Peter Ustinov said, “Charity is more common than compassion. Charity is tax-deductible. Compassion is time consuming.”
What we are going to talk about today is compassion – godly, Christ-like compassion. Compassion in the midst of our own wants, our own needs, our own limitations. Compassion because compassion has been shown to us, and we know what it is like to be in need of compassion. Compassion because Jesus looked for the poor and broken, dealt with them with compassion, and then He left them for us to care for.
Our poverty is overcome by Christ’s plenty. That is the basic message behind the story we know as The Feeding of the Five Thousand. But we are not talking about monetary poverty, for that would make the Gospel a commodity to be bought and sold.
No, we are speaking of spiritual poverty, as Jesus references in the first of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” It is when we realize that we are destitute that we are ready to turn to Jesus Christ for help, for saving. Spiritual destitution is the starting point for all spiritual wealth and riches.
That is not to say that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about physical or felt needs. They do have a place in the Gospel. But, the Gospel of Jesus Christ uses the physical to explain the spiritual. Our physical need is a picture of our spiritual need.
That is what we have in the miracle that we are studying today; we have the heart of Christ ministering to the physical needs of lost sinners with the same passion and compassion that He came to minister to our spiritual needs.
To Jesus, all of our needs are important. The spiritual, of course, far exceed the physical, but He knows how limiting physical need can be when it comes to experiencing spiritual health and vitality. Hungry, angry, lonely and tired people have a difficult time being spiritually strong unless they have a mature faith in Jesus Christ. Even then, it can be very taxing to walk and live with Christ-like joy in our circumstances.
All four of the Gospels record this story, each with a different amount and combination of the details, some with much conversation, some with little. As we have discussed before, any time something is mentioned more than once, it has special significance. Three times means, “Sit up and pay close attention.” Four times? “You had better engraft this into your soul.” That is what we are here to do today – make the Word of God a living part of us.
Matthew’s account, where we are today, is simple and straightforward in its presentation: easy to read, easy to understand, easy to digest. Matthew addresses this miracle from the simple standpoint that Jesus saw the needs of the people and He met those needs in a way that only He could. That, after all, is the basic thrust of the focus of Matthew’s Gospel. Yet, He did so not alone, but with the help of His disciples – just as He does today.
As we begin to follow the narrative, we see that Jesus, hearing about Herod’s suspicions of Him and why, leaves the area with His disciples. Better not to tempt His enemies too much just yet: His time has not yet come.
Jesus withdraws from the crowds and crosses over to another shore of the Sea of Galilee. When we look at Luke’s account in Luke 9:10-17, and John’s account in John 6:1-14, we discover that Jesus went to “a town called Bethsaida”, on “the other side of the Sea of Galilee”. That would place Him at the north-central point of the Sea of Galilee, about where the Jordan River flows into it.
We also see from these accounts, as well as the one in Mark 6:32-44, that Jesus and the disciples were tired and hungry and needed a time of respite and refreshment. But the crowds saw where they we headed in their boat, so they ran the long way around along the shore and met them when they landed.
One of the biggest statements in all of the Scriptures is found here Matthew 14:14: “When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.”
Mark 6:34 even adds more detail, echoing what Matthew wrote in Matthew 9:36: “He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”
We saw this word, splanchnizomai, translated here as “compassion”, before, back in Matthew 9:36, and Matthew 14:14. We didn’t discuss it much then. Now seems a great time to do so.
Let’s talk for a moment about that word “compassion”, shall we? The Greek word, splanchnizomai, means “yearning with the bowels”. Doesn’t seem like a likely word-picture to use to describe the heart of God, does it? But, that is exactly why it is best suited here.
Have you ever wanted something so earnestly or felt something so deeply that your bowels churned? Have you ever been so deeply moved with sympathy or empathy for someone that you got a stomach ache? Then you have a hint of the depth to which Jesus felt pity for the people who followed after Him, even to the point of their leaving civilization behind and putting themselves at risk. They understood that what Jesus had more than what they had and was what they desperately needed. And they didn’t even know the half of it.
Compassion is that internal yearning, that deep sense of sympathy and concern for people who have great needs, that affects us physically because of its intensity. It is such a deep emotion that it cannot be easily shut down or ignored. We cannot simply walk away from people in great pain, desperate need or deep poverty. Jesus had splanchnizomai on the people, and so He dealt with it: He began to heal them. Later, He sees to it that thousands of them are fed.
We are to have splanchnizomai for people and deal with it just as Jesus would if He was standing there in our place.
Imagine being tired, hungry, emotionally worked over, and then looking out and seeing some poor wretch with so great a need that they are just a pitiful sight. You can tell by looking at them that theirs is not a problem to be solved with a “quick fix” – this is going to take time and effort.
Most of us turn away at this point, quickly making nimble and practiced justifications for not responding to the need that we see. Some of us, on the other hand, are seemingly incapable of turning aside and cannot help but get involved.
