THE COMPASSIONATE HEART OF JESUS
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Mark 6:30-37
Mark 6:30-37
discuss the series of searching for the heart
I believe this is going to help up experience His presence more richly and see who we are in Christ more truly. I believe it is going to cause us to move to obedience to His calls on our lives. I believe that it is the first step to restoring the proper fear of the Lord in our lives.
We talked about how the heart in scripture rarely meant physical heart but talking
the physical heart.
It was essentially the whole man, with all his attributes, physical, intellectual and psychological, of which the Hebrew thought and spoke, and the heart was conceived of as the governing centre for all of these. It is the heart which makes a man, or a beast, what he is, and governs all his actions (Pr. 4:23). Character, personality, will, mind are modern terms which all reflect something of the meaning of ‘heart’ in its biblical usage.
One of my favorite commentaries said, “Its the motivation center from which decisions are made.”
So, what we are talking about is what motivated and what motivates Jesus now to take the actions that He took and still take for us today!
This week’s topic is the definition of the phrase that actions speak louder than words. When we look at the gospel, its hard to miss the compassion of the heart of Christ. Verse after verse, story after story is examples of Jesus showing how deeply compassionate His heart is for suffers and sinners.
In fact, one of the hardest parts of preparing this message was narrowing it down to specific passages. But there are still a lot of scripture that I want to read today because the Lord wants you to walk out with a clearer view of the compassion that Jesus has for you and His actions speak louder than His words.
2 main points today
First let’s look at the compassionate heart of Jesus.
THE COMPASSIONATE HEART OF JESUS MOVES TOWARDS PEOPLE
THE COMPASSIONATE HEART OF JESUS MOVES TOWARDS PEOPLE
Mark 6:30–37 (ESV)
The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.”
This is the account that Jesus proceeds to feed the 5,000.
Jesus had just learned about the beheading of His cousin, John the Baptist. He hadn’t even had time to eat. He was emotionally tired and He desired to get some rest and spend time with His Father.
But Jesus saw the crowd and his heart was filled with compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
I find it interesting that Jesus looking at them felt compassion for them not because they were hungry or needed healed but Jesus saw their lives and saw that they didn’t know where they were going.
He noticed that they were wondering lost sheep without direction or purpose. He noticed that they needed Him. They needed someone to care for them, love them, lead them, protect them. He noticed that they didn’t know where to eat good food. They didn’t know where to get good water. They were vulnerable to attack. All the things that a shepherd did for sheep. He noticed that they were lost in life and needed direction.
He saw past the physical and looked deep into their deepest need. They needed their Shepherd.
And it moved the heart of Christ to compassion. The word compassion means
Lexham Theological Wordbook σπλαγχνίζομαι
σπλαγχνίζομαι (splanchnizomai). vb. to have compassion, pity, deep empathy. Expresses having deep compassion. This verb is similar to what is expressed in modern language as a feeling in one’s “gut” or “heart” of deep empathy for another person.
It shows that from the deepest part of who Jesus is, His character, His will and His heart was filled with deep empathy for His sheep.
Another example of Jesus compassionate heart is found is at the death of Lazarus
John 11:33
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.
The KJV for my brother Dakota says that Jesus “groaned in the Spirit”.
The meaning of the original word there is feel strongly, be deeply moved, to have an intense feeling of concern.
In this moment, Jesus’ heart was so full of concern and compassion for those that He loved that He wept for their pain and suffering.
One more example of this is found in Matthew 8:1-3
When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Such a simple verse but for some reason it hits me so hard.
Two simple word that English just falls short.
The words “I will” is not simply I will do something. Its an expression of it being Jesus’ will to heal him. Its in His plan and purpose to heal him.
In fact, the definition of the words there is to express the deepest willingness or desire to do something.
Two simple words and He expressed that from the deepest part of His heart and motivation is to heal this man.
There is a depth that we can’t fully grasp with these examples of Christ’s deepest heart-fill, gut wrenching compassion that Jesus has.
If you read the gospels, if you are looking for it, its hard to miss His compassionate heart. And how His heart moves Him to action.
Dane Ortlund puts it like this.
“But the dominant note left ringing in our ears after reading the Gospels , the most vivid and arresting element of the portraits, is the way the Holy Son of God move towards, touches, heals, embraces, and forgives those who least deserve it yet truly desire it.”
