When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. The compassion (esplanchnisthē — the gut-level emotional response that drives action) is Jesus' response to the crowds' condition: harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Numbers 27:17 records Moses asking for a leader for the congregation so they will not be like sheep without a shepherd; Ezekiel 34 describes the false shepherds who have left the flock to be scattered. Jesus sees Israel as a nation without adequate leadership — harassed by the ruling powers and helpless before them. The compassion is not sentiment but the motivation for the sending of the disciples in chapter 10.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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