Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Matthew 9:35 – 10:5), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• Jesus’ teaching is frequently called “proclaiming (preaching) the gospel (good news) of the kingdom” (9:35). How do you feel when you hear good news? When you hear about the kingdom of God, does it sound like good news to you? Do you think that the teaching of Christian leaders in the church should correspond with Jesus’ own proclamation of the good news of the kingdom? Would you characterize the teaching you hear in your church as good news about who God is and what he has done for us in Christ? How would you describe the difference between Christ-centered gospel proclamation and the teachings of non-Christian religions (e.g., Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism) or Christian-based cults or sects (e.g., Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scientology, Unitarianism, Prosperity-Gospel preaching)?

• It’s good news that Jesus has compassion, like a Good Shepherd, for those he sees are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (9:36). People are oppressed by spiritual forces of darkness and by their own sin. They are unable to deliver themselves from their plight, and need Jesus to deliver them through his self-sacrificial love. In what ways have you felt “harassed and helpless,” afflicted or anxious, spiritually speaking? Have you experienced the merciful and gracious love of the Good Shepherd in delivering you? How would you describe what this is like to others? What significance does Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd…”) have for you?

• Jesus is not powerless in his compassion. He is “the Lord of the harvest” (9:38), who sees people in their need of him and sends out his disciples into the world on his behalf and with his own authority (9:35; 10:1, 5a). His compassion as a shepherd manifests in sending his people out to participate in his own mission. He gives himself to others through the gospel ministry of the church. Where has the Lord of the harvest sent you, in your daily life, to participate in his compassionate ministry? What kinds of things might hold you back from responding to Jesus’ sending? Have you learned to see the ready harvest that Jesus sees, people harassed and helpless and in need of the Good Shepherd? Will you pray for eyes to see, and for Jesus’ own compassion to fill your heart? Will you pray for him to teach you how to follow him in his mission?