Radical Compassion - Matthew 9

Opening Prayer

Would you pray with me?

Lord, we thank you for the blessing of gathering with our brothers and sisters in Christ this morning. We thank you for the blessing of being able to meet in this new building. We thank you for the blessing of being able to know you and call upon you.

Lord, open our hearts and minds this morning by the power of your Holy Spirit as we read your Holy Word. Help us to hear and to understand.

In your name I pray, Amen.

Introduction

Good morning.

I see a lot of familiar faces this morning, but if we haven’t met before my name is Joe Smysor and I had the blessing of being your Pastor of Students here at Cornerstone from 2011 to 2018. We’ve been gone for a few years, but I hope you know that we think of this church and this congregation often and you are always in our prayers.

If I remember right, my first business meeting after I started here at Cornerstone was the business meeting where we voted to purchase this land. To build this church. I’ve been looking forward to standing here, on this stage, with this church, in this building for the last 11 years. I am so excited to be here. I am so excited for you to finally be in this new facility. So much has changed and happened since we voted to move out here 11 years ago. We’ve seen pandemics and strife, we saw the sanctuary flow with bees and honey, and the basement flow with water, we’ve seen weddings and baptisms, and we’ve seen the birth of new babies and the loss of brothers and sisters in Christ that we loved and cherished. God has moved in big ways in the life of this church, but at the same time I know you’ve also never stopped looking forward to this facility. This space. This church.

In a sense being in this building feels a little bit like crossing a finish line. You’ve worked towards this and longed for this for so long and now you’re finally here. But, this isn’t the finish line. This is the starting line. This is the starting line for the future of Cornerstone and for the future of ministry in this part of Lawrence.

it’s my hope that today you’ll be encouraged for that next step. Encouraged for reaching new families and living out the Great Commission in East Lawrence and around the globe.

Introduce Passage

We’re going to spend most of our time together this morning looking at Matthew 9:35-38. We’re going to take a look at Jesus and compassion. We’re also going to talk a little bit about Frank, Levi, and Alice.

Despite Jesus’ ministry up to this point, there were many people in Israel, no doubt even in Galilee, remain unreached with his message. Jesus’ human emotions reflect a deep, radical compassion for this sea of humanity. His compassion increases because Israel lacks adequate leadership, despite the many who would claim to guide it. The Twelve begin to fill that vacuum, foreshadowing the institution of the church.

Henry Booth, wrote about this passage, “We seem here to be like men arriving at a new stage on their journey. At such a juncture they naturally ask, on the one hand, how far they have reached; and, on the other, what is required by them more. With regard to our Savior’s ministry, we shall find that both these questions are answered for us in the passage before us.” Booth continued, “Jesus’ compassion, evident throughout chapters 8–9, came to a great crescendo. Jesus saw beyond the physical diseases to the deeper tragedy of the people’s spiritual aimlessness.”

Passage - Matthew 9:35-38

Matthew 9:35–38 ESV

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Radical Compassion

This morning I want to encourage you to live with the same radical compassion for the those around you, for those that are hurting, and those that are lost that Christ shows us in Matthew 9 and across The Bible.

Let’s stop right here and make sure we get this right...

What is Compassion?

Merriam-Webster defines “compassion’ as a “sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it.”

Sympathy, empathy, and compassion are all pretty similar. Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone’s misfortune . Empathy is feeling what that other person feels. Compassion is empathy taken to the next level in that one understands and shares the feelings of another and has a desire to alleviate the suffering. Compassion is empathy plus action. Compassion is to see their pain, feel their pain, and then do something about it.

As a kid, and especially as an angsty teenager and young adult, I don’t think I appropriately appreciated the type of man my dad, Frank was. I have, however, come to better appreciate him since he passed away. He looked out for a man who worked for him who had some severe mental health issues. He took his mom grocery shopping every week over his lunch break when she was no longer able to drive. And, perhaps it was the teacher in him, but he believed in the potential of everyone and encouraged them as they got there. It’s trivial, but I was reminded of this the last couple of weeks. March Madness, the college basketball tournament, included a female referee for just the second time ever this year. That referee got her start in officiating in part because of my Dad. Big deal? No, but I thought it was worth sharing.

