Compassion through Serving

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Moved With Compassion

Matthew 9:36 ESV

36 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

The Word for Compassion in the Greek means “to have the bowels yearn, i.e. (figuratively) feel sympathy, to pity:—have (be moved with) compassion.”

Some might use other words other than “my bowels yearned” but this simply means that Jesus was moved in the deepest parts of His being or His spirit/soul. Why, because they were harassed and helpless! Like sheep without a shepherd.

What happens to sheep that don’t have a shepherd? They are on their own for food, for safety, for protection. They have no one to care for them or help them. They feel helpless. They feel frantic, insecure, and stressed out. They feel harassed. That’s no way to live.

Jesus was moved in the depths of His soul because of who He was and what drove Him. It was His grace and mercy, and obedience to the Father, that drove Him to leave heaven and come to this earth. When He came, he came with compassion. Yes, we have examples of Jesus getting in some people’s faces, but that was directed at those who were religious. For the majority of those He encountered, He showed them grace and mercy through compassion.

Matthew 9:37–38 ESV

37 Then He said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Many when they hear “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” think of evangelism, and they’d be right. We can take the message of the gospel out to our community void of the compassion of Jesus, but the results will be lacking. Jesus met them where they were at and helped to meet the crowd’s physical needs first, then he preached to them, then He fed them.

Today, we are going to take a step to help meet some physical needs for some in our community that have a need of assistance. They not only have a need but we have a need. We need to reach out to them and do more than look at them with the attitude of “bless you, be warm and be filled”. We need to actually fill them, first with the food we will give them and then with the message of the gospel and with compassion from Jesus shown through us!

2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Staci Clark Sharing

Stephen and Jennifer White

What we are going to do now:

Build Cookie Jars