Compassion

When I read about the life of Christ, it moves me every time. His nature, his heart… the way in which he had the power of God, yet was so human.
One of my recently favorite passages is in Matthew chapter 14…

Right after Jesus found out that John the Baptist had been beheaded, he went looking for a place of solitude. His heart was heavy… his heart understood sorrow.

Yet, being the leader he was, the crowds would hardly leave him alone. People knew he spoke life-giving words. They wanted to be near him. Like small children always tugging at their mom’s sleeve, or wanting to be carried, these people were so helpless and so needy.

Jesus could have been justified in running or hiding from them. He had been with them long hours already.

Yet the scripture says… “When Jesus landed, and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them…”

He was tired. He had already emptied himself. Yet he embraced the sick. He fed the hungry.

Compassion.

The word comes from the Latin stem “compati”, meaning “suffer with, feel pity”.
Indeed Jesus felt with us. He suffered for us.

While the desciples had told Jesus, "Its getting late... send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy themselves food..."

Jesus' mind was different:

"They do not need to go away... give to them..."