Moved With Compassion

God spoke a timeless truth to prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7, that God does not see as man sees.  Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart.  The most discerning people cannot know exactly the motivations and feelings in the hearts of others, and we cannot even plumb the depths of our own hearts.  After being born again there are aspects of my flesh and tendencies of my character which the Bible has illuminated and the Holy Spirit has convicted me as sinful, and praise the LORD He is able to purify and transform us from within.  In my life God has purposed to refine and transform parts of my life I never had a problem with, and as we embrace our sanctification this is a continual process God's people can rejoice to submit to.

I was recently both convicted and blessed by how different the observations of Jesus are from my natural perspective when I read Matthew 9:35-38:  "Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. ³⁶ But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. ³⁷ Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ³⁸ Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  Because Jesus is good, loving and God, there is hope for everyone by His grace.  Jesus went all throughout Israel teaching, preaching and healing all the people who came to Him.  Jesus was not put off by their heresies, sinful practices, sickness or weakness.  After being completely spent day after day serving everyone, Jesus did not grow weary of doing good for unworthy and often ungrateful people.  We see multitudes and think, "Oh no, what now?" but Jesus was moved with compassion for them.

When Jesus saw crowds of people, He saw people who were weary and scattered, and they resembled sheep without a shepherd.  I like the NIV rendering of this which describes the multitudes as "harassed and helpless."  Instead of seeing people as rabble rousers (which they can certainly be), Jesus knew they were harassed and troubled by many things physically, socially and spiritually.  They were scattered and helpless like sheep are to deliver themselves from their many specific health ailments, parasites, bullying of the flock and their own skittish, fearful nature.  The Jews in the synagogues did not receive salvation by dead works or spiritual guidance only Jesus Christ provides being the Way, the Truth and the Life, and thus they were troubled by sin and lacked peace with God.  Without a shepherd, sheep can be weighed down by wool, without protection from theft or predators, and unable to thrive without rest.  I likely would have seen the Pharisees as arrogant hypocrites without compassion, but Jesus was moved by compassion to help them and everyone else.  Aren't we blessed to have Jesus Christ as our Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep out of love for us?

Moved by compassion for the harassed and helpless, Jesus directed His disciples to pray the LORD of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd who does everything, yet more labourers are needed with His love, compassion and grace to toil in His bountiful harvest.  A blind person does not perceive all they cannot see, and no sensible person faults them for what they cannot see.  From the cross Jesus prayed for people who did not realise their sin for His Father to forgive them, for they knew not what they were doing.  The compassion of Jesus, His love in action and practical affection towards the weary and scattered ought to move us to seek to demonstrate His compassion to all.  Let us pray the LORD would send labourers into His harvest, rejoicing to be an answer to Christ's prayer request (and our own prayers) to labour ourselves for His glory and the good of others.