Sheep Without a Shepherd
The printed guide is laid out to teach from: a run sheet, a page per section with room for notes, and a one-sheet handout with a kids’ page on the back.
With the LORD as my shepherd, I lack nothing I truly need.
Open with it, bring it back after every section, close with it. By the end they should be able to finish the sentence for you.
1 Samuel 17:32-37, The Shepherd Who Wrote It — The LORD is my shepherd: he does for me what David did for lambs.
Psalm 23:2-3, Green Pastures, Quiet Waters — The Shepherd gives rest, restores my soul, and leads me rightly.
Open
Recall last time (1 Samuel 17): David learned “The LORD is my shepherd” in a field. Today: the second half, “I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Ask: What is the difference between wanting something and needing it? Then read Mark 6:30-34, where a crowd lacks a shepherd. Big idea: With the LORD as my shepherd, I lack nothing I truly need. Ask one person what stuck from last time.
The run sheet
I Shall Not Want
Psalm 23:1
“I shall not want” is about need, and it rests on who the Shepherd is.
- “Want” means to lack or run short (Hebrew chaser).
- Israel “lacked nothing” in the wilderness because God cared for them.
- A sheep with a shepherd does not go without what it needs.
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1) A flock without a shepherd lacks everything.
“They were like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mark 6:34)
Discuss: Does “I shall not want” mean God gives us everything we ask for? Why or why not?
- Psalm 23:1: the verb chaser means to lack or run short.
- Nehemiah 9:21: in the wilderness God sustained Israel “so that they lacked nothing.”
- Exodus 16:18: in the manna story, “he who gathered little had no shortfall” uses the same verb.
Illustration idea: A child on a school trip who has no money in their pocket but knows the teacher has packed lunch for everyone.
Listen for:
- It's about needs, not wishes.
- It depends on the Shepherd.
If it drifts: If the talk turns to prosperity, read Psalm 23:1 again and ask what a sheep actually needs.
With the LORD as my shepherd, I lack nothing I truly need.
Short on time? Drop the manna note. Keep the meaning of “want.”
Bridge → Mark shows what it looks like to lack a shepherd, and to be found by one.
Running Short
Mark 6:30-33
Even faithful servants run short; the Shepherd leads them to rest.
- The apostles return from their mission.
- Jesus invites them to rest with him.
- The crowd runs ahead and gets there first.
“Come with Me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while.”
“They did not even have time to eat.”
Discuss: What were the apostles running short of, and what did Jesus give them?
- v30-31: the apostles report everything; Jesus sees they have had no time to eat.
- v32-33: the crowd recognizes the boat and runs around the shore to arrive first.
- The Sea of Galilee is about thirteen miles long; a crowd on foot could beat a boat across a bay.
Illustration idea: A parent who notices a child is worn out and quietly cancels the afternoon's plans.
Listen for:
- Even good work wears you out.
- He cared about them as people, not just workers.
If it drifts: If the talk becomes a complaint about busy lives, bring it back to v31: the invitation is “Come with Me.”
The Shepherd sees when his sheep are running on empty.
Short on time? Drop the boat facts. Keep v31.
Bridge → Then Jesus sees a crowd that lacks a shepherd altogether.
Moved with Compassion
Mark 6:34
Jesus sees what the crowd lacks and supplies it, starting with his word.
- Jesus sees a large crowd.
- He has compassion: they are like sheep without a shepherd.
- He begins to teach them many things.
“He had compassion on them.”
“They were like sheep without a shepherd.”
Discuss: Why do you think the first thing Jesus gave this crowd was teaching?
- v34: “compassion” is a gut-level word in Greek.
- v34: “sheep without a shepherd” echoes Moses' prayer (Numbers 27:17) and Ezekiel's promise that God himself would search for his flock (Ezekiel 34:11).
- Joshua, God's answer to Moses' prayer, has the same name as Jesus in Hebrew.
Illustration idea: A teacher who sees a child standing alone at break and walks straight over.
Listen for:
- He put their needs before his own.
- He saw that they were lost.
If it drifts: If someone asks why Jesus does not always seem to answer, admit it is hard, then return to what v34 shows about his heart.
Sheep without a shepherd lack everything; Jesus came to be their Shepherd.
Short on time? Drop the Joshua note. Keep v34 and Numbers 27:17.
Bridge → So come back to how the Shepherd sees you.
Close — never cut it
Read Mark 6:34, then Psalm 23:1. The crowd lacked a shepherd, and the Shepherd came to them. Say the line together: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
If the last section starts late, read v34 aloud and go straight to the close.
