SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD

There were two important events that preceded the feeding of  the
5,000.  They were:
     1.   The sending out and return of the twelve (Mark 6:7-13, 30).
     2.   The beheading of John the Baptist (Mark 6:33-29).
Matthew says, "When Jesus heard about it [the beheading of John],
he  withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place" (Mt.  14:13).
Mark  and  Luke  indicate that Jesus, upon hearing the  apostle's
report  concerning  what  they had  done  and  taught,  took  His
disciples  to  a quiet place for some rest.  Mark tells  us  that
"they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place" (Mk.
6:32).

The  people in Bethsaida recognized Jesus and His disciples,  and
ran  on  foot to the place where Jesus was going.  As they passed
through village after village the crowd, like a tidal wave,  grew
and  grew.  By the time Jesus and His disciples arrived at  their
destination, a crowd of 5,000 people was waiting for  Him.   Upon
seeing  the  gathered multitude, Jesus was moved with  compassion
for  them,  "because they were like sheep not having a  shepherd.
So  He began to teach them many things." (Mk. 6:34).   Luke says,
"He welcomed them and spoke to them about the Kingdom of God, and
healed those who needed healing."  (Luke 9:11)

                    A SHEPHERD LOOKS AT SHEEP

I.   THE  MOTIVATION  -  When Jesus looked at the  multitude,  He
     wasn't moved by self-importance, but by compassion.  He didn't
     swell with pride, but with empathy.
     A.   WHAT YOU SEE INDICATES WHAT YOU ARE.  When a butcher looks
          at sheep, he sees mutton.  When a garment manufacturer looks at
          sheep, he sees wool.  When a wolf looks at sheep, he sees dinner.
          When a shepherd looks at sheep, he sees sheep.
     B.   COMPASSION RISES OUT OF PERCEPTION.  When Jesus looked at
          these sheep He saw them as "sheep not having a shepherd" (Mk.
          6:34).    They had no one to care for them.  "There were
          questions but no answers, distress but no relief, anguish of
          conscience but no deliverance, tears but no consolation, sin but
          no forgiveness."1  They were spiritually starved, materially
          impoverished, and, worst of all, nobody seemed to care.
          
II.  THE MINISTRY - Jesus compassion for these shepherdless sheep
     moved Him to ministry.
     A.   HE WELCOMED THEM (Lu. 9:11) - He received them hospitably,
          like a visiting friend. He let them know that they were not
          intruding, but that He was glad they were there.  Their presence
          was no inconvenience to Him.
          
          Somewhere  among  the  5000  there  must  have  been  a
          prostitute or an adultere, but Jesus didn't ask them to
          leave.   Surely,  among the five  thousand  there  were
          those  who didn't have their doctrine right, but  Jesus
          didn't  worry about that.  The rich and the  poor  were
          welcomed with the same enthusiasm.  The sinner and  the
          saint  sat  together on the same grass.  No, He  didn't
          sanction sin, but He did welcome the sinner.
          
     B.   HE TAUGHT THEM (Mk. 6:34) - Luke says He "spoke to them
          about the kingdom of God" (Lu. 9:11).  He taught them concerning
          the greatness of the King and the grandeur of the Kingdom. He
          instructed them in righteousness.  He pointed them in way that is
          everlasting and right in God's eyes.  He challenged them to be
          citizens of God's Kingdom.  He broke the fences of religion and
          encouraged them to take up His cross and follow Him.
          
          His  teaching  was such that it held the  attention  of
          adult  and  adolescent  alike.  The  ministry  on  that
          hillside  (John 6:3) was so exciting that when  evening
          came the lunch of a young boy was untouched (John 6:9).
          
     C.   HE HEALED THEIR SICK (Mt. 14:14) - He brought ease where
          there was disease.  Where there was pain, He brought relief.
          Where there was deformity, He brought conformity.  He delivered
          them from things that had been and were destroying their lives.
          He lifted the burden of long term illnesses and restored what
          acts of cruelty had removed.  He bound up the broken hearted and
          liberated those who had been held captive by past failures and
          present lusts.

III. THE MIRACLE (Mk. 5:35-44)
     A.   THE CONCERN - The disciples were concerned about crowd's
          need for food-"Send the crowds away, so they can go to the
          villages and buy themselves some food." (Mt. 14:15)  Let me stick
          my neck out and say that the disciples were concerned about the
          people, but saw no way they could meet the need.
     B.   THE CONFRONTATION - "Jesus replied, `They do not need to go
          away.  You give them something to eat." (Mt. 14:16)  John
          indicates that this was a "test," because "He already had in mind
          what he was going to do" (John 6:6).
          1.   Philip's Response  - "Eight months' wages would not buy
               enough bread for each one to have a bite!" (John 6:7)
          2.   Andrew's Response - "Here is a boy with five small barley
               loaves and two small fish, but how far with they go among so
               many?" (John 6:9)
     C.   THE COMMANDS
          1.   Seat the people - "Jesus directed them to have all the
               people sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down
               in groups of hundreds and fifties." (Mk. 6:39-40) This seating
               arrangement of "table companies" would have alerted the people
               that they were about to be served dinner.  Marks description
               suggests the appearance of flower-beds in a garden.
          2.   Give me the bread and fish (Mt. 14:18) After receiving the
               bread and fish, Jesus did two things with them.
               a.   He gave thanks
               b.   He broke them
               c.   He gave them to his disciples.
          3.   Feed the people (Mt. 14:19; Mk. 6:41; Lu. 9:16).  The people
               ate until they were "fully satisfied."  Again, He fed them
               all-the saint and the sinner, the child and the adult-everyone
               that was hungry.  He fed them as much as they wanted.  Everyone
               left full to capacity.
          4.   Gather the leftovers (John 6:12-13)
               a.   Let nothing be wasted (Jn. 6:12).
               b.   They gathered 12 baskets of broken bread and fish.

CONCLUSION

1.   There  is  only  one  motivation for ministry  and  that  is
     compassion.  We should not use people to meet our own needs or
     neglect people because of our personal needs.
2.   Jesus didn't see white sheep and black sheep, rich sheep and
     poor  sheep, young sheep and old sheep, city sheep and rural
     sheep; He saw SHEEP.  Likewise, we need to see people as people.
3.   People need to know that they are welcome here.  Not because
     they are like us or because we need them, but because we love
     them!
4.   People  need  to receive ministry when they come  into  this
     house.  Jesus didn't just greet them, He ministered to their felt
     needs-their real needs.
5.   We  need to quit using our inadequacies as an excuse for not
     being involved.  All we need to do is give what we have to Jesus
     and He will meet the needs!  He is able to take our five loaves
     and  two fish and more than adequately satisfy the needs  of
     people.  The key is giving what we have to Jesus--placing our
     lives in His powerful hands.  Jesus will give us more than we can
     consume.  He will give us enough to carry to those who didn't
     come.



_______________________________
1 Deitrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York:
Macmillan, 1963), 224.

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