These latter are the people who develop what are known as “ministries of mercy”. These are the people who start homeless shelters and feeding programs and homes for unwed mothers and crisis pregnancy centers and orphanages and volunteer medical clinics and food pantries for the needy and ultra-low-cost daycare centers and restoration ministries and the like.
Jesus completely disregards His own needs and focuses on the needs of those He came to save and to serve. We spoke of this quite awhile back when we looked at “Pursuing Excellence”, in our study in Mark 4:35-41. No matter how tires or needful Jesus was, He always gave to others first!
This is the kingdom principle that is most lacking in the walk of faith of most believers today, but it is the one essential ingredient in the character of the early church, as well as of any truly biblical church today. Beginning with the twelve men who were with Jesus Christ that day and continuing down through the lives of all those who call themselves disciples of Jesus Christ. Remember: if a person is a genuine and authentic Christian, they are by definition a disciple of Jesus Christ.
We continue. Verse 15: “When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, ‘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.’"
What do the disciples see? They see the need of the people; and, they see their own limitations. They see the world through the eyes of their flesh, the eyes they usually see the world with. What they don’t see is Jesus as they should have. They don’t see their circumstances through the eyes of the Master of all Creation sitting in their midst.
This is the Jesus who has healed thousands, driven out demons, given sight to the blind, made the deaf hear, calmed a violent storm and raised a dead child. How is it that they couldn’t see Him as the one who would feed several thousand people?
They couldn’t see it because they were focused on themselves. Sure, they saw the people and their need, but their focus was on themselves. Isn’t this so like us in our own lives? We see the needs of others, look immediately at the resources that we don’t have, and we fail to respond to the need before us.
Do we believe that we are the hands-feet-arms-mouth-body-wallet-ride-smile-kind word-gentle touch-shelter provider-etc.-etc of Jesus Christ now that He is in heaven? Then how should we respond when we see a need? Mull this over as we continue.
I find it interesting that they didn’t ask Jesus to do something, don’t you?
Verse 16: “But Jesus said to them, ‘They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!’" In other words, “Take what you have and give it to those who need. Do it in faith and trust me for the rest. Being concerned for these people is just a start – now do something for them.”
What is their response? They argue! Can you believe it? They actually argue with Jesus! Who can even imagine someone arguing with Jesus like that? Oh…oh...I can. I better get my hand up first. I argued with Him last night – but he turned my heart around and got me to see that He was giving me an opportunity to live this message. So, I took it – and the blessing was wonderful all the way around.
I can’t even tell you how many times or how often I have felt a prompting of the Holy Spirit, whom we know speaks for Jesus Christ, and have discussed, cajoled, argued, minimized, justified and rationalized not doing what He said. There are always reasons not to – at least, I seem to be able to always think of them.
Maybe this is just me, but, like we talked about last time, there is this fear-factor that makes me get too concerned about the response I am going to get from the “gallery”, and I forget about the gallery that I am supposed to be playing to; the “gallery we spoke of last time mentioned in Hebrews 12:1-3.
Jesus Christ and the faithful of the past occupy the gallery I am supposed to play to, if you will, because they have given me the example to follow and they are there, cheering me on. The opinions of those around me are not supposed to have more weight and credibility than the voice of God and the examples of those who have gone before me.
How do I know it is the voice of God? Because it sounds just like this: “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” “Take from what you have that I have given to you and give it to those who are in need of it.”
Verses 17-18: “They said to Him, ‘We have here only five loaves and two fish. And He said, ‘Bring them here to Me.’" Jesus commands that we bring Him what we have and allow Him to bless it and use it. When was the last time you took a look at what you had and prayed, “Lord, this that I have is Yours to use as You desire to touch the life of someone else”?
This is not a prayer that immediately jumps to our lips when we see the need that someone else has. We, like the disciples, try to figure things out in our own mind. We fall back on what we think we know, on what we are used to. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ requires a radical shift in thinking, a drastic alteration of our view of the world and how it operates when a believer is standing in the middle of a situation.
For, if we truly believe that we are indwelt by Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, then when we are there, Jesus Christ is there. How will Jesus respond? Look here and see.
Verse 19-21: “Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.”
As the Messiah promised to Israel, Jesus would provide for all of their needs – their real needs, not their perceived needs. He was well aware that the sick and lame needed healing. He was even more aware that every man, woman and child present that day needed the redemption that the promised Messiah really came to give, for that is always the deepest need of every man.
There is a bit of symbolism here, but we don’t want to get too carried away with it. Jesus looked to heaven, prayed a blessing on what was offered, and provided bread for the people – all of the people. Five thousand men, plus women and children ate their fill that day. It was simple fair – nothing fancy like what He could have provided had He chosen to.
This was reminiscent of the manna from heaven that the twelve tribes of Israel were provided six days of every week for forty years while they wandered in rebellion in the wilderness. Even the twelve baskets of leftover pieces are symbolic of those twelve tribes.
