I. Jesus’ Actions Towards The Shepherdless Sheep V. 35
A. Taught The People
1. Teaching- to hold discourse with others in order to instruct them;
to deliver didactic discourses; to explain or expound a thing
2. Jesus went into the churches (synagogues), and explained the O.T. to the people
B. Preached To The People
1. Preaching- to be a herald, to officiate as a herald
2. To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done
3. NOTE- Both teaching & preaching are important
a. Teaching matures believers, but doesn’t announce to unbelievers
b. Preaching brings conversions, but doesn’t help believers to mature
C. Healed The People- Healing- therapeuo {ther-ap-yoo’-o}
1. Jesus still brings healing today, according to His will, and acc. to people’s faith
D. Jesus Went To All The Cities & Villages
1. Jesus did not overlook places w/small populations; “insignificant places”
2. To Jesus, every person counted, no matter where they were found
3. See Luke 15:1-10 The lost sheep, the lost coin
a. The shepherd isn’t satisfied that most of his sheep are O.K.
b. He loves all people, & desires for every person to be saved and safe
II. Jesus’ Sentiments V. 36
A. Moved W/Compassion For The Multitudes
1. The Jews spoke of pain within the bowels, the seat of affections and emotions
2. He was moved to action to help them. Emotion not enough, there must be action
3. He was moved to tell His disciples to pray for laborers to reach the multitudes
4. He equipped his disciples, and sent them out to the multitudes Vs. 37, 38
B. The Multitudes’ Condition
1. Weary- to dissolve; enfeebled thru exhaustion, grow weak, become faint hearted
2. Scattered- appears 8 x’s in N.T. 7 x’s, it speaks of being cast down, thrown down.
3. Sheep w/o a shepherd- Sheep are in great danger without a shepherd
a. Guidance to food and water
b. Protection from predators that kill
c. End up in situations that kill them unless helped by the shepherd
d. They are not intelligent creatures
ISTANBUL, Turkey Jul 8, 2005 (AP)— First one sheep jumped to its death. Then stunned Turkish shepherds, who had left the herd to graze while they had breakfast, watched as nearly 1,500 others followed, each leaping off the same cliff, Turkish media reported. In the end, 450 dead animals lay on top of one another in a billowy white pile, the Aksam newspaper said. Those who jumped later were saved as the pile got higher and the fall more cushioned, Aksam reported. “There’s nothing we can do. They’re all wasted,” Nevzat Bayhan, a member of one of 26 families whose sheep were grazing together in the herd, was quoted as saying by Aksam. The estimated loss to families in the town of Gevas, located in Van province in eastern Turkey, tops $100,000, a significant amount of money in a country where average GDP per head is around $2,700. “Every family had an average of 20 sheep,” Aksam quoted another villager, Abdullah Hazar as saying. “But now only a few families have sheep left. It’s going to be hard for us.”
C. We Suffer The Same Conditions
1. You may be weary and scattered right now
a. Perhaps you try to hide this condition from others knowing it
b. Deep inside, you know that this is your condition: weary & scattered
2. Others may not feel weary or scattered
a. “Feeling fine” always precedes feeling weary & scattered
b. It’s a guarantee that we will all suffer difficulties that can make us weary
c. A moment before becoming weary & scattered, one can feel fine
d. Then it comes suddenly thru some event (i.e. sheep jumping over a cliff)
e. One is suddenly overwhelmed, unprepared, surprised and confused
f. The formerly “secure” person can’t believe that this has come upon them
3. The thing to realize is that w/o Jesus as your shepherd, you must face these things without His help, guidance, wisdom, etc.
a. How will you do? Will you hold together, or break down?
b. How will that affect the people who depend on you?
D. A Bigger Issue Than Being Weary & Scattered
1. Man’s greatest need is to be right with God, to be forgiven, to be saved
2. Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all
3. Man’s realization of his need for God will come to each of us
4. For some, that realization comes through the difficulties of this life
a. We realize that we are sheep that have gone our own way
b. We realize that we were not created to live as sheep w/o their shepherd
c. We realize that we or other people cannot shepherd us through this life
d. We realize that Jesus is the Shepherd that we need
5. For others, the realization of a need for God is ignored throughout life
a. The invitations and warnings from God’s word are ignored
b. A person continues to believe that they are self-sustaining & self-guiding
c. Some people won’t admit their need for a shepherd until it is too late
d. Hebrews 9:27 “…it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment…”
III. Summary Thoughts
A. Weary, Scattered Sheep Are Needy, Frightened, & Difficult To Help
B. What Condition Did Jesus Find You In?
C. Are You Moved W/Compassion For Weary Scattered Sheep?
1. The needs are great. (The harvest is plentiful)
2. Not enough laborers….why is that the case?
3. People are unaware, unwilling, or have forgotten their previous condition
4. Only prayer & the work of the Holy Spirit in men’s hearts will produce laborers