In today's Gospel, we are given a remarkable glimpse into the hearts of Jesus. Before He teaches, before He heals, before He sends out His disciples, Matthew tells us something profoundly important: Jesus sees the crowds and is moved with compassion. He looks upon the people and sees more than faces in a crowd. He sees their struggles, fears, wounds, disappointments, and spiritual hunger. Matthew describes them as "troubled and abandoned, like a sheep without a shepherd." They were searching for meaning, guidance, hope, and healing.