Jesus Feeds the People Out of Deep Compassion

The Deep Compassion of Jesus for the 4,000 People (Matt 15:29-39)

Jesus is interacting with another very large crowd… probably preaching the Sermon on the Mount in another location.

Jesus freely expresses the fact that He has compassion on these people. He is aware of their struggles – that they have been with Him 3 days and have nothing to eat. It is wonderful to know that Jesus is aware of BOTH our spiritual needs and our physical needs and He acts to do something about it. Here His compassion is expressed in multiplying bread and fish which parallels the Old Testament when God would provide manna for the people to eat.

I love the sentence in verse 32: “I do not want to send them away hungry or they may collapse on the way.” Jesus is “concerned” about the people and it touches Him. And He acts. What motivates Him is gut level compassion.

Often we think of God as separated from our suffering, struggles, pain or even the daily “grind”. Nothing could be further from reality – but it often feels that way. Jesus’ compassion exactly reveals the Father’s compassion. Jesus is concerned about people and their problems… so is God… in the exact same way. “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” John 14:9 Jesus’ visible character reveals the Father’s invisible character.
     

Action Item: Pray Jesus’ character back to Him. Strange as it sounds – try telling Jesus (prayer) what you like about Him most! Is it His compassion on the people?… tell Him. It is His tenderness with the Children?… tell Him why. Is it His power over nature?… let Him know. This type of prayer helps you walk in the 1st Commandment (loving God).