Title: The Compassion of Christ

Scripture Reading: Mark 8:2-3
“I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. ³ And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”

Main idea: The compassion of  Christ was involved in this miracle of providing food for the multitude.

The compassion of  Christ was involved in this great miracle of providing food for a large multitude. The disciples needed to have compassion for the people. The disciples looked upon many of these people as outcasts. Many of them are Gentiles, aliens from God’s chosen race. They were even considered enemies by many of the Jews. Without compassion can a person be a true follower of Christ? The least these men could and should have done was to ask the Master to repeat what he had done before, and then to tell the crowd that help was on the way.

“I have compassion on the multitude.”
Had he not himself experienced the pangs of hunger? (Matt. 4:2; Heb. 4:15). Jesus had to teach His disciples compassion. Jesus had looked at and observed the people, and in doing so, He had seen their need. The disciples should have also looked and observed, but they had not. At least three reasons are stated for inspiring this compassion of Christ.

“they have now continued with Me three days”
The faithfulness of the listeners. The multitude came for Christ’s teaching; then because of a great food crisis they had because of listening to Him for a lengthy period of time, He provided food for them. God wants us to be faithful Him. Jesus’ teaching had filled a spiritual hungering on the part of these people. So intent were they on his words that they had not eaten for three days. This is reminiscent of Ezekiel’s experience of eating the scroll of the word of the Lord. It tasted as sweet as honey in his mouth (Ezek. 3:3; Ps. 119:103).

“and have nothing to eat”
Any food they would have brought with them to listen to Christ had been eaten up in the three days. These many people had been with Jesus for three days and that whatever food they may have had with them upon arrival was now completely used up.

“if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way”
The crowd had gone so long without eating that a journey of any extent would result in their losing strength and having to stop on the way. If under these circumstances they should simply be dismissed, they would not even be able to reach home but would collapse on the way. This all the more because some, as Mark reports, had come “from afar.”

Application
What is so strikingly evident is that Jesus is not only himself the Great Sympathizer but also wants the disciples to share this compassion. Jesus simply loved these people and thought they needed food. Should we love others simply and without condition? Should we delight in meeting basic human needs? Call upon Him, His compassion is available to us.

Let’s pray together
Heavenly Father, I thank you that You are a God of compassion and that we can come to you with all our needs. May You continue to meet all our needs. In Jesus Name Amen.