Following the Way of Jesus - Series in Matthew's Gospel. (2)

Jesus has Compassion

Matthew 15:21–39 (NIV84)

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”

Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”

“Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was four thousand, besides women and children. After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

“Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people.”

What a wonderful statement this is and what a wonderful word “compassion” is! The word has a Latin root “compati” which means to ‘suffer with.” It is a feeling of deep sympathy, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the pain of another and remove its cause.

Indeed the Greek word for compassion here splanchnízomai is from an earthty and crude derivative, descrbing the innards of an animal sacrifice; its entrails and its gut, the innards and thus used metaphorically of the gut wrenching feelings and pain that you feel when you are “moved with compassion” like the Good Samaritan, who saw the man lying in his blood of the road to Jericho(Lk 10:33) or the father of the Prodigal Son who was ‘filled with compassion” as his long lost son returned home broken and humbled by sin(Lk 15:20).Or like Jesus Himself who “when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”(Matthew 9:36).

And this is what is in the heart of Jesus as he saw people in their need! He felt sympathy and sorrow and had a strong desire to see the trouble of their pain and suffering removed.

When Jesus has compassion, he feels your pain; he sympathises with your weaknesses; He dies for you to forgive your sin and even now, He cries out to God for you - Hebrews 4:14-16, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[f] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

As we listen to the word of God today, I pray that the compassion of Jesus; His heart for you might draw you to Him for comfort; for grace; for forgiveness; for mercy; for healing and for deliverence from your pain and suffering!

Jesus had Compassion on the Outcast!

“Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”

Jesus, as we have observed in recent sermons from Matthew’s Gospel was experiencing increasing hostility and opposition.

It came mainly at this stage from the religious establishment, the Pharisees and the Chief Priests and political establishemnt, like Herod Antipas who was stuggling with his guilt and shame at having John the Baptist killed and thinking Jesus was John the Baptist, raised from the dead!

So Jesus, left Galilee, and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon,outside of the borders of Israel and into foreign territory of Pheonecia, which today would equate to the southern mountains of Lebanon, up to 50 miles north of Galilee, to an area in which the climate would be cooler and the air fresher!

This was a deliberate withdrawal:

It was not because he was frightened but in order to gain some rest and respite from the relentless nature of His ministry and to prevent the religious and political establishment, prematurely carrying out their threats to kill Him, for His “time had not yet come’(John 7:6).

He did not go to minister there because Matthew 15:24 makes it clear “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

Indeed Mark 7:24 makes it clear that “Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.”

Though, He was aiming at a secluded place of respite, His fame had spead beyind the borders of Israel and was widely known in these foreign parts(see Mark 3:8)!

Even as far back as Matthew 4, when Jesus was first beginning His ministry in Galilee, Matthew 4:24 says that people were gathered out of that area north of the border of Palestine as far as “Syria” and were coming down into Palestine, into Galilee, bringing their sick with them for healing and deliverance.

This paints a picture of the minsitry of Jesus which though primarily focuded on Israel for now was overflowing in grace to the regions beyond

Indeed, Jesus was only too well aware of the Gentiles and their readiness to receive them in contrast to the Jewish rejection, saying in: Matthew 11:21-22 “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.”

So although Jesus is NOT YET widening His ministry to the gentiles, nor changing the priority of preaching to “the Jew first”(Rom 1:15,16), He is nonetheless ever open to people who seek Him, whatever their race; gender; ethnicity or human characteristic!

Examples of this are included in the Gospels for example in Matthew’s Gospel with the Roman Centurion in chapter 8 and also in John 4 with the ministry to the Samaritan woman!

This is a reminder that the “gospel” is “GOOD NEWS” to anyone who believe, the “power of God for the salvation of anyone who beleives, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile”(Rom 1:15-16) because the compassionate heart of Jesus is ever open and responsive to all who cry out to Him!

Now consider the woman - a Canaanite according to Matthew, that is to say, one of a race of people who preceded Jews in the land of Israel, as its original inhabitants.

Mark describes her as a “Syro-Phoenician”, from the area of Syria and Phoenicia, which is today known as Lebanon.

She belonged to a people who were pagan idolaters, with a long history of hostility with the Jewish people.

She’s not in a position of covenant privilege; she is to use the language of Paul in Ephesians 2:12 “excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.”

She’s an outcast, she has no claim on the covenant, no right to ask anything of Jesus, and she knows it, so all she can do is cry out “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!’

She is a perfect example of a sinner who comes to Jesus without merit; without claim; unworthy as they are and simplyc cries out for mercy! - “God have mercy upon me, a sinner!”(Matthew 18:13).

