When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36) Jesus had compassion. The Greek is esplagxnisthay. This refers to a deep visceral pain deep within himself, a primal response from deep within the essence of His being. This, we are told, happened at a few different points of His Ministry. He suffers on behalf of his pathos for the suffering of people. This compassion of Jesus is one of the deepest, richest, and most comforting of His qualities for any believer in this life. He knows what you are going through and He suffers with and for you.
The reason for this compassion within Jesus in today’s Gospel is the spiritual state of the people. They were like unprotected sheep: Sheep without a shepherd. As such, they are described as wearied, harassed, the Greek implies that they were “cast away”. How? Why? What does this mean? It means that those who were supposed to be spiritual caregivers, leaders, and guides were not doing their job. Like all too often in the Old Testament, those whom God had established to be spiritual caregivers were shirking their duties. The Levites and the Priests were not teaching the people rightly, they had not been preparing them to live in humble faith and repentance.
The words harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd tell us that the people were the constant target of an evil bully. They were like a flock of sheep surrounded by a pack of wolves. The wolves constantly probing, nipping, consuming. Who were these? The false teachers. The Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees, religious movements whose members emphasized the study of the Law and Old Testament not for the sake of understanding God and His mercy and to grow in faith but for the sake of vain philosophy and pride in doing more works than others. As Jesus said in Matthew 22: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.” Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. (Mt. 23: 15, 23)
These false teachers, hypocrites, and blind guides, were the wolves seeking to take God’s Word, twist it and use it to deceive and destroy, while casting out as refuse and worthless those who lived simply by faith in the Messianic promises as repentant believers. Therefore Jesus groans for them and said to His disciples: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Mt. 9:37-38)
With that, we are introduced to the 12 disciples and their names. These are they whom Jesus chose to be an answer to those wolves, and to supplant those who had been appointed to be shepherds but had only been unfaithful hirelings protecting God’s flock. Interesting fact here. Notice the language used. Only 2 Weeks ago on Trinity Sunday, we heard Jesus send out the disciples with the command: ” Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” But here Jesus sends them out saying: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Interesting. 2 things here. One is that this was temporary sending out of the disciples. This was like their internship or as we use in our churches, a type of vicarage. A time of trial for the disciples in a prophetic role which they would continue later. But this time also had a slightly different message content. It was a sending out to continue the message of preparation by repentance as John the Baptizer had proclaimed. It was to show that the kingdom of heaven was about to be proclaimed and redeemed in the very person and work of Jesus the Christ, the promised Messiah, the true and faithful Shepherd of God’s flock. The second sending was a message that redemption had been accomplished.
The second point regarding this is to answer the question “why were they sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel this time and not all nations?” Well, the reason is because these were already sheep. They were believers though weak and set upon by the wolves. This message was one of encouragement. Hang in there. Keep the faith. Do not give in to the temptations to despair or turn to a false religion of works, philosophy, or anything that Satan would try using to steal them away. Your Shepherd King is fighting for you and will deliver you from the Devil and his wolfish sons of hell!
Do you think Satan likes his lies to be debated? Do you think wolves who are feasting wish to have their lunch interrupted? O course not! That is why Jesus a few passage later in Mt. 10 tells the disciples: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
He warns them that the enemy will not be easily defeated by words and deeds, but that the Lord would protect and deliver them.
Dear Friends in Christ, the battle continues even today. There are today many false shepherds who are hirelings, false prophets, and wolves in the employ of Satan seeking to harass, destroy, and consume people in spiritual darkness, unbelief, and misbelief.
They know how to appeal to your heart and mind as you struggle in your own flesh with the wolf of human pride within. I struggle too. That voice which says “take the easy way, do your own thing” or “God doesn’t love you” or “I am pretty great”.
Jesus the Great and Good Shepherd knows what is going on in your hearts and minds even if nobody else knows or understands. Jesus in His compassion and love came for you. He came to take your sin, your troubles, the weight of your spiritual enemies off of you. Be comforted! Repent and believe that Jesus has died upon the cross for you to take your sins, to defeat the enemy. To keep you from being consumed by the wolves, to be taken to the depths of hell. Jesus became exhausted by His work and the attacks of the devil as He died so that you may be given strength by the forgiveness of sins which He has won for you by His sacrifice. He has won for you the kingdom of heaven, so that you may eternally rest in Him with the Father, Holy Spirit, the angels, and all the saints. But you are able to rest in Him now. You are able to be comforted now.
This is why He continues to send out His Word, why He sends out pastors today to be His shepherds striving to be faithful in proclaiming His Word, protecting His flocks, teaching them to fight back against the Devil, the World and the flesh, in the name of Jesus Christ who is your Savior Redeemer. He is the one who fulfilled God’s justice, by God’s mercy and faithfulness in Him.
You were lost, but God found you with His Word and brought you into His flock by Baptism into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There you received the benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection and made you His child and part of the harvest of believers. Remember God’s promise to you here.
Be strengthened as His sheep huddled closely under the cross of your Shepherd, draw near to Him by hearing His Word in Scripture, hymnody, and the liturgy, wherein you hear His voice soothing and singing to you as He leads and guides you through this life as you grow in His wisdom, love, and faith.
Know that the victory of Jesus Christ over sin, death, and the devil is already yours. You have confessed your sins and have been absolved, now by the hand of His undershepherd, be fed the Holy things which bring Christ’s forgiveness for you. Be comforted as you eat and drink Christ’s body and blood in the bread and the wine. This is our victory feast in Christ Jesus. Here is where your exhaustion from the taunts and torments of the week may be shed from you and placed upon Christ once more.
Then go from here fearless even in the face of the daily battles that await. Your Father in heaven has sent you the Holy Spirit which you received in this Word and these gifts. He who has redeemed you will keep you in this faith. He who has spoken His Word to you has given you means to silence the Devil by confessing that faith which has been given unto you in Christ.
You are not helpless. You are not a sheep without a Shepherd. Your Shepherd Jesus Christ loves you and continues to not only “feel for you”, but He loves you and actively fights for you, intercedes for you, redeems you. Continue to confess and believe Jesus Christ crucified and raised and He who is faithful, will bring you safely to our eternal joy and rest: the full realization of the kingdom of heaven, in Jesus Christ, Amen.
Pr. Aaron Kangas