Articles
Sheep without a Shepherd
The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. (Mark 6:30-34)
The report of Jesus’ disciples looks back to an event in Mark 6:7-13, where Jesus sent his twelve disciples out to preach the gospel, cast out demons, and heal the sick. Their report may also have included the news of the death of John the Baptist, which is first reported to the reader in Mark 6:14-29. If John’s death were part of the disciples’ news, it is completely understandable why Jesus would want to withdraw to a desolate place for rest. (The gospel of Matthew makes this reasoning more explicit.) After all, the sudden news of John’s death would have been a stark reminder of the eventual death that Jesus would undergo on the cross.
Jesus seeks secluded places often in the gospels (Matt 14:23; Mark 1:35-38; 3:7; 6:46; Luke 4:42; 5:16; John 6:15), usually for the purpose of prayer. This time, he even seeks seclusion for his disciples. They have been working hard in proclaiming the message, and he sees it as important that they rest. Further, Mark 6:31 clarifies that “many were coming and going and they had no leisure even to eat.” Jesus and his disciples attempt to get away from the crowds by boat (6:32), but this is unsuccessful.
Imagine the frustration of searching a place to be alone, travelling by boat to get away from everyone, only to find out that everybody has run on foot to your boat’s docking point (6:33)! How would any of us react to this? Would we become exasperated? Angry? Would we chase the crowd away and tell them to mind their own business? Or would we more calmly try to explain that we needed rest and time to grieve? Or would we point out the fact that we haven’t even eaten yet today?
What’s remarkable about Jesus is that he doesn’t do any of those things! He saw the crowd, and felt compassion for them. He might have felt the need for rest or grief. He might have been more in need of compassion than they were. But the Son of God didn’t come to earth to put his needs first. Instead, he sees “sheep without a shepherd” and is moved to teach on their behalf. That is what compassion means. Compassion isn’t something that comes naturally. Compassion is hard. For compassion to be true within us, it must be present even at points of grief, or exhaustion, or hunger, or near exasperation. Compassion isn’t doing nice things for people when it is convenient to our schedule or our budget. Compassion isn’t doing nice things for people when we are having a good day. Compassion is giving when we may feel that we ourselves are already spent. Compassion is teaching (as Jesus did) when we may not feel we have the capacity to teach any longer. Compassion is, as Jesus defined it, “emptying” ourselves.
Ultimately, all humanity is “sheep without a shepherd.” That expression is sometimes used in the OT to speak about the death or lack of a leader in Israel (Num 27:17; 1 Kgs 22:17; 2 Chr 18:16; Zech 10:2). But ultimately, “all of us are like sheep gone astray” (Isa 53:6). The way Jesus ultimately provides a shepherd for us is by being a king who dies for us. But the death of Jesus wasn’t a one-time event at the end of his life that had no relation to the rest of it. On the contrary, the self-sacrificial character of Jesus’ death also defined his life and his conduct towards others.
Do we see people as Jesus sees them, as sheep without a shepherd? And are we willing to imitate the compassionate example of our Lord by teaching these people? And are we willing to show this compassion, even when it’s “not the best time”? May God help us to have the compassion of our Lord!