Ok, I’m going to put my kids on the spot so I apologize to them in advance, but Samuel, Natalie do you remember what my dad Pop Pop used to say to me every morning when he dropped me off for school?

My dad took me and the other kids from the neighborhood to school every morning when we were in elementary school. And, every morning without fail he would tell us to be kind as we got out of the car. That’s not all that’s asked of a Christian, but for a third grader who’s not totally sure that they can tie their shoes it’s a pretty good start.

It’s not enough to recognize that our neighbor is hurting, we are called to do something about it.

Radical compassion requires that we see their size, that we feel their suffering, that we understand their separation, and that we are sacrificially obedient to Christ’s mission to make disciples.

I’ll say that again. Radical compassion requires that we see their size, that we feel their suffering, that we understand their separation, and that we are sacrificially obedient to Christ’s mission to make disciples.

We have to have radical compassion. We have to have radical compassion because it’s what Christ demands of us.

Jesus lived out radical compassion. The Gospel demands that we live with the same radical compassion.

Everyday we’re confronted with a hurting and broken world. We see it on the news but all too often we just turn it off. We see it in the faces of the homeless but all too often we just keep on going. We see it in our friends and family and all too often we avoid their pain. Our response as Christian’s is not to feel bad, though we should. Our response isn’t to tell them that we’ll pray for them, though we should and we should really follow through. Compassion is to see their pain, feel their pain, and then do something about it.

Jesus describes this compassion in the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. There, a lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to inherit Eternal Life, what it would cost him and what it means to really love his neighbor.

Luke 10:25–37 ESV

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

So who is our neighbor? Who are we do love? Who do I need to show compassion to? Tim Keller described it this way, “We instinctively tend to limit for whom we exert ourselves. We do it for people like us, and for people whom we like. Jesus will have none of that. By depicting a Samaritan helping a Jew, Jesus could not have found a more forceful way to say that anyone at all in need - regardless of race, politics, class, and religion - is your neighbour. Not everyone is your brother or sister in faith, but everyone is your neighbour, and you must love your neighbour.

God wants us to care for those in need. We are to share with them what we have, whether it be clothing or food, time or money. Simply to feel sorry for such people is not enough.

We can see more of this call to live with compassion in Ephesians 4:32

Ephesians 4:32 ESV

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

We also see it in 1 Peter 3:8

1 Peter 3:8 ESV

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

This call for us to be people of compassion comes up time and time again. I want to share one more. Romans 12:15

Romans 12:15 ESV

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

I could keep going, but you get the idea.

Paul’s Letter to the Romans: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary Argument Ten—12:1–21: Living Sacrifices and Loving Service

Paul is urging that one truly and actively enter into the joys and sorrows of others. We find such exhortations in Jewish wisdom literature (Sir. 7:34). Paul is not talking about ritualized celebrating or mourning as a cultural duty. Just as loving must be done sincerely, so must these activities. What is inculcated here is at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Stoic notion of impassiveness.

Romans 1. Among Believers (12:1–21)

God’s will is that his children become a family where the joys of one become the joys of all and the pain of one is gladly shared by all the others. The Christian experience is not one person against the world but one great family living out together the mandate to care for one another. So rejoice with those who are rejoicing, and weep with those who are weeping

There will be some people that the church will minister to because God’s Providence and his Holy Spirit make us collide with them. There are others though who won’t listen to the Gospel until we show that we genuinely care for them. They won’t care what we have to say until they know that we care.

Let’s go back to Matthew 9:35-36

Matthew 9:35–36 ESV

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

We have to live with radical compassion. Cornerstone, we have to live with radical compassion because the need is great.

As Jesus travelled throughout the cities, towns, and villages he sees the crowd and has compassion. The Greek word for compassion that is used here is 16 letters long and almost all of them are consonants so I’m not going to attempt to pronounce it for you, but ultimately it translates to the inward parts,– the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. Jesus was physically moved by a stomach-wrenching empathy for the plight of his sheep.

