Putting Compassion Into Action Series

Putting Compassion into Action

Matthew 9:35-38

Rev. Brian Bill

October 4-5, 2025

Earlier this year, during what’s called the Kumbh Mela festival, an estimated 400 million Hindus gathered over 45 days at the Ganges River in India. This is the largest religious festival on earth. People came from every corner of the country on trains, buses, and even on foot, just to wade into the murky, polluted waters. Many pilgrims traveled extraordinary distances, sometimes for weeks or months. According to legend, a drop of the nectar of immortality spilled into the river during a cosmic battle in the supernatural world. As a result, Hindus believe the Ganges has the power to wash away their sins.

It’s so sad to see how millions upon millions of people are being deceived as they search for cleansing, forgiveness, and peace. The tragedy is that no amount of dirty river water can cleanse an unholy human heart. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can do that.

Knowing that one of our Go Team partners from India was saved out of Hinduism, I called him this week to thank him for joining us for Go Con. He told me it was the best missions conference he’s ever been part of. I told him I also wanted to understand this cleansing festival correctly. He told me he was part of it when he was 15 years old. In his words, he “remembers walking and running mile after mile to worship evil spirits.” When I asked him how this makes him feel now, he said, “I feel terrible for people because Satan is blinding them. I’m grateful to God for saving me from that Hell. Unfortunately, very educated people participate in this but never have their sins forgiven.”

Before we shake our heads, let’s remember that people all around us are doing something similar. They may not be traveling to the Ganges, but they’re running to careers, relationships, pleasures, possessions, or even religion, hoping those things will wash away guilt and fill the emptiness in their souls. But none of it works. Many are in desperate need of forgiveness but can’t find it.

This was brought home to me this week when I was at Youth Hope to mentor a fourth-grade boy in the Men of Valor and Excellence program. When I discovered he and another boy were having some serious conflict, I encouraged them to practice forgiveness. They refused. When one boy finally apologized, his classmate reluctantly forgave him but threatened he would retaliate if he was hurt again. I was pleased about all this until one of them cussed the other one out in the gym just a few minutes later.

When Jesus looked at the crowds, He didn’t just see faces; He looked into their souls and saw them searching for forgiveness and fulfillment. We see this in Matthew 9:35-38: “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’”

Here’s a summary statement: We won’t serve people, or live as sent ones, until we see people like Jesus did.

I see three ways you and I are to follow the example of Jesus.

1. Serve like Jesus served. In verse 35, we see that Jesus continued to serve by going everywhere with the gospel to both big cities and tiny towns: “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.” Beth and I served as missionaries in Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world and we’ve served in Pontiac, a small community. Both have unique needs and opportunities, but communities of all sizes matter to the Savior.

Even though Capernaum was his hometown, as the ultimate missionary, Jesus didn’t stay there. The historian Josephus tells us three million people lived in 204 cities and villages in this region. Likewise, we’re to go with the gospel to where people are. I’m reminded of what Todd Ahrend said last weekend: “In the Old Testament, people were told to ‘come and see.’ In the New Testament, we’re to ‘go and tell.’”

This shows us how Jesus intentionally went where people lived, using a threefold strategy.

• Teaching in their synagogues. In synagogue services, the Bible was exposited and explained so people could learn about God.

• Proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. The word “proclaiming” is the word “preaching” and it’s where Jesus communicated the “gospel,” which means, “good news.”