1. like sheep without a shepherd
From the day of Pentecost we are reading the Gospel according to Mark. Last Sunday our lecturing portion was the scene on which Jesus sent the Twelve to many towns for preaching. Today’s part is the following one concerning what disciples did and talked during their mission. They came back after the first experience , excited but tried. So Jesus wanted them to take some rest ;- he(Jesus) said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."(Mark 6:31)
However the crowd tried to catch up with Jesus ;- But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

There new episode begins. Though the crowd were longing for Jesus so much, what they wanted was before all physical healing of themselves or of their family. And Jesus had compassion on such persons;- When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.(Mark6:34)

They crowded around Jesus regardless of his and disciples’ extreme tiredness. However Jesus did not rejected their requests because he had compassion on them who seemed like sheep without a shepherd.

Today’s learning part is short but contains an important message. One of its key expressions is ” like sheep without a shepherd.” Sheep is week and cowardly animal. Without shepherd they can not find pasturing or drinking places. Besides they can not protect themselves against predators. In short sheep can not live without master who should take care of and protect them. So are humans. Therefore God sent to people rulers as shepherds who must assure people of secure life.

Nonetheless very often earthy rulers take profits from the status and ignored the task as a protector. For example Ezekiel criticized severely such rulers.;- ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.(Ezekiel 34:2-4)

At the time of Jesus Jewish people did not have trustworthy shepherd. Herod Antipas was then the tetrarch (ruler of a quarter) of Galilee but he was not a faithful person. He executed John the Baptist who criticized severely Antipas’ amoral behaviors. . And, regardless of people’s miserable living conditions, hight priests enjoyed luxurious life-style payed with temple taxes and tithes. Besides pharisees and law teachers conducted themselves abusively. Their concern is to find and scorn those who could not respect strictly the law. And they looked down upon such weak persons by calling them “people of the land(AmHaAretz) ” * Normally people can not rely on such secular or religious leaders as ” shepherd” .

Thus Jewish leaders were not honest or sincere with the people at all. Indeed through the human history rulers’ sought personal advantages at the expense of happiness of the people. As a result of such an attitude people felt deserted “like sheep without a shepherd”

But God did not allow the deplorable situations and said ;- I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.(Ezekiel 34:23)

God raised David to a shepherd who must realize happy life for the people. Then Jesus was raised likewise.

2. Compassion, or sharing pains

The second important expression is “he(Jesus) had compassion on them.” The word “compassion” is translated from Greek term “¦Ò¦Ð¦Ë¦Á¦Ã¦Ö¦Íί¦Æ¦Ï¦Ì¦Á¦É({splangkh-nid’-zom-ahee), which means “to be moved as to one’s bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity). And the equivalent latin word is “compatio”, from “compati” or “suffer with”. Thus “compassion’ is not mere sympathy but almost physical pain which we feel by sharing physical sufferings of others.

It is said Synoptic Gospels contains 115 examples of healing. The fact shows healing acts were the core of Jesus’ ministry. Then why did he give such an importance to that? When we see circumstances under which healing was performed we understand that Jesus mostly cured segregated persons from the society. More exactly sinners and the impure. For example in Jesus’ time lepers were considered to be impure and it was prohibited to get near to those persons. But, despite the prohibition, Jesus dared heal them, as Mark reported ;- A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.(Mark 1:40-45)

Jesus made a dead person alive again regardless of the prohibition of touching dead bodies, which were also considered to be impure. (see Luke 7:11-17) He cured disable persons too though disablement was thought to be caused by sins in that era. Moreover he performed those miracles often on Sabbath day, during which Jewish people were interdicted from carrying out any meaningful works. (see Mark 3:1-6)

Those cases point out that Jesus especially tried to share pains of those who were suffering from social prejudices and segregation. Matthew portrayed Jesus’ behavior this way ;- When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."( Matthew 8:16-17¡Ë

We recognize now that Jesus practiced healing works mostly to share others sufferings and pains generated from social discrimination which does no cease even in today’s world.

3. You give them something to eat

Today’s invocation verse is Mark 6:37, the following one of the lecturing part. ;- But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

Compassion generates real acts. Jesus taught about the kingdom or God in which, thanks to God’s love, hungry people would be satisfied with bread. And the teaching was finished ;- By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” (Mark 6:35-36)

We find the answer of Jesus inside today’s invocation verse, “You give them something to eat.” But disciples rebuked because they could not afford to feed around 5000 persons. Besides in such an isolated place they could not find enough quantity of bread. They were right in accordance with human common sense. Nonetheless ;- Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. Because ;- they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish."(Mark 6:38-39)

We find a significant passage in the Old Testament referring to the episode , 1 kings 17:16 ;- For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah. God fed Elijah and the family of a widow for tree years with on a jar of flour.

Jesus trusted in God mercy. Therefore ;- Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he(Jesus) gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. (Mark 6:41)

As a result of that act ;- They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. (Mark 6:42-44)

How was it possible? Mark did not give further explanation but we understand that Jesus’ compassion on the hungry crowd, his faith in God and God’s mercy made the impossible possible.

Recently I am reading a column in Asahi* * which reports and analyzes poverty in today’s Japanese society. The article of 16th July tells about a jobless man of 66 years old who was wandering around blocks near his renting room. He was afraid of die from hunger in his rented room without drawing attention of others. Another man of the similar situation said to the press he was only killing the time in waiting for death because his was financially hopeless.

In today’s society we find many who are “like sheep without a shepherd” . Jesus fed such people sufficiently through his miraculous work. Then us, what we could we do for the poor ?

I tell you an example. Sakuramoto church, in Kawasaki district in Tokyo, offers every Sunday and Thursday free meal to homeless persons. Though it is hard for 40 church members to supply around 100 persons with enough foods, the entire congregation is strongly motivated to collaborate for that purpose. Moreover they invite those homeless persons to attend the worship service so that they practice Jesus teaching ”‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Unfortunately some criticize such an activity by saying ” they use meals as lure to increase participants in Sunday service”. But they offer not only food but also the joy of sharing meal with others, which must fill beneficiaries with gratitude. And being thankful is very important feeling which must please God. As a tangible result the pastor Hujiwara, influenced by theology of K. Barth***, has more and more occasions to administer baptism every year.

Even though those visitors had said at the beginning “we came only for meals, without being interested in Christianity” they became attracted to the pastor’s words and entered into the path to faith.

Jesus said “You give them something to eat” and the congregation of Sakuramoto church is respecting faithfully the instruction, despite their restricted financial capacity. They reflect this way the feeding act of Jesus filled with mercy. Of course we do not have miraculous divine power but we must do what we can afford to. That is what Jesus want from us.

Even our trivial benevolent acts might produce great results because God supports us. Through such acts based on the faith we will show that the kingdom of God is here now. It is the very mission of the church.

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*AmHaAretz http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O96-AmHaAretz.html
* *Asahi (daily newspaper) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asahi_Shimbun
*** Karl Barth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Barth