Jesus is the Bread of Life, and in John 6:25-59, He recalls this miracle and speaks about the correlation and the difference between the bread that satisfies the body and the Bread that feeds the soul.
In this last portion of Matthew’s account, we see a pattern instituted that has been continuing on since that very day: Jesus gave to the disciples that which He had blessed, and they in turn gave it out to the people.
This is the pattern for all of those who minister for Jesus Christ, especially those in pastoral ministry. In John 21, when Jesus tells Peter, “Feed my sheep,” He is recalling this very incident in the mind of Peter.
Not only do the miracles of Jesus testify as to Him being the Messiah, they are His way of demonstrating the depth of His compassion for those in need. He can provide for every need, and He will – our focus is to be on His kingdom and His righteousness, just as Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:33. It is ours to care more about the health and well-being of others more than we care about our own.
Let me say that again – Jesus Christ requires of us that we care more about the health and well-being of others than we care about our own. He will care for us – we are to care for others.
Okay, now we have to face the objections that we are so adept at intellectualizing and voicing when we are faced with someone in need and we have it within our power and resources to meet even part of their need. By intellectualizing, I mean it in the sense that it is used in the field of psychology, and that is to protect yourself from the emotional stress that would come from dealing with fears or problems by reasoning them away.
• What if I give the little I have and they squander what I give them? Isn’t that poor stewardship?
• How do I know they will use this money for food or shelter and not for drugs or alcohol?
• Won’t my giving to them like this simply help them justify staying homeless or poor or otherwise dependent on other people?
• There is so much need in the world – how can this little bit make any difference at all?
• I don’t have very much myself. How can I put my family at risk – we could end up like them?
• I barely have enough to get by with myself – how can I give up what little I have? I won’t have enough for myself then.
• I have worked so hard to get what I have – I really deserve the blessing of the fruit of my labor.
I could go on with many more, but I’m sure you get my point.
To all of these things, the answers are basically all the same. As Jesus said in Luke 6:27-38: "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."
Do you believe that Jesus really said this? Do you believe that he really meant it? Do you belong to Him, or do you belong to yourself? Do you believe in Him, or do you believe in yourself? Do your see through the limited vision of the flesh, or are you asking Him to open the eyes of your heart and let you see as he sees?
There is a saying in ministries of mercy that goes something like this, "If you don’t seek to meet people’s physical needs, Christian ministry is heartless; if you don’t give people the crucified, risen and returning Christ, it is hopeless." Jesus fed hungry people bread, and Jesus offered his broken body as the bread of eternal life. One will last forever; the other lasted not at all.
Which are we presenting to the world? The answer should be: Both. Do we live as if the resurrected Lord lives in us and through us, or do we hold tightly to that which we think we have earned, that which we think we possess, while those who are in desperate need suffer as we hope never to suffer? Maybe their need isn’t even desperate. Maybe it is simply a need they have that we can meet.
Jesus promises that if we “Give, and it will be given to you.” Do we believe Him? Or are we like the disciples and believe only what we have known, only what we can see, only what we can imagine?
The following was sent to me by my uncle in an email. Some of you will find it in your inboxes. I can remember my cousin Jenny as a joyful, delighted-with-life little girl who wasn’t like the rest of us, but could make the grumpiest of grumps smile because her love of life and underlying happiness was so infectious.
The message here is that all of us have opportunity to give sacrificially to others, and we need to take the opportunity when it presents itself.
Dear friends and family,
This little story was sent to me by my oldest and closest friend, a man I have known from my childhood. I am sending it on to all of you for it means a lot to me. As most of you know, I have an adult daughter who "suffers" from Down’s Syndrome. My Jenny is severely handicapped and getting worse as time progresses. Yet, I assure you that I would not "fix" Jenny even if I had a magic wand to wave and make her "normal".
You see, my Jenny is an "angel unaware". She cannot commit a sin, as she does not have the mental capacity to do so. She is "perfect" just as she is. She is just the way God intended her to be. On my death bed, I will give thanks to God for her as she has taught me some of the great lessons of life as no one else could have.
Ray
Two Choices
What would you do? You make the choice. Don’t look for a punch line, there isn’t one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by any who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he proffered a question: "When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. "I believe that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child."
Then he told the following story:
Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they’ll let me play?" Shay’s father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
Shay’s father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We’re losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."
Shay struggled over to the team’s bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father’s joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay’s team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn’t even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay’s life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman’s head, out of reach of all of his team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.
Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball ... the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher’s intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman’s head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.
All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay!"
Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third!"
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and the spectators were on their feet screaming, "Shay, run home! Run home!" Shay ran to home base, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.
"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world."
Shay didn’t make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
It is time for every one of us to step out of the box, step out of or comfort zone, step out of the church setting and really be Jesus Christ to the world. What do you have to lose? Nothing – it’s all His anyway. We just have to live like we really believe that what we believe is really real.
Let’s pray.
