Show Compassion
Matthew 14:13-21
13 On hearing about this, Yeshua left in a boat to be by himself in the wilderness. But the people learned of it and followed him from the towns by land. 14 So when he came ashore, he saw a huge crowd; and, filled with compassion for them, he healed those of them who were sick.
15 As evening approached, the talmidim (disciples/students) came to him and said, “This is a remote place and it’s getting late. Send the crowds away, so that they can go and buy food for themselves in the villages.” 16 But Yeshua replied, “They don’t need to go away. Give them something to eat, yourselves!” 17 “All we have with us,” they said, “is five loaves of bread and two fish.” 18 He said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 After instructing the crowds to sit down on the grass, he took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking up toward heaven, made a b’rakhah (blessing). Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the talmidim, who gave them to the crowds. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and they took up twelve baskets full of the pieces left over. 21 Those eating numbered about five thousand men, plus women and children.
I could have tied verses 13 and 14 in with yesterday because they do connect to the death of John the Immerser. However, what I want to focus on today is the compassion of Jesus. The passage above is all about compassion.
In the midst of His pain (yes, Jesus would have experienced a sense of loss when He heard about John the Immerser's death), Jesus wanted to be alone. However, He couldn't. People followed Him.
In the midst of His pain and desire to be alone, Jesus still had compassion. He still healed people. He still cared for their needs and fed them.
If we are too be like Him, than this is a lesson for us to learn. We are allowed pain. We are allowed grief. In the midst of it, we should not stay focused inward. I believe that He wants us to continue to look outward. I believe He still wants us to have compassion on those we meet. When we can focus on others we tend to forget about our own struggles.
We must take care of ourselves. There are definite seasons when we need time alone. I'm not saying we should always give and give because that can wear us out as well. BUT, if we stay focused inward and only on us, we miss something. We miss the opportunity to be in community with others and take care of each other.
Lesson for today? Take care of YOU and love yourself, but don't stay there. Look outward and be there for others. Have compassion.
Love and blessings,
Rose
All donations are tax deductible through TBG. Click the picture below to take you to the TBG homepage and from there you can "Give Online.”
