"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36).
Do we see the crowds that Jesus sees? That’s a question I ask myself. In the case of Jesus, it all starts with seeing. And in seeing, he had compassion.
Now, I have to admit that it is quite possible to look at something and see nothing at all. To see the crowds of the world requires something inside. It means replacing my insides with the presence of Jesus. It means redefining my view of humanity. Let’s admit it. By nature we tend to hang around people who look like us, talk like us, act like us and think like us. We love our friends, families, and buddies. While that is not necessarily wrong, yet it limits us from seeing people who are not like us. It limits us from becoming like Jesus.
Have you ever had this happen? You’re in a crowd, feeling alone and overwhelmed, when suddenly you spot a friend you know. You focus in on your friend and unfortunately we block everyone else out. That’s just our nature. It is our habit.
But if we are ever going to see the crowds as Jesus did, we must open our eyes and break the mold. Jesus saw something the disciples didn’t see.
Were they blind? No, but they didn’t see what Jesus saw. And when this happens, we don’t feel what Jesus feels. The compassion for the crowd is absent and we miss ministering with Jesus. We need Jesus in our lives so that we can see and exercise compassion to the needy ones.
Do we see the crowds that Jesus sees? That’s a question I ask myself. In the case of Jesus, it all starts with seeing. And in seeing, he had compassion.
Now, I have to admit that it is quite possible to look at something and see nothing at all. To see the crowds of the world requires something inside. It means replacing my insides with the presence of Jesus. It means redefining my view of humanity. Let’s admit it. By nature we tend to hang around people who look like us, talk like us, act like us and think like us. We love our friends, families, and buddies. While that is not necessarily wrong, yet it limits us from seeing people who are not like us. It limits us from becoming like Jesus.
Have you ever had this happen? You’re in a crowd, feeling alone and overwhelmed, when suddenly you spot a friend you know. You focus in on your friend and unfortunately we block everyone else out. That’s just our nature. It is our habit.
But if we are ever going to see the crowds as Jesus did, we must open our eyes and break the mold. Jesus saw something the disciples didn’t see.
Were they blind? No, but they didn’t see what Jesus saw. And when this happens, we don’t feel what Jesus feels. The compassion for the crowd is absent and we miss ministering with Jesus. We need Jesus in our lives so that we can see and exercise compassion to the needy ones.
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