Sermons from the Gospel of Matthew

The Compassion of Christ

Matthew 14:13-21; 15:29-39

January 4, 2004

The only miracle, except that of the resurrection of Christ, recorded in all four Gospels is the story of the feeding of the 5000. Those of us brought up in church heard the story from the time we were little tikes. We've imagined the little boy with his five barley loaves and two small fish offering them to Jesus. We've thought of how the hungry crowd found satisfaction in the great feast prepared so that there was ample food left over. We've smiled at the sight of the disciples trying to figure a way to feed the crowd, and yet they found their resources too limited. It is a wonderful story, and one that is quite familiar to us.

Perhaps in the familiarity with the feeding of the multitudes we've missed a critical point taught us in these miracle stories. Certainly, they speak of the great power of Jesus Christ to create provisions and satisfy the human need. We must ponder this regularly so that we trust in Christ's power on our behalf. And they do indeed reveal the certainty of His deity - for no mere man could accomplish such a feat. These texts illustrate His deity without equivocation. Yet His power and deity do not tell us why Jesus fed the multitude. That's what I want us to see in our contemplation of these two texts.

We mustn't view Jesus in a mechanical, business-like manner. He was no Stoic, stiffened by duty but unmoved by the sights of those with great needs about Him. He could have seen the broken, blind, and hungry, and rightly said, 'I owe you nothing! You breathe My air, walk on My earth, drink of My rivers. I have given you far more than you deserve! You are sinful, unworthy, and rebels against Me. You have no intention to follow Me on your own. You only want to feel more comfortable so that you can live life according to your own designs!'

Had Jesus made such a statement, He would have been correct and even justified in refusing to show kindness to rebels. But instead, at the sight of even rebels with needs, Jesus felt compassion. The all-powerful One felt compassion for the pitiless and weak. He that had no needs felt compassion for the needy. Here is the divine pity displayed so that we might not doubt Christ's compassion! Here is no Master punching the time clock of duty and checking out emotionally from the masses that could do nothing for Him, and of whom few would follow Him. And yet He showed compassion.

Christ's attributes and nature tell us how He turned the loaves and fish into a spread for upward of 10,000 to 15,000 people but it does not tell us what moved Him to do this. Thankfully, both of our texts explain the reason. Jesus Christ is compassionate toward us in our needs. His compassion does more than feed the multitudes. And that is the reason for these texts in displaying for us the reality that Christ is compassionate, and His compassions never cease. Why is it important for us to consider Christ's compassion?

I. A compassion that is necessary

"I don't need God," some have boldly stated. It is rare that I hear someone verbalize such a statement (I have on occasions) but I have seen it displayed many times in actions. It is the mind that thinks that life revolves around one's own desires. Such a mind ignores the fact that we were created for the glory of God, and that our very existence is to live unto that glory. This mindset seeks to find satisfaction in all that the world has to offer. So such a person samples the world's wares and delicacies much like we would pick and choose at random certain items along a buffet. The underlying motive in such action is "I don't need God."

We realize that this kind of statement belies a heart of foolishness. To think that we don't need God to work in our lives, provide for us, and to show us compassion in time of need implies a denial of Him as Creator and Ruler of the universe. We have come to expect this kind of language and mindset from those claiming atheism as their religion, but we do not expect this from anyone that claims to believe in God's existence. Yet what I am suggesting to you is that many in our day live as though they think they have no need for God.

Yet just the opposite is true! We need the Lord. We need His eye to be upon us, and His hand to move in our lives. We need His compassion to be shown to us as weak, frail vessels of clay. As Paul told the unbelieving Athenians, "For in Him we live and move and exist" (Acts 17:28). This God that has created the world, provided all that is necessary for our existence, and governs the details of the universe so that we might continue is not an option for us. We must have Him; yes, we must know Him personally and intimately, or else we waste our lives. We must have His compassion or else we will be swallowed by all the effects of the Fall.

1. Reminds us of our helplessness

What is compassion? The word used in our texts, "He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them... I feel compassion for the people," is the most prominent characteristic of Christ in the Gospels. J. C. Ryle points out, "It is a curious and striking fact, that of all the feelings experienced by our Lord when upon earth, there is none so often mentioned as "compassion." ...The Holy Spirit seems to point out to us that this was the distinguishing feature of his character, and predominant feeling of his mind when he was among men" [Matthew: The Crossway Classic Commentaries, 135]. The word literally conveys the idea of a heart contracting convulsively. We might say, His heart was squeezed by what He saw or He was overwhelmed by the consciousness of human need. The word is found only in the Gospels and in every usage [Greek, splagchanizomai] it is always related to need. Normally, it is the sight of people "distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd" so that Christ invites them to take His yoke (Matt 9:36) or the sight of two blind men so that Jesus "moved with compassion" touched their eyes and healed them (Matt 20:34). Or it is the sight of a leper so that Jesus, "moved with compassion," touches and heals the leper (Mark 1:41). It is used of the time that Jesus saw the funeral procession of the son of the widow in the city of Nain, and upon seeing her in the loss she experienced, He felt compassion for her and raised her son to life (Luke 7:13).

