Christ the Good Shepherd (Matthew #54)

Text: Matthew 9:36-38

His care (vs 36)

  • Jesus Christ has a view of the people and the situation that defines leadership. He looks over the people and sees the needs and feels responsibility.
  • Psalm 23 David said the Lord is my shepherd
  • Psalm 80:1
  • Isaiah 40:11 (and Jeremiah 31:10)
  • Identity of the Shepherd is Jesus Christ
    • John 10
    • Hebrews 13:20
    • 1 Peter 2:25

His challenge (vs 37)

  • Can’t find shepherds. He can find people who look at the multitude and see their own profit, their own popularity, but none that look on the multitude and see the need of the soul.
  • 1 Kings 22:17 when Micaiah prophesies to Ahab. Micaiah preaches to Ahab that he’s a king but he’s no leader.
  • Ezekiel 34:1-7 Notice the God of the Old Testament’s heart is the same as Jesus Christ because he is Jesus Christ. And the state of the flock is the same as well.

His counsel (vs 38)

  • Someone asking for more laborers is someone overwhelmed by the work.
  • What the Lord Jesus Christ says is utter wisdom and simplicity. He says go to the Lord of the harvest, go to the one who stands to benefit the most from this harvest and tell him the harvest is going to rot in the field if we don’t have more help.
  • Moses does this in Numbers 27:17
  • 1 Peter 5:1-5 (Mark 6:34 says when Jesus saw the multitudes without a shepherd he began to teach them “feed” them.)