The Compassion of Jesus
Matthew 9:35-38 NKJV
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Jesus was known for what took place in verse thirty-five. He went all around the cities and villages teaching, preaching the gospel, and healing every sickness and disease among the people. When we think of His earthly ministry, these actions, and of course, the cross and resurrection come to mind. And there is nothing wrong with that at all. I am so grateful we never hear of Jesus hurting people or ignoring those who were sick and diseased. He brought solutions to the problems plaguing mankind wherever He went.
But there is a characteristic of Jesus that we do not need to overlook. When Jesus saw the multitudes, He had compassion on them. Compassion means to feel deeply, an inner feeling of pity. Jesus was not unmoved by the multitudes; they impacted Him deeply. He saw them as weary and scattered. The NLT says confused and helpless. The CSB says distressed and dejected. Jesus likened the multitudes to sheep without a shepherd. The leadership in Israel during that time was abysmal. The Pharisees and Sadducees had turned the laws of God into a man-made system for their own profit. The spiritual climate in Israel, outside of John the Baptist, was at a low point. Jesus knew this and it moved Him because the people were the ones who were suffering.
Jesus instructed His disciples what to do as a remedy. Pray for God to send laborers into His harvest—people who would lead and care for God’s people. Jesus was moved with compassion and offered a solution.
Application
Praying for laborers is still needed today. There are still many people who are distressed and dejected. Even at The Ark, we still need people to lead in our classes, with our groups, among our children and youth—people to help with marriages, singles, and young adults. We have multitudes, and wherever there are multitudes, there is a need for people to lead, to serve, to love, and to care. The harvest is still plentiful, and compassion compels us to pray.
Prayer
Lord, I ask that You send laborers into Your harvest. And if you call on me, I will be a vessel of Your compassion for Your people.