Scattered

If something happens to their shepherd, sheep will scatter. This happened when Jesus was taken away to be tried and crucified. All of His disciples “forsook him, and fled” (Mark 14:50). In fact, just before Jesus was apprehended, He said, “All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered” (Mark 14:27). Only after He was resurrected did His flock gather together again.

  

Micaiah the prophet foretold that Ahab the king would be killed in battle, leaving the Israelites without a leader. He used the analogy of sheep without a shepherd. “I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd” (I Kings 22:17).

When Jesus “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).

 

“Scattered abroad” is not the ideal situation for sheep. Quite the opposite. Left on their own, sheep will disconnect from one another and scatter, wandering aimlessly, without direction, away from the safety of the sheepfold.

We must stay connected to Jesus, “the great shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20). That connection is imperative for our survival.