|
“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
The expression “as sheep having no shepherd” is rather important, and it is found (with minor variations) at least eight times in the Bible. It is in both the Old and New Testaments. The people of this world are often compared to sheep, for sheep are not very smart animals. Yes, they can endure cold weather, and are generally easy to manage, but they cannot really look after themselves very well. If they get lost, they cannot find their way home. Or they get into places where they cannot get out themselves. Sheep need a shepherd to look after them.
The Lord compares people who have no one to look after them to sheep without a shepherd. They go here and there, looking for something to satisfy them, but they cannot find it. They need someone to care for them, to feed them spiritually, and to guide them in their lives. Most important of all, they need to become one of God’s sheep, by trusting in the Lord Jesus as Savior.
The Lord Jesus felt sorry for the people in Israel when He was here on earth. He loved them, but they had gone astray, and most of them really did not want a shepherd. They liked it when the Lord Jesus fed them, or healed their diseases, but they did not want Him to be their shepherd. If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, then you have a Shepherd who loves you and cares for you. No true believer is like a sheep without a Shepherd.
|
