Compassion For The Lost
Jesus gave us an example of what to do with sheep without a shepherd.
Mark 6:34
“And when He went ashore, He saw a great multitude, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things”.
I heard it said the other day that how you feel about the lost will determine the teaching you give them.
We all need to have compassion for the souls of those we know and come in contact with.
Introduction
Jesus Christ came to this earth to seek and save the lost.
As His followers, it should be our purpose to become engaged in this work with Him as He directs our lives from His throne in heaven.
This passage of scripture helps us to understand that in order for us to participate in the salvation of the lost with our Lord, we must feel what He felt, see what He saw, and do what He did.
Compassion for The Lost
The text says that He “was moved with compassion for them”
This expresses how He felt about them.
Compassion is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “a sympathetic consciousness of the condition of others with a desire to alleviate it.”
The gospel accounts show us that when He was here on earth, Christ had compassion for people in various circumstances:
Compassion for The Lost
On this occasion, Christ felt compassion because people were in a lost condition.
He had a consciousness full of sympathy with a desire to do something about it.
He felt sorry for them.
His heart ached for them.
The apostle Paul also had a great compassion and concern for the lost: Acts 20:18-19, Romans 10:1-3 (he wept for the lost—prayed for the lost).
Compassion for The Lost
Do you have compassion on the lost?
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9—do you realize that the lost are precious souls who are out of fellowship with God and doomed to everlasting punishment because of sin unless they come in obedience to Christ and receive forgiveness of sins?
Truth is: We won’t attempt to save the lost with Jesus unless we first feel compassion on them because of the seriousness of their condition.
Why Have Compassion on Them?
But why did Jesus have compassion on these people, and why should we have compassion on the lost?
Well, this verse says that “they were as sheep not having a shepherd.”
One of the notable characteristics of sheep is that they have a tendency to go astray: Isaiah 53:6;
When Jesus came forth and saw this great multitude, He saw them as sheep not having a shepherd; as sheep who had gone astray.
Why Have Compassion On Them?
But He is the good Shepherd who came to seek
the lost sheep: Luke 15:1-7, John 10:11.
Without a shepherd to protect them, sheep are exposed to dangers from predators.
This is what we need to see in the condition of people who don’t have Christ as their Shepherd;
They are lost
They are heading towards a pathway of hell.
Why Have Compassion on Them?
Without His protection, they’re in great spiritual danger: 1 Peter 5:8.
Do we see what Christ sees?
To help us save the lost with Jesus, we need to be impressed with the seriousness of the condition of those who don’t have Christ to shepherd them to safety in eternity.
(“Bring Them In”)
What Did Jesus Do?
“He began to teach them many things.”
The response that came from Jesus’s compassion and His understanding of the people’s condition was that He began to teach them many things.
Obedience to God is not limited to a few specific rules to follow.
It takes a lifetime of effort to fulfill what God wants us to do.
Yes, there are many things we need to learn.
What Did Jesus Do?
It’s significant to notice what Jesus did NOT do
—He didn’t entertain them;
He didn’t try to lure them with social attractions;
He didn’t seek to wow them with a charismatic personality.
He simply instructed them in what they needed to know.
What Did Jesus Do?
First and foremost, Jesus was a preacher:
Matthew 4:17, 23 (yes, He healed people as a sign that His message was from God, but notice what is mentioned first indicating a place of greater importance—
He went teaching in the synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom).
What Did Jesus Do?
In addition, He sent His followers into the world to preach the gospel: Mark 16:15-16;
and that’s exactly what they did: Acts 5:41-42, 8:4
And that’s what He expects all Christians in every age to do: 2 Timothy 2:2.
What Did Jesus Do?
The primary thing that we can do to be like Jesus in saving the lost is to teach them the gospel as we have the opportunity.
Not everyone can be a full time preacher, but each of us must do what we can according to our ability and opportunity.
Conclusion
1 Peter 2:25—each of us was at one time like sheep going astray, but because someone had compassion on us: they saw us as lost sheep in danger, and taught us God’s word,
We are now part of the Shepherd’s flock.
As Christians, we need to have the same goal as our Shepherd,
To seek and save those who are lost.
Are you as compassionate as you should be?
