Matthew 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (NLT)
Jesus provides us with the exact example of what we should be like as God’s children. The way He loved, gave of Himself, taught and shepherded people provides us with the standard according to which we can align who we want to be and what we want to do for the Lord. During His time on earth, Jesus took responsibility for every person that crossed His path. He did this with the attitude of a parent loving and helping his own child.
Likewise as shepherds in the Kingdom, we are required to take responsibility for others rather than expecting others to take care of us. Matthew 9:36 beautifully portrays the heart and attitude with which we are to do this. In this particular passage Jesus looked at the people and saw, with a deep sense of awareness, the condition of confusion and distress they found themselves in. Not only did He see, He was also moved with compassion because of what He saw.
In a world saturated with brokenness and anguish it is easy to become desensitized and as a result to stop seeing people with the heart of Christ. Since we all have to face personal challenges and overcome obstacles in the course of our lives, we are often tempted to zoom in on ourselves at the cost of seeing those around us. When we live without seeing people, it becomes impossible to connect them to the Lord. The heart and the very essence of being a shepherd in God’s Kingdom is love. Love compels us to notice people as individuals with very unique needs, hurts and stories. Seeing with the eyes of Christ enables us to see the multitudes that are weary and scattered all around us in such a way that it moves us with compassion and prompts us to respond.
Compassion, in the truest sense of the word, refers to experiencing an emotional response that goes so deep that it seems to have a physical effect. It is a response that directly relates to the deep, intense love God has for every individual. Working in God’s Kingdom without it, lies at the root of the kind of shepherding Ezekiel identifies in Ezekiel 33:34 – shepherding for selfish gain with no regard or real love for the sheep. The Pharisees and Sadducees fitted this description perfectly. They meticulously focused on the Law and even added more burdens and laws without meeting the requirements they set themselves. Instead of helping to ease the load and pave the way to serving God, they were more concerned with what they could personally gain and so disempowered those who wanted to serve the Lord.
Jesus on the other hand was determined to respond to the crisis with very real help in the form of empowered shepherds! In Matthew 10:1 He calls the twelve disciples and gives them authority to cast out demons and heal all diseases. In the course of the three years Jesus spent with them, He instructed them, taught them everything they needed to know in word and by example and then sent them, no longer just disciples, but apostles (sent ones), leaders that could take care of the sheep in the very same way they were taken care of. They were mandated to share the message of a shepherd as found in Matthew 11:28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (MSG)
How do we become expert shepherds? Just like the original disciples, we need to connect ourselves to someone that is already doing it successfully. God’s heart and desire is for all to be saved. This is the dream we walk in and the goal we work for. When we give all our earthly pressures and burdens to Jesus in exchange for this yoke, He takes care of us as we pursue in everything we do to further the purpose of the Kingdom – that none should perish and all should be saved.
Part 2 - The Compassion Of Christ
Bert Pretorius
November 1, 2015
More from
Find One, Fetch One