We [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36, NIV)
Let me come right out and say it: I love an empty golf course. On a recent late winter afternoon, with only about an hour of daylight left to play, I stood on the second tee and looked over the whole front nine. Not a soul. It really is a very cool thing to be able to whisper, “I have the whole golf course to myself.” (Never mind that there were still a few souls finishing up the back nine; I would not be getting that far.)
That revealed, we are not people meant to live alone. God exists in Trinitarian force—an everlasting dance, some theologians have called it. And when Jesus came to earth, while he notably escaped to the hills for prayerful conversation with the Father, he made room for the crowds. These were the people who needed what he offered.
So they came. Often for healing. But for teaching, too. And sometimes to eat and drink and simply talk.
But what is so significant is that these crowds did not bother the contemplative Jesus. In fact, sometimes he went with purpose to where they were.
In Matthew 9 alone, a woman long suffering with internal bleeding pushed up against Jesus in a crowd. He noted her bold act and healed her. He gave blind men their sight and cast out a demon, and “the crowd was amazed and said, ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.’” Then he “went through all the towns and villages,” teaching and preaching and healing. Jesus knew the needs of the crowd, and he walked among them.
And then we come to the verse we have highlighted today, where Jesus’ heart aches for the people. They were desperate, confused, lost. They needed his touch; they needed his life.
We can, as self-proclaimed followers of Jesus, separate ourselves from those who need Jesus most. But then we would not be followers of Jesus at all. For Jesus went to those needing compassion, and he gave it to them generously.
—
Jeff Hopper
February 1, 2013
Copyright 2013 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.