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1
With one friend, over coffee
About 30 minutes · for a friend who is curious, or not sure
- Start with the line. Say Psalm 23:1 together, then ask: What is the difference between wanting and needing?
- Read it. Read Mark 6:30-34 together. It is five verses.
- The interruption. Jesus planned rest, and a crowd got there first.
- His response. Read v34 again: he had compassion, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
- Leave the question. Ask: What are you lacking right now, and would you bring it to the Shepherd? Leave it with them.
“Why didn't Jesus just send the crowd away?”
Mark says he had compassion on them. He saw people who needed a shepherd.
“What does “sheep without a shepherd” mean?”
People with no one to lead or protect them. It is an old phrase in Israel's Scriptures.
“Did Jesus ever rest?”
Yes. He offered rest to his disciples here, and Mark records him going off alone to pray.
“Why does it matter that he taught first?”
Mark shows the Shepherd feeding them with his word before he feeds them with bread.
Evergreen principles
Four standards every week. The rest rotate: each lesson brings the few that fit its passage best.
Let the Bible do the talking
v34 is a short, full sentence.
If you’re new: Read it twice and ask what it shows about Jesus.
If you’ve taught for years: Lay Numbers 27:17 and Ezekiel 34:5 beside it.
Know your people
Many in the room will be tired.
If you’re new: Give room to name tiredness without solving it.
If you’ve taught for years: Notice who in the room carries others and needs care.
Guard the time
Only five verses; do not wander into the feeding.
If you’re new: Stop at v34; the feeding comes on day 5.
If you’ve taught for years: Use the pause before the feeding as a bridge.
Pray before you prepare
Teaching the Bible is spiritual work first (John 15:5).
If you’re new: Pray for your class by name during the week.
If you’ve taught for years: Pray for the one person you find hardest to reach.
Study the text first
Understand the passage yourself before any help.
If you’re new: Read it in two translations; write your own questions first.
If you’ve taught for years: Don’t lean on old notes. What did you miss last time?
Teach one big idea
People remember one sentence, not four points.
If you’re new: Write it in 12 words or fewer before anything else.
If you’ve taught for years: Test every story against it. If it doesn’t serve it, cut it.
Point to Christ
All of Scripture points to him (Luke 24:27).
If you’re new: Ask: what does this show about Jesus?
If you’ve taught for years: Show grace as the reason for obedience, not just the rule.
Openings & closings
Pick one opening and one close; rotate so class doesn’t get predictable.
ask a real-life question
When you are exhausted and someone needs you, what is your first reaction?
raise a problem
Jesus planned a rest and it was ruined. What would you have done?
start in the text
Read v31 and ask what kind of leader notices that his team has not eaten.
restate the big idea
With the LORD as my shepherd, I lack nothing I truly need, and he sees you.
allow quiet reflection
Read v34 and give a minute of quiet.
pray the text
Pray v31: thank Jesus for inviting tired people to rest with him.
When class gets hard
Someone is burned out from caring for others.
Point to v31: Jesus noticed his workers' tiredness. Do not add another task.
Someone feels like a scattered sheep with no one leading them.
Let v34 speak to them directly: this is exactly who Jesus had compassion on.
Silence after a question
Wait. Then rephrase simpler, or ask them to talk to a neighbor first.
One person dominates
“Thanks. Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t spoken yet.” Talk privately if it continues.
A question you can’t answer
Say so, write it down, bring an answer next week.
A tangent takes over
“Great question. Let’s catch it after class so we can finish the passage.”
Read this week
- Exodus 16:13-18
- Nehemiah 9:19-21
- Ezekiel 34:11-16
For kids
The printable guide puts this on the back of the handout, with a word search and a secret code.
Jesus is my Shepherd, so I have what I need.
- The apostles come back tired.
- Jesus says, “Come and rest.”
- They go away in a boat.
- A crowd runs and gets there first.
- Jesus teaches them with compassion.
- The tired apostles: sad
- The crowd without a shepherd: worried
- The crowd hearing Jesus: happy
- Jesus seeing the crowd: sad
Memory verse: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1
Act it out: Some children are the apostles in a “boat” (chairs), and the rest are the crowd. The crowd runs around the room to the other side and gets there first. Jesus steps out, looks at them kindly, and begins to teach them.
Draw it: Draw Jesus stepping out of the boat and seeing the big crowd.
Finish the sentence: Jesus sees me when ______.