by Doy Moyer<\/p>\n
With so much turmoil in the world, so much chaos and confusion, we should be reminded of how disciples should think of and respond to the world.<\/p>\n
This passage in Matthew 9:36-38 captures a very important principle.<\/p>\n
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’<\/em>“<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Notice what we see here:<\/p>\n
The World Is Helpless<\/h2>\n
The world is harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. The problem is that they don’t know it. Yet this is the very reason Jesus came to die:<\/p>\n
“All we like sheep have gone astray;<\/em>
\nwe have turned-every one-to his own way;<\/em>
\nand the LORD has laid on him<\/em>
\nthe iniquity of us all<\/em>” (Isaiah 53:6)<\/blockquote>\nJesus seeks the lost sheep, even if it is one (cf. Luke 15:1-7). These are the same ones who would persecute and oppose Christ. He never strayed from His mission to seek and save the lost. Neither should we.<\/p>\n
Jesus Had Compassion<\/h2>\n
Jesus had compassion for them. That did not mean He ignored their sin or failed to address the problem. He took that head on in His death. It’s easy to see people as our enemies and then act in ways that create more harm and division. What if, instead, we had compassion for lost sheep and doubled down on our mission? Call out sin, but don’t leave that hanging. If you talk about the sin, talk about God’s answer to the problem. Otherwise, we become complainers who present no solution.<\/p>\n
Jesus Challenges His Disciples<\/h2>\n
Upon identifying the sheep and having this compassion, Jesus challenged His disciples. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. The question is, do we see ourselves as laborers in the harvest? Are we taking the gospel to the lost sheep who need the Lord’s compassion?<\/p>\n
Pray<\/h2>\n
Pray that God send laborers. Even more, pray that we answer the call to labor in the harvest. This makes me think of Isaiah’s response to God’s call. After seeing the glory of God, recognizing his own sin and the sin of those around him, and receiving God’s forgiveness, Isaiah was ready to answer. “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” God asked. Then I said, responded Isaiah, ‘Here I am! Send me.’<\/em>“<\/p>\n
A lost and helpless world. Like sheep without a shepherd. A need for compassion. A challenge to enter the harvest as laborers. The prayer to respond to God’s call.<\/p>\n
Would this not change how we approach the world?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Doy Moyer With so much turmoil in the world, so much chaos and confusion, we should be reminded of how disciples should think of and respond to the world. This passage in Matthew 9:36-38 captures a very important principle. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[952,451],"class_list":["post-90561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-compassion","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":87033,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/send-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":90561,"position":0},"title":"Send Me","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Chadwick Brewer \"And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here I am! Send me'\" (Isaiah 6:8). Passages like this help us understand Isaiah better. Isaiah was a man who lived by faith. As we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28015,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-are-shepherds-for\/","url_meta":{"origin":90561,"position":1},"title":"What Are Shepherds For?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant We might assume that a 1st grader could answer that question. \"Well, Duh, shepherds are supposed to take care of the sheep.\" And that's the correct answer. And how can one be a shepherd if there are no sheep? 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I have seen the finest sides of these men as they serve\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/shepherd-300x200.avif","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":30247,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-know-i-should-do-more-but-i-dont-have-the-money-what-do-you-think\/","url_meta":{"origin":90561,"position":3},"title":"I know I should do more, but I don’t have the money. What do you think?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I thank you for your articles. They are very helpful. Thank God for men like you. I work with people who are just religious but think that all of us are Christians including themselves. They are trying to find connections with the church of Christ and the denomination because\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20848,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-did-jesus-expect-of-peter-when-he-said-to-feed-his-sheep\/","url_meta":{"origin":90561,"position":4},"title":"What did Jesus expect of Peter when he said to feed his sheep?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 16, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Our Lord Jesus in John 21 tells\u00a0the apostle Peter to feed His sheep three times. What role was Peter being told to assume? Is it that of an elder? \u00a0Which sheep was our Lord talking about? Is it the other apostles and disciples or the church that was going\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":85776,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/implications-of-the-23rd-psalm\/","url_meta":{"origin":90561,"position":5},"title":"Implications of the 23rd Psalm","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by David Gibson We cannot make it without the Shepherd. Sheep need their shepherd. So do we (Ezekiel 34:11-16, 23). What a Palestinian shepherd did for his flock, Jesus does for His sheep: He leads, provides, and protects (Isaiah 40:11). Self-reliance is folly. 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