I agree with this quote that one of the greatest things that we could learn today is that if you truly desire Jesus and desire all that He is and promises to be, no matter how badly you think you don’t deserve it, Jesus’ deep desire and heart is moved to compassion for you and He comes to you.
Jesus sees the broken, lost and hurting and moves towards you.
You don’t have to look far to see example and example of Jesus heart moving His feet to action.
Jesus had compassion on the widow and raised her son from the dead in Luke 7:13
And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”
He healed the sick because His heart was compassionate.
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Over and over again in the Gospels, we see His heart and then we see His action.
Jesus moves towards sufferers and sinner. Broken and lost. Hurting and wounded. Outcast and unpopular.
It was often commented about Jesus hanging out with sinners and tax collectors. He was moved towards them with a compassionate heart.
His goal was healing. Healing. Not just physically. He did a ton of that in His life but the point that Jesus really drove home was to heal them from the pain and suffering causes by sin. Jesus was moved towards sufferers and sinners but He didn’t leave them that way. He healed their physical wounds and instructed them to repent of the sins that cause spiritual and emotional wounds.
The compassionate heart of Jesus knows that the true cause of pain and suffering is sin. And He came to heal and restore His people from that deep wound.
Maybe you are here today and you feel like you are too wounded to come to Christ.
Maybe you are here today and feel like you are too far gone to come to Christ.
Maybe you are here today and your main thought of how Jesus feels for you is disappointment and grief.
Maybe you are here today and you haven’t felt the deeply compassionate gaze of Jesus looking deeply into your pain and suffering and seen Him move towards you.
Can I tell you, Jesus is moving towards you. Jesus’ heart for you is filled with compassion from the depths of His heart and soul and He is moving towards you.
If you look at all of the example of Jesus in the Gospels you will see a crazy list of things that did NOT stop His compassion for someone.
Sin. A woman caught in adultery.
Brokenness.
Weakness.
Lack of faith.
Even when Jesus saw the outcome.
He didn’t tell Mary and Martha to suck it up. I’m about to raise your brother from the dead. He knew that He was about to. He knew the outcome. He knew that it was only temporary. He knew the outcome of the situation but that did not stop the heart of Jesus from being moved from deep compassion and weeping with them.
No matter what you think or feel. No matter what humans have shown you. The heart of Jesus is fulled with compassion for you. He is moving towards you to heal you.
The 2nd point for today is this.
JESUS TAUGHT US TO HAVE THE SAME HEART.
JESUS TAUGHT US TO HAVE THE SAME HEART.
We are going to look at two examples of Jesus teaching us to be compassionate. Both examples are pointed at the Pharisees and how they were not moved to compassion towards sufferers and sinners and their actions proved it.
(Don’t read fully. summarize both)
Luke 10:33 (ESV)
But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
The second example is the story of the prodigal son.
And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
In both of these parables Jesus is rebuking the hearts and actions of the judgemental and uncompassionate Pharisees.
He was showing them that they were the two men that crossed to the other side of the road and that they were the older brother upset them their brother came home.
Jesus was instructing them that they needed to be like the Samaritan and the father.
To see the suffering and hurting and sinful people of this world and not move to the other side of the street. But to move towards them with a heart filled with compassion for their brokenness. For the fact that many of the things that make us run for them are caused by the deep pain of brokenness, hurt and the deep wounds of sin.
Jesus saw people like this and moved towards them with His heart bursting at the seems with compassion.
He DOES desire to heal them. Physically, mentally and spiritually from the affects of sin.
We are now the compassionate light of the world now. We are example of Christ’ heart to world.
How are we doing? How are we shining?
Are we hiding that light under a bushel and only showing it to those who agree with us?Are we moving to the other side of the street?
Or are we seeing sheep lost without a Shepherd just like we were before Jesus brought us in?
Or are we seeing the outcast and downcast in the world and moving towards them with compassionate hearts?
Knowing that we are not the answer but Jesus is.
There are two challenges for you today.
The first is this.
If you are suffering and you are stuck in sin, if you are broken and lost, and if you think that Jesus is feeling anything other than compassion for you then cast that lie out!
If you see Jesus as hard, condemning and looking down at you like a scolding parent, then cast out those lies and look at the truth of His compassionate heart for you.
Identify those thoughts and hold them to the life and example of Jesus’ life and cling to the truths in God’s Word! His heart, His deepest desires of His heart is filled with compassion for you and He wants to heal you. He “wills” it.
Let us let the Holy Spirit convict us of those who we have not had a compassionate heart towards.