A heart of Compassion
Introduction-
Good morning,
As we look forward to Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. I get excited!
I believe that there are certain things that when talked about in the Word of God brings God’s anointing.
When you talk about the resurrection, it brings God’s Spirit. The empty tomb and what that means.
When you talk about the Holy Spirit of God, the power that we have as believers to not only live victorious ourselves but the power we have to change the world through His Spirit.
When you talk about the promises of God, these things quickly bring God’s anointing and God’s power.
This morning if you would turn to Mark 8, we are going to look at the compassion of Jesus as he feeds the 4000 on His way to the cross and the ultimate sacrifice He makes at the cross for all of mankind.
First, let me point out something in Mark 7-
Jesus was in full swing of his ministry to the people of Israel as He builds a crowd of followers and interacts with the needs of the people.
We see as Jesus was ministering he runs into a deaf and mute man.
someone bring him to Jesus and want him to heal this man.
Jesus (33) “After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha” (which means “Be opened”) at this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. He has done everything well, they said. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Would you let Jesus put a finger in your ears and spit on your tongue if it could heal you?
When you truly encounter Jesus, you will not be able to keep Him to yourself. (repeat)
You will not serve a God that is limited and put into a box.
Keep these things in mind as we look at today’s text.
Mark 8:1-8:13 Read from Bible
Jesus again does a miracle! He feeds 4000 men and that number had to almost double when you consider women and children. Possibly as many as 7ooo-8000 people got feed with seven loafs of bread and a few fish. If you only saw the miracle of the multiplication of the bread and fish, you missed the point that Jesus was trying to leave with his disciples.
This was the second time that Jesus has feed many people with a few loaves of bread and fish.
The lesson was not the miracle, the lesson was having the compassion of Jesus for those that God has around us.
Being the good shepherd of those that God had entrusted to him, Jesus had compassion for those who had followed him and now after three days were hungry. In themselves, it would be impossible to feed that many people.
Maybe they were just slow learners! Any slow learners here this morning?
Two things jump out at us-
(1)- The compassion of Jesus.
(2) The challenge He puts on his disciples to have the same compassion and the desire to make things happen.
These two things are woven so close together that you cannot separate them. You put a lost soul or a person in need and Jesus is right there, His instinct was to help.
Most people do not have the first instinct to help others in need.
If you had to describe the character of Jesus, What would it be? It would be compassion.
Jesus was continually showing compassion for people around Him. Here are just a few examples:
Jesus revealed who He was to the woman at the well
Jesus saved the woman caught in adultery
Jesus healed those who were sick
Jesus extended forgiveness to those who sought it
Jesus showed compassion on those who were lost spiritually
Jesus life style was one of compassion.
Compassion wasn’t something that Jesus did when people were watching.
It was a part of who he was and a part of the mission He came to complete.
Jesus lived out His compassion in practical ways that made a difference in the lives of people. Jesus showed His compassion to people who needed it and when they needed it the most.
Illustration-
A man fell into a pit and couldn’t get himself out.
A subjective person came along and said, "I feel for you down there."
An objective person walked by and said, "It’s logical that someone would fall down there."
A Pharisee said, "Only bad people fall into pits."
A mathematician calculated how deep the pit was.
An IRS agent asked if he was paying taxes on the pit.
A self-pitying person said, "You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen my pit."
A psychologist noted, "Your mother and father are to blame for your being in that pit."
A self-esteem therapist said, "Believe in yourself and you can get out of that pit."
An optimist said, "Things could be worse."
A pessimist claimed, "Things will get worse."
"Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit."
So what do we know about compassion?
We know that many people on a shallow level have compassion and many will try to get you to the next level.
Example-
Showing you people in 3rd world countries that are doing without. (food, water, housing, war)
Animals that need someone to step up and be an advocate for them.
We hate injustice, but not many will go past complaining and do something about it.
Tears alone are not enough. Tears alone is not compassion.
The first instinct of too many people is not to help. It is to turn away and walk on the other side of the street if necessary.
I am not going to get involved.
That is too big and I am only one person.
Here get this
Jesus put the ball back in the court of the disciples. He puts the ball in our court.
(5) How many loaves do you have?
He took what they had and blessed it.
Few fish- Took them and blessed them.
Distribute what you have!
He is telling them and He is telling us this morning that;
Don’t push the responsibility for helping on someone else.
Don’t say that you would help if you only had something to give.(Because you do have something)
Don’t say these circumstances are impossible. (All things are possible with God)
TAKE WHAT YOU HAVE AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!
That crowd of people that were about to be blessed by Jesus were there for many reasons.
Some had probably been at the first feeding of 1000;s
Some were there because a deaf and mute man was healed.
Some say the demoniac was cured and follow Jesus.
One commentary said that maybe that demonic man went back to his city and told people what Jesus had done for Him and that he himself had become a missionary for Jesus.
Proves again what one person with the right attitude and motive can do for the kingdom of God.
Let’s grab this truth-
The implication is simple:
Whatever our need
Whatever our hurt
Whatever our struggle
We have a Savior who feels for us.
No matter what we face in our lives, Jesus is moved in His heart to feel our pain and sympathize with our problems. The reality is that Jesus is not only aware of the needs that we have but he is also concerned about them. More than mere concern, Jesus cares about the difficulties we face in life.
To have the compassion of Jesus-
I. Compassion will motivate you to action-
Whenever we see the word compassion associated with Jesus it is always followed by action.
The reality is that compassion without action is worthless because nothing happens and nothing changes.
The work of Jesus moves people into the care of God Himself.
Jesus
Reached out
Made Himself available
Taught them
Shared with them
There were two kinds of hunger that day Jesus took care of; physical hunger and spiritual need.
If we want to follow Jesus, we have to be people of action and sensitive to the needs of others.
II. Compassion will draw from your experience
The things we go through are for a reason and we can use those experiences to enhance our lives and to help others in their lives.
Jesus understood hunger and knew what it was to be in want. (He chose to experience that)
When we know hunger, we will help feed.
When we know hurt, we will be sensitive to those hurting.
When we can help, we will have compassion for others.
Jesus knew what hunger was and His compassion was rooted in His own human experience. He understood hunger, He understood temptation and he understood the depth of human need. We have a Savior that is familiar with our need and has compassion for us in the midst of them.
The Action of Jesus was compassion- He lived compassion. He did not only talk about it. It was His character and His nature.
He took- what He had and shared with others.
He blessed- He was thankful to the Father for everything He was given.
He broke it- A sign of humility. God specializes in broken things! Amen.
He gave- A God that shares everything but His glory is willing to give us what is needed to live a life of abundance and blessings.
Illustration-
The late Colonel Sanders (of Kentucky Fried Chicken) was on an airplane when an infant screamed and would not stop even though the mother and flight attendants tried every trick they could think of. Finally the Colonel asked if he could hold the baby. He gently rocked it to sleep. Later a passenger said, “We all appreciate what you did for us.”
Colonel Sanders replied, “I didn’t do it for us, I did it for the baby.”
Closing,
We should be I did not do it for me, I do it for Jesus. Amen.
