Christian Compassion for a Needy World

GOLDEN TEXT: “Whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” —I John 3:17,18

MATTHEW 9:35,36; MARK 1:32-34; 8:1-9

WE HAVE in Jesus the greatest of all examples of compassion for a needy world. His compassion stemmed from a true and unselfish love for the sin-cursed and dying race of mankind. The same love dwelt in and filled his heart and life as prompted the Heavenly Father to send him into the world to die as man’s Redeemer. It was a love which was not in “word” or “tongue” only, as mentioned in our Golden Text, but “in deed and in truth.”

The record is that Jesus went about “doing good.” (Acts 10:38) With him it was not a case of merely feeling sorry for the people. His compassion stirred him to lay down his life for them. His sacrifice was completed on Calvary, but during the entire period of his earthly ministry he was continually giving his time and thought and strength to the suffering people of Israel, comforting them with the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing their diseases in illustration of the future world-wide kingdom blessings.

In one of the Beatitudes Jesus stated, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matt. 5:4) This was said to his disciples, and expresses one of the qualifications of true discipleship—a mourning for others, and compassionate attitude toward the needy and those who are suffering affliction. We see this quality of compassion exemplified in Jesus on the occasion of the death of Lazarus. The account states that he “wept.”—John 11:35

Isaiah describes Jesus as being “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” (Isa. 53:3) The causes of his sorrow and grief were not from within, but from his association with a grief-stricken and dying world. True, in the Garden of Gethsemane he “offered up strong crying and tears” because of the situation which confronted him, but even this was associated with his sacrifice on behalf of the needy world.—Heb. 5:7

The miracles performed by Jesus were illustrations of the blessings of health and life which will become available to all mankind during the thousand years of his kingdom. One of the kingdom promises is that the Lord will “make unto all people a feast of fat things.” (Isa. 25:6) It would not be improper to think of the miracles of feeding the multitudes as being suggestive of this foretold kingdom “feast” of rich and satisfying divine blessings.

There were two occasions on which Jesus miraculously increased the supply of loaves and fishes in order to provide temporal food for the multitudes which had assembled to hear the gracious words which he spoke, and to witness and receive of his healing powers. On the occasion recorded in today’s lesson, there were four thousand who partook of the miraculously provided food. There was another time when five thousand were thus fed. See Mark 6:34-44, and Matthew 14:14-21.

Following the feeding of the four thousand, Jesus entered the boat and departed with his disciples, whereas when he had finished feeding the five thousand he sent his disciples away in a boat, dismissed the multitude, and then went up into a mountain to pray. It was on this occasion that a storm arose on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus came down from the mountain, walked out on the water, and rescued his disciples from the storm.

Throughout Jesus’ entire ministry, we see him compassionately serving both the public and his own disciples. His feeding of the five thousand was on a day when, weary with his unbroken schedule of preaching and healing, he had said to the disciples, “Come ye yourselves apart, … and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31) They endeavored to get away from the crowd for a time in order to relax and recuperate, but they failed, for the people hurried around the shores of the lake and were on hand to meet them when their boat landed. Jesus, filled with compassion, granted their desires. He taught them many things, and then fed them with temporal food.

Yes, in Jesus we have an exemplification of true love, a love that reaches out to help those in need, regardless of what the cost may be to oneself. Love is not just a kindly sentiment which finds expression through inaction. It is a moving, driving principle in the lives of all Christians whose hearts are filled by it. Without love and the action which love inspires, words would be, as Paul so eloquently wrote, only as “sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.” (I Cor. 13:1) Today we are not called to heal the sick, but we are enjoined to preach the Gospel of the kingdom, and thereby to “comfort all that mourn.” Let us, then, in love and compassion, continue this witness faithfully unto the end!

QUESTIONS

Who is our greatest example of compassion for a needy world?

In what sense was Jesus “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief”?

What was illustrated by Jesus’ miracles, and particularly by his feeding the multitudes?

How can we now follow the example of Jesus?

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