Sheep Without a Shepherd

Mark 6 records that the apostles came back from their first mission exhausted, and Jesus took them by boat to a quiet place to rest. But the crowds saw where they were going and ran ahead on foot. When Jesus landed, the quiet place was full of people.

Verse 34 says that when he saw the large crowd he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Later, as evening came, he sat them down in groups on the green grass and fed them all from five loaves and two fish.

Read that with Psalm 23 in your ears. Sheep. Green grass. A shepherd who makes them lie down and prepares a table. Mark is not being subtle. Jesus is the LORD who is David's shepherd, and here he is doing the psalm in front of thousands of people who had no one else to lead them.

Two lessons. First, the compassion came before the miracle. Jesus looked and felt and only then acted. His power is downstream of his heart. Second, the disciples' exhaustion was not ignored; it was folded into the work. They handed out bread and gathered twelve baskets of leftovers, one for each of them. The shepherd fed the shepherds too.

If you are tired this week and surrounded by people who need something from you, you are close to where the apostles stood. Look at him. He sees the crowd, and he sees you.