In today's gospel we are not told if our Lord actually said it, or whether he simply thought it: "They are like sheep without a shepherd." Modern medicine has an amazing diagnostic tool called Magnetic Resonance Imaging -- MRI. The machine provides the magnetic magic and computers translate it all into pictures sharper than X-ray. Whether Jesus thought it or said it, what we have here is the Messiah's Reaction Imagery: "They are like sheep without a shepherd."

The disciples had returned from their teaching trips through the villages. They reported to their Teacher. Their experiences must have ranged from tearful acceptances of the good news and of Jesus as the promised Messiah to outright rejection of their message and even ridicule of their persons. Now, here in this once deserted spot, th…