On the 10th March 1748, John Newton, an African slave trader explains in ‘a day much to be remembered by me; and I have never allowed it to pass unnoticed since the year 1748. For on that day the Lord came from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.’

The storm was terrific: when the ship went plunging down into the trough of the sea few on board expected her to come up again. The hold was rapidly filling with water. As Newton hurried to his place at the pumps he said to the captain, ‘If this will not do, the Lord have mercy upon us!’

His own words startled him. ‘Mercy!’ he said to himself in astonishment, ‘Mercy! mercy! What mercy can there be for me? This was the first desire I had breathed for mercy for many years!’

About six in the evening the hold was free from water, and then came a gleam of hope. ‘I thought I saw the hand of God displayed in our favour. I began to pray. I could not utter the prayer of faith. I could not draw near to a reconciled God and call him Father. My prayer for mercy was like the cry of the ravens, which yet the Lord does not disdain to hear.’

‘In the gospel,’ says Newton, ‘I saw at least a peradventure of hope but on every other side I was surrounded with black, unfathomable despair.’

Newton hoped for mercy; he sought it and found it -

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me…

So much for what brought Newton to this point of crying for mercy, what of this woman? What has brought her to this point? - My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”

She is desperate! Doctor’s could not help her daughter; neither could her idols, Asherah, the mother goddess of trees or Anath, the sister goddess of Baal, a warrior princess or Astarte, the third great goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon, the goddess of sexual love and fertility.

Neither could the priests of those idols, help her with their superstitious chanting and their various potions and incantatations!

Physicians could not help either, whatever they tried. This girl was a victim of all of this evil idolatry amd the only power great enough to deliver he was Jesus, and somehow she knew it! Something inside her told her that if she were to get to Him, exercise faith in Him and draw near to Him, all could be well!

So, she cried out to Him “My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”

And she continued to do this, even when Jesus appeared to be uninterested.

She was undeterred, even as Jesus’ appeared to be be denying her claim on the grounds of her race, some would say, insulting her with the common, racist language of the Jews: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” (Although note here: the Greek has two words for dogs, one refers to undomesticated, wild dogs (Grk Kuon) that roamed the streets in packs, which the Bible uses as a metaphor for “evil men” who sin and devour through their wicknesness(see Phil 3:2;Rev 22:15) and here the domesticated puppy dog, a pet for the children (Grk: “kunarion”)

And yet this woman, though not a Jew (one of “the children”) had such faith in Jesus’ ability to deliver her daughter that she did not bother to debate the fact that she was a thought of as a “dog” by Jewish standards, but instead acknowledged it, and replied that even “dogs” can get crumbs that fall from the table.

In other words, she was appealing to Jesus’ mercy and grace to grant her request even though she was not deserving of it as a Gentile.

Jesus was so astounded at her reply that He said “O woman, great is your faith,” and He immediately granted her request (Mt 15:28).

This commendation of “great faith!” happens only twice in the Gospels; with this Gentile and the Roman Centurion, another Gentile, of whom Jesus said: “I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith”(Matthew 8:10).

And because of this GREAT FAITH - this MEGA FAITH - this well-placed faith in Jesus’ ability to deliver her daughter from Demons, Jesus had mercy on her!

Now there are some important lessons for us at this point!

(a). Faith needs to be driected at the right PERSON - in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour! - Romans 10:8-10 “But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

She “turned to God from idols”(1 Thes 1:9) and discovered that “by faith in the name of Jesus”(Acts 3:16) that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”(Acts 4:12)

Great faith has the right object - Heb 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

“My faith has found a resting place Not in device nor creed I trust the Ever-living One His wounds for me shall plead

I need no other argument I need no other plea It is enough that Jesus died And that He died for me.”

(Eliza Edmunds Hewitt: 1851-1920).

(b). Faith can be exercised in Jesus on your own behalf or on behalf of others! - “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”

When people cannot or will not pray for themselves or seek salvation for themselves, we can still bring them to Jesus in prayer and ask His mercy upon them!

We cannot save them by our praying, but He can save them BECAUSE WE PRAYED!

(c). We should not let the silence of Jesus or His lack of response to our cries for mercy, put us off from praying - Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”

John Chrysostom, the early church preacher commented on this rather unusual reluctance of Jesus to get involved saying: “The Word has no word. The Fountain is sealed, the Physician holds back His remedy.” Why? Well among other things to teach us the importance of persistance in seeking mercy in prayer!

Jesus Himself taught us about the Friend at Midnight who asks: ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for [a]bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”(Luke 11:5-13).

