The Righteous Branch

23 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! declares the Lord.

² Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who shepherd my people.

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For he himself is our peace. He made the two groups one by destroying the wall of hostility that divided them ¹⁵ when he abolished the law of commandments and regulations in his flesh. He did this to create in himself one new person out of the two, in this way making peace. ¹⁶ And he did this to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by putting the hostility to death on it.^{[a] 17} He also came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.^[b]

¹⁹ So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household.

Jesus Feeds More Than Five Thousand

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. ³¹ He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” For there were so many people coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat. ³² They went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. ³³ But many people saw them leave and knew where they were going. They ran there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. ³⁴ When Jesus stepped out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. His heart went out to them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He began to teach them many things.