Jesus' Compassion and Teaching

In Mark 6, after returning from their 2x2 mission, Jesus was taking his disciples to a lonely place for some R&R. However, this was the time when Jesus' popularity was at its height. Mark records, "Now many saw them going and recognized them and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them" Mark 6:34.

So much for plans to rest! Jesus and the 12 were obviously exhausted from non-stop ministry and were in need of some solitude. It was not to be at this time, however.

How would you have felt? I might have thought, if not said..."Why can't they leave us alone?" "Are they trying to kill us?" "Can't a disciple get a minute's rest?" "Jesus, let's change directions and get away from these leeches!"

Not Jesus. Mark tells us, "When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd" v.34

My response: probabaly agitation. Jesus' response: COMPASSION. Compassion is to feel the need of another and to do something about it. My response: how does this inconvenience or tax ME? Jesus' response: what is THEIR need? I would look at the outward person, Jesus looked at the heart.

Jesus saw these crowds as needy sheep, not leeches or unwelcome interruptions.

How do YOU see people? I don't know about you, but I constantly need to cry out to the Lord for NEW EYES. If I see people as Jesus did there's a good chance my heart will not be repulsed but moved to compassion for them.

An important note: How did Jesus respond to these people's need?

"And he began to teach them many things" v.34b. What do unshepherded sheep need? What do sheep need to be shepherded? TRUTH! And not just a neat little quote or two. They need to be taught "many things." It is for lack of truth that people are held in Satan's bondage. People need the truth of who Jesus is, what He has done, what He offers, and how to know Him. Believers need to know HOW to walk with Jesus in all of life. This requires TEACHING. No one guesses themselves into maturity and righteousness. Is this not why the Great Commission requires "teaching them to obey all that I have commanded"? Most often when someone is suffering bondage to a sin or habit they need TRUTH, God's truth, God's solution to their problem. They don't need practical to dos that will only be applied like a bandage to a deep wound. Truth gets to the HEART of our problems.

Who is there that God might be calling you to share His TRUTH with?

One more way that Jesus responded to this crowd's needs: He fed them...perhaps 20,000 of them. Jesus DOES care about our physical needs: food, clothing, finances, housing, etc.

He cares about YOUR HEART and YOUR BODY...ALL of you.

And...He calls us to care for others in the same way.