I don’t know that I’ve ever been so moved by compassion that I felt it in my stomach. When my son was in the hospital I know I felt that way out of fear. I would have done anything I could to make him better, but I don’t know that I’ve felt that way because of compassion and perhaps that’s an indictment on me. But, that’s exactly how we should feel. I felt that way because my son was sick. The needs of those around us should strike us that hard. Bob Goff says it this way, “Instead of closing our eyes and bowing our heads, sometimes God wants us to keep our eyes open for the people in need, do something about it, and bow our whole lives to Him instead.”

He has empathy because the need is great. The need is great because of their size. He saw the crowds. Historians estimate that in this region of Galilee at this point there were probably around 200 different cities or villages. Some estimate up to about two or three million people. Jesus was interacting in a region with that many people, and when he saw the crowds He had compassion on them.

That same great need is even greater today. We have to see and feel that need. There are 7.75 billion people on the planet today. Of those, roughly a third claim to be a Christian. That means that there are over 5 billion men, women, and children on the planet who are not followers of Jesus. 5 billion people, including tens of thousands of people in Lawrence, Kansas, who today stand under the judgment of God and are on a road that leads to an eternal hell. 5 billion people who we are called to reach out to. To snatch like a burning stick out of the fire. Richard Knill, who would later disciple Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Brothers, the lost are perishing. Shall we let them perish? God forbid.”

But, the real number could be even higher than that. The American Worldview Inventory 2022 took a look at people my age. Specifically, they took a look at parents around the country who had children in elementary school. Their survey found that 66% claimed to be a Christian. That sounds like good news, but the survey found more. They found that though 2/3’s claim to be a Christian, only 2% of parents had a Christian worldview. They may claim to be Christians, but they do not go to church, do not pray, and do not believe in the inerrancy of the Bible.

The need is great. Let’s imagine that there are 300 families in our kids school. If the study is accurate, that means that there may be only 5 other couples in the entire school with a Christian worldview. 5.

The need is also great because of their condition. Let me run through a few more stats real fast. In the United States in 2019, an estimated 51.5 million adults aged 18 or older were diagnosed with mental illness. This number constitutes 20.6% of all U.S. adults. Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Suicide is the 2nd most common reason for death among people aged 10-34 in the U.S. The need is great because of their condition. Christians today seem to view non-Christians with fear, but Jesus saw them with compassion. And so should we. If we hold out the truth—Jesus himself—they will come to him, for they hunger for guidance. The world is hurting.

I am still struck by a young boy named Levi that came by the church almost 10 years ago. He would come by occasionally on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. He showed up one Sunday morning in the snow without a coat and without gloves. I can’t remember if it was Gary or me, but one of us went to Wal-Mart during the Sunday school hour to get him the clothes he needed. We would take him home sometimes and walk him to his door. I can still remember the condition of the house. I can still remember what it smelled like and how his mom was arguing with someone every time we were there. I think Levi came to Cornerstone because it was a safe spot for him. He needed clothes, he needed food, and maybe most importantly he needed a safe spot.

He eventually stopped coming to church when his mom moved. We came to learn that his mom would stay in one trailer until she got evicted, then they would move and do it all over again. Church, the need is great because of the condition of the sheep. We have to take a step out of our busy lives, see their condition, and help.

Lastly, the need is great because of the separation. Stuart Weber phrases it this way, “The hurting people whom he saw and whom we see all around us are like fruit ripe for the picking. Christians today seem to view non-Christians with fear, but Jesus saw them with compassion. And so should we. If we hold out the truth—Jesus himself—they will come to him, for they hunger for guidance.” Sometimes instead of seeing someone for who they are (a soul created in the image of God worth loving and worth plucking from the fire) we just see a label. The drug user, the single mom, the Democrat or Republican, the alcoholic, the homeless, the whoever. They may be different than us and that’s our excuse for not showing compassion. Or, we may feel like it was their decisions that got them in that situation so we don’t need to have compassion. Ultimately, most of them are just sheep without a shepherd. We can’t expect them think and act and live like us if they don’t know Christ.

