is no longer visibly present on earth preaching and teaching and healing. But he is still carrying on his work. Just as he multiplied his efforts by sending out the Twelve so long ago, Jesus is still working through many called servants to multiply his work of sharing the good news. The kingdom of heaven is near. Forgiveness is found is Jesus who died for the sins of the world. Through him and through faith in him you have eternal life and salvation. He is coming soon to usher in the end of this world and to bring us into his eternal kingdom. He has had compassion on you. He has answered prayers for you. He has carried out his plans in your life.
And now he calls you to follow his example. He calls you to have the same perception that he does. He calls you to see not just crowds, but anyone and everyone as someone who needs Jesus. He calls you to have the same prayer that he gave his apostles, that God would send out workers to gather in his harvest of souls for eternal life. He calls you to be a part of his plan to answer that prayer. Maybe that means serving as a fulltime worker. It certainly means praying for and encouraging those who are pursuing such a vocation. It means mentioning it when you notice a young person gifted by God with talents for mission work and ministry. It means giving generously toward mission efforts.
I am not suggesting that you have to look forward to spending time in and with crowds. That’s far from the point. But God is asking you to look on all people the way that Jesus did. To encourage us, he has reminded us today of his amazing grace. In the words of our second reading: “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). In the words of Jesus in our Gospel, “Freely you have received; freely give.” May we share Jesus’ perception, his prayer, and his plan. May we be like him. Jesus shows compassion to shepherdless sheep.