Compassion is not an emotion that arises without need prompting it. We've read of nations and relief agencies seeing the pictures of the devastating earthquake in Iran, leveling a city of 80,000, and killing over 30,000, generating compassion. Those people are helpless to relieve themselves of their burden. The sight and news about it has created compassion. That's what compassion does, it responds to helplessness. In the case of our texts, it is the helplessness of men that generates the compassion of Christ.

But we don't like to be reminded of our helplessness. Because of pride, we like to think of ourselves as having everything together, having no needs, and dependent on no one - even God. Yet every picture of the compassionate Christ is a reminder that we are no different than the masses that received of Christ's compassion. We may have more of the world's goods but we are just as weak and needy in other ways. We still get sick with diseases, experience discouragement and depression, and face the loss of death. And just like them, we face the burden of our sin and guilt. We are needy people, and needy people need the compassionate Christ.

2. Always leads to action

Sometimes we use the world "compassion" to simply refer to a feeling that one may have of pitying others in their plight. For instance, we might pity the Iranians that have suffered through this terrible earthquake. But our action stops at just expressing pity. But that is not how the term is used of Christ. Compassion always leads to action. "When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick." The text in chapter 15 speaks of Christ healing the lame, crippled, blind, and mute (15:30-31). Then Jesus told the disciples, "I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way."

In the first text, Jesus felt compassion and began healing the sick among them. In the next, He had already healed many, and evidently taught them as well for three days. By this time their food sacks were empty. It was an unexpected need that arose among them - at least to the multitude. But Jesus felt compassion, and so pursued feeding this crowd of 4000 men, plus women and children.

The compassion of Christ and normal, human compassion often differ. We think of compassion as giving people what we value. So we might send batteries to an earthquake scene but they have no flashlights to use the batteries. Or we might send dolls and toy fire trucks when they need food and clothing. Here is the point: we do not see needs clearly, the way Christ does. With His omniscient sight, He sees us, feels compassion, and then zeroes in the appropriate supply that we need at that time. We might think that our need calls for dolls and fire trucks but Christ knows better. His compassion is unfailing; it always leads to the appropriate action on our behalf.

The disciples thought they were being compassionate by virtually commanding Jesus, "This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." It certainly was compassionate on their part to urge the people to get home before dark! What they said was true, and it fell within the range of their abilities. But Jesus declared, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!" Christ knew what He would do to meet the real needs of this people. His compassion led to the right action. It did with them and it does with us as well.

II. A compassion without limits

I'm sure that you have felt that anguish in your emotions when you've seen human suffering and had nothing to relieve it. Most of us receive appeals from various mission groups and organizations that tell of the pitiful needs faced by millions around the globe. It is not that such sights do not move our feelings. They do. But we recognize our limitations. Perhaps we offer our resources to help one group but have to deny help to a dozen others that appeal to us. Our compassion has limits. But not so with Christ!

1. Not antithetical to His divine nature

Many people have a very negative view of the Lord. It has been colored by bad experiences in the home, maybe by an abusive father that leaves a distrust of any father figure in future days. Or some experience of legalism and harshness in a religious setting has left people with a distorted view of God. Sometimes it comes by reading the Bible out of context, seeing the judgment of God without understanding the righteousness and grace of God displayed throughout Scripture. And so when you speak of Christ as compassionate, there is a negative reaction.

When Moses stood before the Lord on Mount Sinai, Yahweh revealed Himself to Israel's leader. The first adjective the Lord used to describe Himself to Moses is "compassionate." "Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations"" (Exodus 34:6-7). He is a God that judges and deals with sins. But He is also a God of great compassion, patience, and grace!

When Moses instructed the younger generation of Israel in obedience, he reminded them, "For the Lord your God is a compassionate God" (Deut 4:31). The 8^th century prophet Joel called upon the wayward nation to repent, reminding them, "Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil" (Joel 2:13). Several centuries later, Nehemiah recorded the confession of those that returned from exile, "But You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; and You did not forsake them" (Neh 9:17). Compassion belongs to the Lord God; it is a vital aspect of His divine nature.

So when we look at Christ, we should not be surprised by the compassion that He demonstrated as the Messiah. If you have a negative view of Christ, thinking that He is always out to pound you in the ground, then look again at these two stories. What we must understand is that Jesus was moved by what He saw even when those who received His compassion did not follow Him. The feeding of the 5000 is found in all four Gospels. John gives a lengthy treatment of this crowd that Jesus "felt compassion for them and healed their sick." He fed them, and then they continued to follow after Him. He could not get away from them! They were spiritually dull, thinking only of their physical needs. Jesus told them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs [that is, signs of Him as Messiah so that they would believe], but because you ate of the loaves and were filled" (John 6:26). In other words, the compassion of Christ is not motivated by how many decisions He could get from the crowd. His nature is one of compassion. He saw needy people, felt compassion, and took action. That is what He continues to do throughout the world.

