One of the most comforting truths in all the Bible is that Jesus Christ is compassionate. He is holy, righteous, sovereign, and powerful, but He is not cold. He is not distant. He is not unconcerned with the burdens, hurts and needs of people.
Matthew 9:36 says, “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”
That verse gives us a beautiful picture of the heart of Christ. When Jesus looked at the multitude, He did not see interruptions. He did not see inconveniences. He did not see people as problems to be avoided. He saw souls in need.
The compassion of Christ was personal. The Bible says, “when he saw the multitudes.” Others may have looked at the same crowd and seen sinners, troublemakers or burdens. But Jesus saw people. He saw their condition. He saw their pain. He saw their spiritual need.
That is still true today. You may feel unnoticed by others, but you are not unnoticed by Him. You may feel forgotten, but you are not forgotten by Him. He sees the tears you hide, the burdens you carry and the battles you fight.
His compassion was also perceptive. Jesus saw deeper than the surface. The people may have looked religious, busy and put together outwardly, but Jesus knew they were fainting and scattered. They were weary and wandering. They were like sheep without a shepherd.
Many people today are the same way. They may have success, possessions, popularity or religion, yet inwardly they are empty, tired, and lost. Jesus sees beyond the smile. He sees beyond the outward appearance. He sees the soul.
The compassion of Christ was powerful. When Jesus was moved with compassion, He did something. He healed the sick. He fed the hungry. He touched the leper. He received sinners. His compassion was not just a feeling; it was love in action.
In Mark 1, a leper came to Jesus and said, “ If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”
The Bible says Jesus was “moved with compassion,” reached out His hand, touched him, and said, “I will; be thou clean.” Others would have avoided that man, but Jesus touched him. That is compassion.
His compassion was protective. Matthew says the people were “ as sheep having no shepherd.” Sheep without a shepherd are vulnerable, directionless and in danger. But Jesus is the Good Shepherd. In John 10:11, He said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
That points us to Calvary. The greatest display of Christ’s compassion was not merely when He healed the sick or fed the multitude. The greatest display of His compassion was when He died on the cross for our sins.
Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” We were the wandering sheep, but Jesus became the wounded Shepherd. We were guilty, but He took our place. We were lost, but He came to seek and to save.
Finally, His compassion was practical. After Jesus saw the multitude, He told His disciples, “ The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.” Then He said to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send forth labourers.
In other words, the compassion of Christ should move us too. It should affect how we see people. It should affect how we treat the hurting, the lost, the broken, and the discouraged. We can stand for truth and still show compassion. Jesus did both perfectly.
If you are lost, come to the compassionate Saviour. He still saves, forgives, cleanses and receives sinners.
If you are saved, ask the Lord to help you see people the way Jesus sees them. May God give us eyes to see, hearts to care, hands to help and lips to point others to Christ.
Jimmy Barrett is a resident of Blackshear and pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Waycross.
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