Ephesians 2:12 tells us:

Ephesians 2:12 ESV

remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Just like we used to be, they are separated from Christ and without hope. It’s our mission to take Christ to them. Lawrence is our mission field It’s our mission to bring hope to the hopeless. The harvest is plentiful.

Let’s look again at verses 37 and 38.

Matthew 9:37–38 ESV

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

Matthew (I. The King’s Compassion for the Misguided Crowds (9:35–38))

Jesus’ passion for the needs of the crowds caused him to ask his disciples to pray for workers to go out into the harvest. Christ’s workers gain courage from his assertion that the harvest is plentiful. The hurting people whom he saw and whom we see all around us are like fruit ripe for the picking. Christians today seem to view non-Christians with fear, but Jesus saw them with compassion. And so should we. If we hold out the truth—Jesus himself—they will come to him, for they hunger for guidance.

We have to live with radical compassion. My brothers and sisters in Christ, we have to have radical compassion because Christ has already shown us radical compassion.

Jesus was the ultimate example of compassion. He went out from town to town and healed the hurt and broken. But, bigger than that, he went to the Cross and died in my place. To forgive us of the sins that ha seperated us from God. We see in Romans what that compassion looked like. In Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” And that seperation is made right in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Conclusion

As you go out into the world this week I urge you to be radically compassionate. Christ has been compassionate to us, we need to follow that same example. The harvest is plentiful. Be a devoted follower of Christ, don’t let excuses delay your devotion or your compassion. Be a part of the harvest.

This seems like a daunting challenge. Over 5 billion people. How do we reach them?

How do you eat an elephant?

That’s right. One bite at a time.

And that’s the same with us here. On our own we won’t reach all 5 billion, but we can start with our neighbor, or our coworker, our or family.

How do we reach all 5 billion? How do we leave a lasting impact on the world? I don’t know that any of us will be president, or famous, or even an evangelist to scale of Billy Graham. Because of that, 100 years from now no one will know who Joe Smysor is. How do we make an impact? This quote by Reggie Joiner has always stayed with me. Reggie says, “For almost all of us, the biggest and longest lasting impact we have on this world will be how we love our family.”

To illustrate that I want to talk about Alice. Alice is a little old lady who lives in Half Moon Bay, California. She recently was diagnosed with pretty advanced cancer so you might pray for her.

I have never met her. I don’t know what she looks like or what she sounds like. But despite all that, I wouldn’t be where I am without her. Alice didn’t have a platform or a book deal. She’s was a stay at home mom. I am here today and I am who I am today, because of the faith she demonstrated and taught her sons. One of her sons was my FCA sponsor and basketball coach in high school. I wouldn’t be the Christian I am today with him. Through a twist of fate or providence another one of her sons is in my men’s bible study. I am a better man for knowing him. We don’t always know the impact we’ll have, but we should still show radical compassion. It’s an enormous task. But you do it one day at a time, one interaction at a time and you do it with all of Cornerstone, with all of the church universal, and with the Holy Spirit’s help. You won’t reach 5 billion on your own, but you’ll reach your few. Take a step out. Pluck someone from the fire. Live with compassion. Get involved. Reach the lost.

I am going to pray and then we’ll sing a song and have a time of response. If you’ve never accepted Christ as your savior and would like to talk to someone about that Pastor Gary will be up here with me. Or, maybe you’d like to be baptized or just have someone pray with you. That’s your chance to do anything the spirit is leading you.

Let’s pray.

Closing Prayer

Father,

We thank you for this new building and this new beginning for Cornerstone in East Lawrence and we thank you for the compassion you showed us. That while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us.

I thank you for Gary and Anna. I ask that you bless them.

I pray also for the harvest. The harvest is great. The need is great. The laborers are few. May we be a part of the harvest. Help us to be your ambassadors, your missionaries in Lawrence, KS. In all that we do and say, may others see you in us.

Father, the field is yours and the harvest is yours. Help us to remember to trust and rely on you alone.

In your name I pray, Amen.