This incident with this woman remidns us that ALL OF US NEED MERCY!

There comes a point in life, whether we are decent, upstanding citizens or the worst of sinners, when we know that there are thigns that we need forgiveness for; know that we have at least in some emasure fallen short of the glory of God, of His righteous standards; either by sins of omision or comission; by doing things we ought not to have done or not doing things that we ought to have done and at such times we can only cry, “Lord have mercy on me, a sinner!”

Well hear is the GOOD NEWS! - When we like David of old say, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin”(Psa 51:1,2), we discover a God who is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”(Psa 103:8-13).

JESUS HAS COMPASSION! -Whenever we cry out for mercy, He hears and if we truly desire it, He will respond to our open hearts of faith and bring Healing and Deliverance and Salvation!

2. Jesus had compassion on the Sick!

“Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.”

The stage changes, but the needs remain unchanged!

As soon as Jesus begins his return to Israel - via the Decapolis or ten free Greek cities on Israel’s borders, on the southeast edge of the Sea of Galilee, in the area now known as the Golan Heights, not far from the area known as Gadara where Jesus, delivered two demoniacs and sent the demons into the herd of swine? - crowds are back and the human misery is evident everywhere and Jesus in His compassion heals them!

And as a result, “The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.”. Amazed is the Greek word “thumazo” meaning they were thunderstruck so much so that “they praised the God of Israel” because you see, this was not there God! Being free Greeks they worshipped Zeus and Apollo; Artemis and Dionysius.

These miracles were enough to convince them that the God of Israel was the one true God, for there was no other explanation for these miraculous healings than this and this is why they end up staying with Jesus for “three days” and drinking in His teaching and praising in wonder and awe the mighty works of God!

It is a fact of life that there is suffering and in some cases great suffering and sometimes it is overwhelming!

This leads many to question God, why does a God of love allow suffering? Why does He not prevent it from happening in the first place or correct it immediately upon its raising of its ugly head?

Jesus did not give us a direct answer to that question but what He does do is alleviate it, sometimes in the case of a single sufferer as we saw with the daughter of the Caananaite woman or more generally here as the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many other” are “laid...at his feet; and he healed them."

Yes, Jesus healed many whilst here on earth but he did not heal all!

Just as He reminded His disciples that “the poor will always be with you” so, the sick and diseased and dying will always be a fact of life to be faced and reckoned with and to the best of our ability, call upon our compassionate healing and treatment!

For Jesus not only has compassion to heal, He also calls upon us to show compassion to those who need healing and help in their hopelessness!

So, as disciples of Christ are called “to heal the sick” and this might come directly through prayer or indirectly through medicine!

The Church has always understood this, and the impact of Christians in developing what we now know of as Modern Western Medicine has been immense!

“The Graeco-Roman world in which Christianity appeared was often cruel and inhumane. The weak and the sick were despised. Abortion, infanticide and poisoning were widely practised. The doctor was often a sorcerer as well being a healer and the power to heal equally conferred the power to kill. Among the pagans of the classical world only the Hippocratic band of physicians had a different attitude to their fellow human beings. They swore oaths to heal and not to harm and to carry out their duty of care to the sick.” (The Christian Contribution to Medicine - Rosie Beal-Preston.Imperial College, London 2001).

Whilst the Greek’s had a real academic interest in medicine, they had little interest in setting up hospitals but by contrast in the second century AD when plague broke out in the City of Carthage, pagan households threw sufferers onto the streets and left them to die, but the entire Christian community, personally led by their bishop, responded with compassion, going onto the streets, offering comfort and taking them into their own homes to be cared for.

Christian communities throughout Europe, fed the poor; offered free burial for bereaved families and protected and provided for orphans and widows; the elderly and prisoners, sick slaves and other outcasts, especially the leprous! These acts of generosity and compassion impressed many Roman writers and philosophers, including Emperor Julian the Apostate who came to power in AD 355, and was the last Roman Emperor to try to re-institute paganism and said in his Apology, that if the old religion wanted to succeed, it would need to care for people even better than the way Christians did!

Once Christianity was estanlished at the religion of the Empire after the Edict of Milan in AD311, Christians took the lead in the care of the sick and the daying in the building of hospitals, and the development of medicines and surgery for healing.

In AD 369, Basil of Caesarea founded a 300 bed hospital,the first large-scale hospital for the seriously ill and disabled people in the World, caring for victims of the plague.

Hospices for the poor and aged isolation units, as well as rest homes for travellers who were sick and a leprosy house were established everywhere. Emperor Charlemagne(AD 747-814), ruler of the Holy Roman Empire decreed that every cathedral should have a school, monastery and hospital attached.

