We have seen so far in our study of Matthew’s gospel that Jesus Christ was and is very compassionate. He showed His compassion and mercy in healing the sick, demon possessed, lame, blind, mute, deaf and leprous. We have also learned in our study that Jesus did these miraculous works to demonstrate that He is the Messiah (Mat.11:1-5). In the passage we are now considering (9:35-38), we see that Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw the multitudes because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. He desired to be Israel’s shepherd! Later in the book we read these words of Jesus, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37) Because of this desire, Jesus sent out His disciples to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (10:5-7). And He also asked them to pray that the Lord would send out other laborers into His harvest of lost souls. Let us also pray for laborers and be willing to labor!