Verse: Matthew 9:35-36
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Devotion
What is your first reaction when you see people who are living lives contrary to the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus? How do you feel about people who don’t seem to have a moral compass, who indulge in a lifestyle of pleasure and excess, who think only about themselves, who use substances to often, who cheat and lie and steal? How do you feel about them?
Often my first reaction, if I’m being honest, is judgment. I would rather look down on them (and therefore feel better about myself) than care about them. But Jesus looked out over the people whom he was trying to reach and he had compassion. Rather than being critical or judgmental, he realized what is still true: they are people who need a Shepherd.
When we live alongside people who don’t know Jesus, can we adopt the mindset of Jesus? A mindset of compassion? A realization that while what they are doing might be offensive to us, the reality is they don’t need our judgment, they need Jesus? They are lost without the guiding hand of their loving Father. They are in need of the saving power of their Savior. This is why we can have compassion because we know Jesus, and we know what we’d be without him. And our compassion for them flows from that realization. And that compassion should then motivate us to prayer and action that will lead them back to their Father.
Author: Christian Dunn
Recent Comments