THE COMPASSIONATE CHRIST

Jesus is entering His final days of earthly ministry. His crucifixion, an event He has often spoken of, is just weeks away. However, in our text Jesus does not speak of His impending destiny. His focus at this moment is not on His cross but His commission.

Jesus will die for sinners yet He will delegate His message of salvation to His disciples. He knows their sinful propensities. As Jews they would recoil and even resist, as Jonah did, preaching to those outside their ethnicity.

Jesus often went outside of Jewish circles to touch those whom Jews detested. Each of these vignettes served as reinforcements that salvation was not for Jews only.

Jesus, the greatest teacher who ever lived, knew how important repetition is to those who are learning. So, he takes them on one last journey in to Gentile territory for one last reenforcing lesson concerning the Gospel’s inclusivity.

He wants them to know that HE IS ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE EVEN THESE PEOPLE.

NOTICE THE CONTEXT

Mark 8:1–4 ESV

In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?”

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

They were in a desolate {desert} place. Some were far away from home.

PHYSICAL CONDITION

They had not eaten for three days. Many were physically on their last leg - they will faint {they will collapse like a bowstring that goes limp when unstrung}.

NOTICE CHRIST COMPASSION

splagxnizomai "to be moved regarding the inward parts, where we feel emotion.

Our English Bible translates this word as compassion {to suffer with}. It describes a concern that arises out of feeling the other's need, rather than a purely rational motivation.

In today’s text Jesus himself tell us that He is compassionate. It is the only time in Scripture that Jesus says this directly about Himself.

Mark tells us in the feeding of 5,000 {which were all Jews} that Jesus had compassion.

Mark 6:34 ESV

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.

Why here? Why how? He wants to leave no doubt that His compassion - His salvation is for everyone.

The words {have been} is one word in Greek. Some English translation use the word {remained}. They had continued with Jesus despite direction and conditions.

Following Jesus does not always land us in green pastures. We can be lead into desolate places. However, Jesus will satisfy us as though we were in green pastures.

Notice the causation of Jesus’ compassion

Mark 8:2 ESV

“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.

I believe this crowd followed Christ because they were genuinely interested in Him. No doubt His miracles caused a great fascination. However, Matthew’s Gospel gives us insight into the story that Mark does not

Matthew 15:31 ESV

so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

This crowd was unlike the crowd of 5,000. John’s gospel tell us those in that crowd were not seeking the Messiah only miracles. Jesus confronted them and they responded by

John 6:66 ESV

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

Jesus had compassion on the 5,000 and here He says with His own lips {I have compassion on the crowd}. Jesus was not only moved by their physical condition. He was moved by their spiritual coming.

Our text says nothing of grumbling or complaining. Nothing of demands or questioning. Undoubtedly no one was considering or threatening to go home. They were there because there was no better place to be no matter their condition.

Jesus did not come into the world to sustain us physically - he came to satisfy us spiritually. Through this miracle feeding and the feeding of the 5,000 Jesus is saying - my ability to satisfy your stomach is proof that I can satisfy your soul. Jesus is the Bread of Heaven from heaven (John 6:32). He was born in the city of bread (Bethlehem). When he broke the bread in the upper room he said “this is my body which is broken for you” (1 Corinthians 11:24). Jesus alone possesses that which can satisfy.

Here Jesus feeds 4,000 Gentiles - in his earlier miracle he feeds 5,000 Jews. Jesus did not come to satisfy a particular group of people but all people. When the 5,000 Jews were fed, there were twelve baskets left, emblematic of God’s full provision for the twelve tribes of Israel. Here there were seven great baskets, the number of fullness and completion, as Christ is more than sufficient for the whole world!

Furthermore, I don’t believe I’m stretching the Scripture when I say - the abundance of left over bread reminds us that there is enough capacity in Jesus to satisfy our soul and any other hungry soul.

Jesus wants his disciples to learn that he is sufficient for the whole world and all its needs. This is the lesson we must learn.

NOTICE CHRIST COMMISSION

Christ commission is not obvious yet it is an objective of this miracle.

Mark 8:4 (ESV)

And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?”

They are not questioning His power to feed but His purpose in feeding them. When Jesus feed the 5,000 he reminded them of God’s feeding their forefather’s with bread {manna} from heaven. The disciples, as I said earlier, have a limited scope of Gospel ministry. Though they have seen Jesus minister to Gentiles at various times they are still not convinced that JESUS CAME EVEN FOR THESE PEOPLE.

Another hidden yet powerful message concerning Jesus’ coming for even these people is found in the number of baskets.

Mark 8:8 ESV

And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.

The number 7 is significant in many ways. It is mostly known as being the number of perfection. However, it is significant concerning Jews and Gentiles. If you go back to the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy you will find the Lord’s direction concerning the Jew’s entrance into the Promise Land.

Deuteronomy 7:1–2 ESV

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.

These seven nations were to be removed from the Promise Land {the Lord’s earthly promise to His people} yet they are not to be refused entrance into Heavenly Promise Land.

The language of Deuteronomy is strong. It seems to be unloving and unlike the God of the New Testament. God knows what He is doing in His asking. Their obedience was a test of their faith and a testimony of the Lord’s power. They were partially obedient to this command which means they were disobedient and this lead to many difficulties. Even today we fail to obey His command not to eradicate “these people” but evangelize “these people” and our failure to do so has plagued us with many problems.

In preparation for their commissioning Jesus is teaching his disciples they are to have compassion on all of humanity - even these people.

We need splagxnizomai a concern that arises out of feeling the other's need, rather than a purely rational motivation.

Splagxnizomai will sustain. Rational motivation is as sporadic as our thoughts. We need splagxnizomai not just for those like us but for “these people”.

Jesus knew compassion would come easy for those like us that is why He uses the story of the Good Samaritan. Real Christian splagxnizomai is to be shown to everyone even “these people”.

Splagxnizomai has no barriers, no conditions, no limitations. We need help from above to feel compassion for “these people” around us.

Our commission is to take Christ salvation and splagxnizomai to the world in both word and deed.

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