Notes from the Wayside: Eastertide Perspective: Sheep Without a Shepherd

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Eastertide Perspective: Sheep Without a Shepherd

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Sheep Without a Shepherd

When Jesus arrived and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things.

Mark 6:34 (CEB)

Well, I won't pretend to know what you're thinking
And I can't begin to know what you're going through
And I won't deny the pain that you're feeling
But I'm gonna try and give a little hope to you

From "Tunnel" by Third Day

Two years ago, I learned that the fourth Sunday in Eastertide is Good Shepherd Sunday. On this day, we remember that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who "lays down his life for the sheep," as He says in the Gospel of John.¹ For the last few days, in my personal Bible studies, I've been watching for language about shepherds and sheep.

One day, Jesus and the Disciples head to a secluded place by boat so that they can rest for a while, away from the crowd. The crowd sees where they are headed, so, when Jesus and the Disciples arrive at their destination, they find that the crowd has arrived there ahead of them. Jesus looks at all the people and sees that they are "like sheep without a shepherd," so He has compassion on them and starts teaching them.²

Nowadays, to compare people to sheep is to suggest that they are stupid or that they don't like to think for themselves. Jonathan Merritt points out in his book Jesus Is Better Than You Imagined that sheep are acually not stupid. Sheep have been proven to be almost as trainable as dogs; unlike dogs, however, sheep are defenseless. Dogs can bark and bite when they are threatened, but a sheep can only bleat in the face of an attacker.³ Merritt writes, "The only defense mechanism God gave sheep is to stay within a flock under the watchful eye of a shepherd."⁴

It is not good to be a sheep without a shepherd. A sheep without a shepherd is basically a free meal for a predator. A flock of sheep without a shepherd is a whole buffet.

When Jesus sees a crowd that is "like sheep without a shepherd," He does not see stupidity. He does not see ignorant masses. He sees vulnerability. He sees people who live difficult lives. He sees people who live with the boot of an evil empire on their necks. He sees people who have followed Him into the wilderness because they are desperate for hope, so, even though He and the Disciples are weary, He opens His heart to them and gives them hope.

A few days ago, I found myself in a rather frustrating situation during rush hour. I was trying to cross a notoriously busy road in my town to get into a shopping center. When the traffic light turned green, people who were turning left from the other side were blocking the intersection so that I could not proceed. The intersection did not clear until after the traffic light had already turned red. I was trapped where I was for a long time. Realizing that I would not be able to cross that road anytime soon, I finally jumped lanes and turned left when an opportunity presented itself.

When I finally got into the shopping center, I angrily texted my mother, expressing my antipathy for that road and for all the people who drive on it. "Morons, all of them!" I texted.

Truth be told, I cannot blame the people who were blocking the intersection. The road was so congested at that time, that, had they not done what they did, they would have been trapped in place, just as I was. I texted in frustration. The people were not "morons." We were all contending with poor city planning that day.

The story of Jesus and the crowd in the wilderness is an invitation to see people in a different way - to look past the frustrating things people do and to consider the struggles they face. We have all found ourselves in difficult situations in life, "like sheep without a shepherd." It has been said, "Let us be kind to one another, for most of us are fighting a hard battle."⁵ May we all learn to treat each other with compassion, as Jesus has shown us.

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