Members of the Benedictine Order dedicated themselves to the service of the seriously ill; to 'help them as would Christ' a principle upom which all Monastic hospitals were founded.

During the Reformation period and beyond, Christian took the lead in caring for the sick and dying, Thomas Sydenham, sometimes hailed as the 'English Hippocrates' stressed the importance of personal, scientific observation and holistic care for patients, and was one of the brave 'plague doctors' who did not desert the sick and dying during the Great Plague of London.

Ministers advocated personal hygiene. It was John Wesley who said 'Cleanliness is, indeed, next to Godliness.'

The social activism of the Quakers is well-known, among them John Fothergill who campaigned to eliminate social wrongs on grounds that they undermined the health of the people. Another Quaker, John Howard, had a great concern for prisons, where overcrowding and typhus were rife, and successfully promoted two prison reform Acts of Parliament.

Edward Jenner, a devout Christian believer, was responsible for the beginnings of immunology and in ridding the world of the scourge of smallpox.

In the nineteenth-century, 'modern nursing' was born, in no small measure due to the work of devout Christians such as Elizabeth Fry and Florence Nightingale.

Also very important discoveries in many medical fields were made by people who held a Christian commitment as well as the advance of surgical techniques and practice and indeed devout Christians like Davy and Faraday, discovered and pioneered the use of anaesthesia in surgery, and the obstetrician James Simpson, a very humble believer, was the first to use ether and chloroform in midwifery. While William Osler taught all medical students to base their attitudes and care for their patients on the standards laid down in the Bible.

The Salvation Army, founded in 1865 by William Booth, provided much-needed medical care in impoverished inner city areas and homes for women who had been induced into prostitution. Unmarried mothers were cared for, and these projects have spread all over the world.

Great Ormond Street Hospital was founded by Charles West, a Baptist, to meet the needs of sick children who were inadequately cared for by 'habitually drunk (nurses) with easy-going, selfish indifference to their patients, and no knowledge or skill of nursing.'

Dr Thomas Barnardo set up his children's homes after seeing the terrible plight of thousands of hungry and homeless children in the East End. Inner city missions bringing a combination of medical care and the gospel were set up.

Christians were at the forefront of temperance movements. Care for the blind and deaf and the use of Braille worldwide and schools for the deaf were pioneered by evangelical Christians.

St Joseph's Hospice in Hackney, founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1905, was the prototype of the modern hospice movement. Dame Cicely Saunders founded St Christopher's Hospice in 1967, with the aim of providing as peaceful an atmosphere as possible for those in their terminal illness, while offering an environment of Christian love and support.

And then of course Christian missionaries worldwide, pioneered and transformed medicine in palces like Africa and India with medical missionaries like Dr David Livingstone (Central Africa), Dr.Albert Schweitzer, a talented doctor, theologian, who devoted his life to people living in the remote forests of Gabon, and Dr Ida Scudder who founded the world-famous Vellore Medical College in India and Dr Paul Brand who pioneered missions to lepers. Other Christian missipoanry doctors were influential in the prevention of such diseases as malaria and tuberculosis.

Now the point here is not simply to give you a medical history lesson but to demonstrates that just as Jesus has compassion on the sick, He calls upon us to pray for and to care for the sick and those in need today:

We cannot HEAL the sick, that preprogative is only God’s to decide, and even medical advancement is God’s way of doing this, but sometimes when the medical profession can do no more, God in His grace may well intervene to heal!

And yet, here is Jesus saying “I have compassion for these people” and when He gave us the example of the Good Samaritan who used conventional medical means to heal and restore the victom on the road from Jericho to Jerusalem he said; “Go and do likewise!” which is why we here, engage in caring, social activities to alleviate the pain of poverty; the distress of loneliness ; the insecurity of vulnerability and to support and pray with the sick and the dying Christianity gives men and women a new perspective and allegiance; their lives are spent in joyful grateful service of the God who has redeemed them and given them new life.

In many ways, Christianity and medicine are natural allies; medicine gives men and women unique opportunities to express their faith in daily practical caring for others, embodying the commands of Christ; 'whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' (Matthew 25:40)

In the Acts of the Apostles it says that , “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”(Acts 10:38). In our BECOMING LIKE JESUS, let us seek to do the same!

3. Jesus had compassion on the Hungry!

“Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was four thousand, besides women and children. After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.”

This is not the same incident as that of Matthew 14 with the feeding of the Five thousand. The details are different.

In chapter 14, Matthew tells us that there were about “five thousand men, as well as women and childen” whereas in Mark’s account of this incident in chapter 8:9, Mark tells us “there was about four thousand people.”

