Some people brought to Jesus a man who was dumb because he was possessed by a demon. When the demon was driven out, the dumb man began to speak. The crowds were astonished and said, «Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel». (But the Pharisees said, «He drives away demons with the help of the prince of demons»).
Jesus went around all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, and He cured every sickness and disease. When He saw the crowds he was moved with pity, for they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to his disciples, «The harvest is abundant but the workers are only few. Ask the master of the harvest to send workers to gather his harvest».
Source: http://evangeli.net/gospel/
Analysis
Starting today, I may change the format of my analysis just a little bit. Instead of commenting on everything, I'll just comment on parts that are genuinely significant. Today's passage is somewhat odd to me, as it's somewhat disorganized. It mostly tells of Jesus' helping, healing, teaching, and exorcising, nothing that significant really. Though what stands out is the pharisee's comments, and of course, Jesus' last comments. When Jesus healed the dumb man, the pharisee commented that Jesus was using the power of demons to drive out demons. And in the latter part of the passage, the crowds were described as harassed and helpless like sheep, and Jesus commented that the harvest is abundant, but the workers are few, so we must ask the master to send more workers.
It is odd for the pharisees to say that Jesus was driving out demons with the power of demons, as that would mean Jesus is sabotaging His own work, well if He is allied with the demons as the pharisees claim. But of course, the pharisees were merely jealous and perhaps worried that their power might slide away if Jesus keeps doing what He does. Eventually, the People will see who is actually right, and the pharisees, priests, scribes, and elders' influence will slide away, removed by Jesus. As such, the only way for these hypocrites to retain their power is to try make the good guy look like a bad guy to fool the masses, also known as smear tactics.
I find the comment on the crowds akin to sheep as quite interesting. Because it does make sense, and fits perfectly to the narrative. The common people today are practically like sheep, they are helpless, have no idea what to do, and are harassed and manipulated by the elitist shepherds who only take advantage of the sheep for their own benefit. There are no good shepherds who try to guide the sheep to the right place. Jesus' comment on harvest and workers also describes the situation today. There are many people who needs to be helped and lead to the truth, but there is no one to actually lead them. As such, we must ask for more people like that from God, i.e. the master, to lead the people towards the truth. Though of course, it's even better if we can take the initiative of becoming the worker. Regardless, that is all I have to say, have a nice day and see you tomorrow.
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