Fainted and Scattered (Matthew 9:36)

It is not difficult for anyone to see that the lives of so many people today are just a mess.  How did they get this way?  Why don't they just get it together and do whatever needs to be done?

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.  (Matthew 9:36)

From this passage, it appears that people become weak in life's struggle and instead of continuing to fight on, they relax their resistance and faint.  When this occurs, the person's life then becomes subject to the problems and trials of life.  Their lives get tossed about from side to side being cast about and cast down.  This does not occur as a result of the weakness of the individual, because none of us have the ability to stand against the enemy.   This occurs because of the absence of a shepherd in the person's life.  Sometimes there is not a shepherd because salvation has not yet been experienced, but other times it is because the person becomes estranged from their shepherd savior.  Whether it be by confusion of doctrine, ill treatment from those in the body of Christ, person hurts and losses or sin: the separation occurs.

Today there are countless believers tossed about.  They are away from their shepherd and the way to bring them back into the fold is to love them back.  Bearing their burdens (Galatians 6:2) is the act of you bringing your strength to those who are weak until they can once again gain the strength for living that can only come from their shepherd.