Crowds 'as sheep having no shepherd' strongly evoke biblical leadership-crisis language, especially Moses' concern for a successor, Micaiah's vision, and Ezekiel's indictment of false shepherds.

The mission to 'lost sheep of the house of Israel' follows Matthew 9's shepherdless-crowd language. Ezekiel's lost/scattered sheep and promised shepherd restoration form a serious background, but Matthew does not quote Ezekiel here.

Numbers commissions Joshua before Eleazar and the congregation; Deuteronomy later narrates Moses publicly strengthening Joshua for the land-entry mission. The two commissioning scenes belong to one succession process: Numbers authorizes Joshua, and Deuteronomy publicly reinforces the land-entry charge.

God’s commissioning of Joshua carries forward the appointment Moses made before Israel entered the land. Joshua 1 begins the execution of an appointment already made publicly before Moses’ death rather than introducing Joshua as an unanticipated replacement.

Moses asks for a successor so Israel will not be “as sheep which have no shepherd”; Mark says Jesus sees the crowd as sheep without a shepherd and responds with compassion and teaching. This is a strong Christological shepherd mirror.