Confused and Helpless

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“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”  Matthew 9:36, NLT
Jesus was traveling through towns and villages teaching and healing.  Crowds gathered wherever He went.  Here we have a report of what Jesus thought when He saw the crowds.  Matthew wrote in Greek.  The Greek words behind our translation of “he had compassion” imply that this was a gut wrenching experience for Jesus.  Also, the words behind “confused and helpless” are emphatic.  “Confused” is an interpretation of a word that originally meant “to flay” and could accurately be translated “painfully annoyed”.  The word behind “helpless” has a root meaning “to throw”, and thus carries the idea of scattering or dispersing.

This is the way we are without Christ.  Where do you go for truth?  How do you measure truth?

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