2. Never dictated by convenience

In both situations of feeding the multitudes, Christ and the disciples were trying to get a breather. The first was after the news of John the Baptist's death. It was a time for reflection and rest. "He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick." In the second scene, Jesus had traveled along the Sea of Galilee "having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there." He did not go seeking the crowds; "large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them."

Think about how many times we have been in settings where the only thing we wanted to do was to get away from the people asking us to do something for them. Those of you in retail during this time of year long for the moments when you can catch a breather from answering questions or complaints. And what mother has not had a time of desiring to get away from your children that keep clamoring and asking for things! It is hard to be compassionate when you feel hounded and closed in! Yet it is in just that kind of setting that we see the compassion of Christ.

He does not push us away and tell us to leave Him alone because He is too busy for us. He does not hide from us so that we cannot find Him. He does not close His ears to our cries. It is right in the thick of things that we find our Lord displaying compassion to the needy! And so it is right in the thick of life, when everything is caving in on you, that the Compassionate One sees you and hears your cry. His compassion knows no limits!

III. A compassion that is personal

I would challenge you to study the passages in the New Testament related to Christ's compassion. See how each of them point to the personal display of His compassion to real people with real needs. Christ compassionately purposed to feed the 5000: "They do not need to go away!" And of the 4000 He said, "I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way." In both stories, Jesus instructed the people to sit down so that they might be served, "Ordering the people to sit down on the grass... and He directed the people to sit down on the ground." With the disciples serving as waiters, Christ gave the food to them and the disciples passed it to the orderly setting of the masses. "And they all ate and were satisfied," both stories tell us (14:20; 15: 37). In addition, those that were sick He healed. The healing and the feeding of the multitudes demonstrate how personally Jesus Christ showed compassion.

1. Touches the whole person

Notice how Christ's compassionate action among the masses meets them in a broad range of human needs. The people were sick, crippled, blind, mute, and hungry (vv. 14, 30), so Jesus touched them at the point of their genuine need. He always combined acts of healing with teaching of His kingdom. So these people were ministered to in their physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. The whole person was affected by the work of Christ.

It is important for us as evangelical believers to see that Jesus Christ considered the whole person during His earthly ministry. There is no question about the spiritual issues being most important. Our Lord constantly brought one's relationship before God front and center. And yet He was conscious of the sick, hungry, and dying. He understood that all of these things resulted from the Fall of Adam in the Garden. When sin entered the world, the whole equilibrium of the universe was affected (Rom 8:19-22). Jesus saw this clearly, and sought through His divine power to overturn the Fall's effects in individual lives. His work on the cross ultimately overturns the Fall. Yet His compassion for the whole person is vividly shown in the way He brought relief for human suffering. We certainly follow in His steps by relieving human misery through the resources God has entrusted to us, but as with Christ, never to the neglect of one's eternal, spiritual need.

2. Gives us encouragement

Does Jesus Christ have compassion for you? I hope you are asking yourself this question as we study these texts, and as you compare yourself to those to whom Christ ministered. We must not think that Christ's compassion is limited to only the physical or only the spiritual or only the hungry, 1^st century crowds that laid the needy at Christ's feet (15:30). His compassion comes in a multitude of ways, fitted to our great needs just as He did with the multitudes.

Those that have been caught in a web of sin, who feel snared and hopeless by their sin - Christ is compassionate to deliver and forgive you. One of the warmest, most radiant Christians that I knew as a young believer was a man that had been trapped in thievery and had even murdered. But Jesus Christ showed him compassion, and delivered him and forgave him of the horrible sins he had committed, so much so that he ministered faithfully to others through the balance of his years.

Those with weak constitutions, who seem to balk at difficulties, who faint at hardships, who give up too easily in the struggles of life find Jesus Christ to be compassionate. He knows your weakness, so He brings to you His strength. He steels your attitude so that you gain fresh courage to press on in faithfulness. He brings just the right situations into your life to train you and challenge you to go forward.

Those who are grieving over the loss of a loved one, who feel the weight of sorrows billowing over them with wave upon wave of heaviness - Christ is compassionate toward you. He meets you with comfort and solaces you with His great mercies and the nearness of His presence. He brings you comfort in dozens of remarkable ways, all tailored to fit your particular situation and need.

Those facing the dark waters of death, whose life ebbs with little strength, and who know that the messenger of death knocks at the door - Christ is compassionate to bring you through the waters of death to the glory of heaven. Paul knew of this compassion: "The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen" (II Tim 4:18).

Conclusion

The Lord is compassionate toward sinners. Do you think that you have sinned away any hope of grace? Do you think that you have been so stubborn and calloused that the Lord will not even cast a glance to your plea for mercy? See the Christ of Scripture. He is compassionate, and His compassion always leads to action. Look to the compassionate Christ for mercy and grace to help in time of need.

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