In chapter 14 the five thousand are fed at the end of the day whereas here in chapter 15 it is at the end of “three days”

In chapter 14 the boy had five loaves and two fish whereas here the disciples here, have “seven loaves” and “a few small fish” and

likewise afterwards in chapter 14, after “they all ate and were satisfied,...the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.”, here “the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.”

The crowd in chapter 14 were largely Jews from Galiliee and these were largely Gentiles from the Decapolis.

And most tellingly of all, in Mark 8:17-20, Jesus challenges his disciples lack of understanding wioth the words: “don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.”

Alfred Edersheim(1825-1889) a Jewish convert to Christianity and Author of the seminal work: The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, commented on the significance of this repeat feeding in this way: “The Galilean Ministry had closed with the feeding of the five thousand, the guests being mostly from Capernaum and the towns around, as far as Bethsaida (Julias), many in the number probably on their way to the Paschal feast at Jerusalem. But now at the second provision for the four thousand, with which His Decapolis Ministry closed, the guests were not strictly Jews, but semi-Gentile inhabitants of that district and its neighbourhood. Lastly, his Judæan Ministry closed with the Last Supper.”(Chap 36 ii3).

A great comment reminding us that, Jesus always ensures that His people are fed! He cares for our needs phyrically and spiritually, feeding our bodies and our souls; giving us bread to eat; giving us the living bread of God from Heaven; His own body “crushed for our iniquities” so that “by His wounds, we are healed.”

Now again it is implied here that the disciples just see a problem, a great crowd needed feeding and they did not have the means to do so in this desert area where no provision could be found! “Send them away” - “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd.”

BUT JESUS SAYS, “I have compassion for these people.”

And so, the disciples having no answer to that problem, are entirely reliant on Jesus doing what they had seen Him do before, feed the hungry and He did! In v35, “He commanded the multitude to sit on the ground” and then He prayed befre taking the seven loaves and few fish, breaking them, and literally, “He kept on giving to the disciples” - “and the disciples to the multitude.” That is to say, they kept on coming back with their baskets for refilling and He kept filling them! The bread and fish are increased in His hands and they “all ate, and were filled” with seven basketfullls left over! And these were bigger baskets(Grk: spuris, used by these Greeks, is different from the little hand baskets of Matthew 14:20, the kophinos, carried by the Jews).

The Lord Jesus who had power to drive out a demon; and heal the broken limbs and organs of the sick and deseased has the power also, to create bread and fish to feed thousands. How amazing is He?

APPLICATION TO US:

“Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people.”

What have we seen today of Jesus as we have been WITH HIM today?

Well, we have seen Him show compassion for a person’s spiritual needs, delivering a woman and her daughter from the control of the Evil One as the woman expressed her personal faith in the amazing grace of Jesus!

We have seen His compassion for peoples’ physical needs as He heals them physically from the debilitating; life-impacting nature of disability and disease

And we have also seen His compassion for peoples’ daily need of food and the everday physical needs that we have to manage our everyday lives.

His compassion embraces every aspect of human life and experience. he cares for us spiritually; physically both emotionally and mentally and he cares for our everyday concerns!

How do we BECOME LIKE HIM and DO WHAT HE DOES? - We need His “compassion for these people”!

The disciples had to learn that they just could not send people away. When faced with the poor Cannanite woman, desperate as she was for her daughter; desperate for mercy; desperate for a touch from Jesus and all the disciples could say was, “send her away, for she keeps crying after us” The Greek word is krazō, it’s in the present tense and it indicates that as she follows them around she is calling out loudly, screaming and shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! Lord, send her away!

When we think of the crowd in their continuing spiritual and physical hunger, all they could think about was their inability to do anything to meet the need; they had lost sight of the Lord’s ability - Lord send them away!

How lacking in compassion they were and we must be careful that we do not get so bothered by the desperation of sinners, or the misely nature of what we can provide so that we abbrogate our responsibility to care for the dying; to feed the hungry and care for the poor; to minister to the sick and look after the disadvantaged and those spiritually bind and in need!

We may like the disciples feel that we do not have the resources and that is true. The need is so great that if we are to make a difference, we need Jesus to work in and through us, so let us pray for that and trust Him for that!

Francis Schhaeffer once said: “Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world.”

We have learned what compassion is! That ability to feel and sympathise with the suffering of others but also that desire to do something to change that sufering!

Thomas Aquinas said, “I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it.” Lord give us the compassion of Jesus, may the “love of Christ constrain us”(2 Cor 5:14).