Learning About Jesus’ Compassion

There are many passages in the Bible that speak of Jesus’ compassion. Steph Nickel takes a look at Matthew 15:29, and points out how He showed compassion towards the crowd by giving them something to eat.

Jesus Feeds The Crowd

Matthew 15:29-37 says,

Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking . . . Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.’ And the disciples said to him, ‘Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have?’ They said, ‘Seven, and a few small fish.’ And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied.

Matthew 15:29-37

Jesus and Compassion

This is a very familiar passage, but one brief portion really stood out to me this time round: “I have compassion on the crowd.”

If you’re like me, you often approach the Scriptures with an “I know that” attitude. We don’t intend to be arrogant or proud; we just forget that there is always something new to glean from even familiar portions of God’s Word.

Recognizing Jesus’ Compassion

If you’d asked me if I believed the Lord was compassionate, of course I would have said yes, but because of this verse, now I would do so with new wonder and thankfulness.

Jesus had not gone in search of the crowds. In fact, He had gone for a walk by the sea and then hiked up the mountain and sat down. Does this sound like a man staging a plethora of miracles? But that’s just what happened.

He healed “the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others” who were brought to Him. But was that enough? He didn’t think so. His compassion moved Him to perform yet one more miracle. He didn’t want the men and women, boys and girls who were in that crowd to faint from hunger on their way home.

When Jesus expressed His concerns to His disciples, they tried to use human reasoning to solve the problem—and they came up empty. “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place?” they asked.

Thinking About Jesus’ Compassion

Think of it for a moment. They had just seen their Master perform miracle after miracle and they had been present when he fed 5,000 men plus women and children with only five fish and two loaves of bread. But this wasn’t where their mind went. To be honest, despite what God has accomplished in my life in the past, I often look to my own strategies to address day-to-day issues.

And speaking of Jesus’ compassion, did He sigh in exasperation and remind His followers who He was and what He was capable of? No, He simply asked them a question: “How many loaves do you have?” There’s another lesson for us to learn: If we offer what we have at hand, we will be amazed at what God will accomplish with it.

In this case, what did the Lord accomplish with seven fish and a few loaves of bread? He fed 4,000 men plus women and children, perhaps 16,000 or so, and each was satisfied. Talk about compassion!

Learning about Jesus’ Compassion

There are so many lessons to learn from this passage, so many we can share with our family:

1. Jesus is capable of meeting our physical needs.

2. He is compassionate and caring.

3. He doesn’t place a limit on His generosity, no “Enough miracles for today.”

4. The Lord is patient with us when we forget what He has done for us in the past.

5. He asks what we have on hand.

6. When we offer it to Him, we may very well be amazed by what He does with it.

Teaching Our Children About His Compassion

As I mentioned, too often I try to fix things on my own. As I write this, I am shaking my head. I know better; really I do. But like the disciples, too often I forget that He is simply waiting for me to offer Him the little I have, including my time and abilities as well as material possessions. He has a plan and it is amazing!

How about you? Do you try to solve problems on your own? Do you try to fix things and then go to God or do you go to Him first? Do you ever read His Word and get blown away by a truth that has always been there but seems to jump off the page, fresh and new?

Let’s teach our children how truly awesome God is and how important it is to slowly and prayerfully study the Scriptures. Let’s also teach them about His great love and compassion and His incredible patience.

How can we show compassion like Jesus? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.