Dear Christian friends:

In the Bible God's people are often compared with sheep and Jesus is compared with a good shepherd. The Holy Spirit used the comparisons because the Jewish people lived with sheep and understood about sheep and shepherds. It helped the Jewish people understand better God's love for them. But does it help us who live today? What do you know about sheep? What do you know about shepherds? Most of us know very little about sheep and shepherds.

In our text Jesus compares the people to sheep without a shepherd. But what do we know about sheep without a shepherd? Not much! Let me tell you about


Sheep without a shepherd are helpless. A sheep has no way to defend itself against wild animals. The sheep's teeth are not long and sharp like a wolf's. The sheep's teeth are for grinding only. No other animal fears a sheep's bite. Also the sheep's jaws are weak. The sheep is slow. Almost all other animals can run faster. So it can't run away and escape from a wolf or a lion. Also the sheep's horns and hoofs can't hurt other animals because they are small. Without a shepherd to watch over them and protect them from wild animals the sheep would quickly be caught, killed and eaten.

We are like the helpless sheep without Jesus. Sin, evil and Satan can easily destroy our souls if we have not Jesus to watch over us and protect us.

Sheep also are stupid. They are not cunning like the fox and many other wild animals. A flock of sheep can't find the pasture. Even when the sheep are hungry and thirsty they wander around unable to find grass and water. They need a shepherd to think for them and lead them to water and the green grass.

Without Jesus, the Bread of Life, our souls die and we thirst for the Living Water. We need Jesus to open our eyes to see the riches of God's grace in the Word and Sacraments.

In a storm sheep without a shepherd easily panic and destroy themselves. In a blizzard a whole herd of sheep will rush blindly off the edge of a cliff, one sheep after another plunging to destruction on the rocks below.

We are as foolish and panic stricken in the storms of life until Jesus, the Good Shepherd leads us to a safe place.

As sheep without a shepherd are helpless and in danger of destruction, so are we without Jesus. Long ago when Jesus stepped out of the boat and saw the large crowd of people He felt sorry for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. (verse 34) The people were ignorant of God, the Triune God Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They did not know that Jesus was the Son of God and the promised Savior for sinners. They were not aware of their sins and that they would go to hell without forgiveness of sins through Jesus' death and resurrection.

Jesus looked at the crowd. He saw the crippled, the sick, the mentally ill, the young, the middle aged and the old. He saw the cruel and greedy, the liars and murderers and the hypocrites. They did not know the way home to God. He felt sorry for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

Look at any crowd today in any city and you will see the same today, sheep without a shepherd. Most do not know God's love in Jesus and they therefore do not love each other, but hate and hurt each other.

When Jesus saw the helpless people He felt sorry for them and began to help them. In our text we read, "Jesus began to teach the people." (verse 34b) Luke also wrote about this event. He writes, "Jesus welcomed them, and spoke unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing." (Luke 9:11b)

Jesus is the merciful Shepherd that helpless, ignorant, fearful people need. He is the Shepherd that you need. Is Jesus your Shepherd? Do you let Him protect you through His Word and prayer? Do you trust in Jesus for your protection? Do you let Jesus lead you and feed you with the Bread of Life and the Water of Life, His Word and Sacraments? When other helpers fail and earthly comforts flee, do you trust in Jesus, Helper of the helpless? Do you ask Him to abide with you?

I hope so. I hope that Jesus is your Good Shepherd so that you are not anymore like a sheep without a shepherd. And if Jesus is really your good Shepherd, if you really believe in Him, then you know His great love and mercy. You rejoice in it and say with King David:

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.

If Jesus is your Good Shepherd, you will not live and do like those people who have no shepherd. You will, with Jesus' help, live with faith, hope, love and confidence. You will also, like Jesus, feel sorry for the crowds of people who are without Jesus. You will help teach them and heal them through your personal witnessing, through support of the church and its missions and its ministries of healing.

A high school student said this about his classmates, "I feel sorry for them because they use drugs." But he did nothing to help them to stop using the drugs. Sometimes he even joined them in smoking marijuana. This high school student was not like Jesus. When Jesus felt sorry for the people He also did something about it. He preached the Gospel to them and healed the sick!

That's what we who know Jesus should be doing. We should have love and pity for the sheep without a shepherd and then try to help them. We are members of Jesus' flock, His church. We have the Good Shepherd to lead us and feed us. Let us be thankful and show love and mercy to those who are still without a shepherd.

Amen.