Are Your Sheep Without a Shepherd? Are You a Sheep Who Politely Declines Shepherding?

In Mark 6 today, v34 was striking: "And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things."

Jesus was moved with compassion for them, and the shepherding to which that compassion moved Him was "to teach them many things."

May He sustain me (and you, dear pastors who might read this) in this calling, that He would not be moved with pity for my congregation because they lack shepherding. May He give me to be His instrument, here, "to teach them many things."

But it was also sad to me to think of those who underutilize the shepherding that they have. How much, cumulatively, they have missed, who absent themselves from the evening sermons, who absent themselves from the midweek sermons, who do not avail themselves of the teaching in the devotional booklets and recordings, who do not attend (or at least review) the Sabbath School lessons. It does not take long for a great amount of the teaching of Scripture to be missed by such as these. In Jesus's estimation of things, are they not in a pitiable condition, because they might be taught many things, but politely decline it?

Oh that we would love our souls in a manner after that in which Christ loves them!

One area that has been a weakness is the house-to-house teaching highlighted by the apostle in Ac 20:20. May the Lord give me grace to be moved with compassion for a flock (cf. 20:28) that certainly needs more of it.