Unlimited: Jesus Has Compassion on the Crowd
Apr 11, 2024 1564
So, they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So, he began teaching them many things (Mark 6:32–34, NIV).
Jesus just couldn’t escape the crowds! Sometimes he tried, because he needed the rest. But in the end, his heart couldn’t help being poured out for the people in their need. And his love for them always won.
Jesus wanted to find a quiet place to rest with his disciples. But there was no such thing as a quiet place for Jesus where the crowds couldn’t find him.
While Jesus is sailing across the lake, Mark dramatically describes the crowds actually running around the lake to reach the boat’s destination before Jesus.
And when Jesus lands, the crowds are there waiting. Mark tells us that Jesus had compassion on them. The word Mark uses for “compassion” means in the most profound sense. It means that Jesus was deeply emotionally moved by the need of the people.
And the reason Mark gives is interesting. Jesus was moved by compassion not because the people were sick, but because they were like sheep without a shepherd. In other words, they were lost.
And so, he gave them what they needed most. He taught them.
Everywhere you look today, there is a sense of “lostness” in the world. People desperately seek their identity in temporary, material things that ultimately have no meaning. People are lost in broken relationships, guilt, and addictions of all kinds.
What are you lost in? Jesus has compassion on you.
He wants to lead you. He wants to teach you, and he’ll do it through his Word, the Bible. That’s where you’ll find his teachings.
– Eliezer Gonzalez
Eli’s Reflection: I want to encourage you to set aside some time every day to pray and to study the teachings of Jesus. Will you do it? Seek Him. He offers you love, comfort, wisdom, and compassion. He is your shepherd.
George Mensah
Dec 10, 2020
Thank you very much for the message. God bless you.
Jane
Apr 12, 2024
I hadn't given a great deal of thought to the pressures applied from without, to Jesus, and the effectives of the crowd hemming Him in without real regard for His need. It's such a relief, so profound and uplifting, so freeing, to discover and learn the Truth of the Word, to know His love and the healing power of the Gospel, that I want more. I have to acknowledge a certain selfishness accompanies need. But I need to acknowledge Jesus's need too because His need is my need and my need is only, ultimately, in Him. My rest in Him