compassion

Jesus’ miracle in feeding 5,000 hungry people was remarkable in many ways, but there’s one I didn’t really put together until I was reading from Mark 14 this morning. Here’s a part of that chapter, verses 6-14: 

“On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, ‘Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.’ The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” He went on to feed them as well.

I don’t think I realized before that Jesus was in a remote place where there was no food because he was trying to be alone to deal with his grief. Cousin John, his fiery and faithful fore-runner, unjustly imprisoned, had now been murdered. On a whim, because a teenaged girl asked for it.

Even so, when disturbed by this large crowd, he didn’t lash out or turn them away. He had compassion.

It makes me feel small to consider all the times I wouldn’t help other people because I felt needy myself. All those times I had a hard day, or worked a long week, or had significant problems of my own; all the times these were my excuses for not pitching in. 

Jesus’ example was different. As far as I can recall, Jesus never turned away anyone who needed him. Jesus truly gave all of himself, every single day and right up to a torturous death, for people. Ordinary people who were sick or tired or hungry or grief-stricken or lonely. 

There are a lot of people like that, and almost daily I get a chance to befriend one of them. Equipped by God’s grace and motivated by Jesus’ example, I hope to be more available in the future.