
Sunday's first scripture, from the prophet Jeremiah, is a condemnation of unfaithful shepherds and the Lord's pledge to replace them with more faithful shepherds. The Markan Gospel passage has Jesus moved to pity the crowd who seem to him to be like "sheep without a shepherd."
Sunday's secondary reading from Ephesians, never mentions shepherd or Jews or Gentiles but the passage is about the way God shepherded both of these groups into one through the blood of Christ, the Good Shepherd.