13 Now when Jesus heard {about John,} He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, "This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!" 17 They *said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." 18 And He said, "Bring them here to Me." 19 Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples {gave them} to the crowds, 20 and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. 21 There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.   Matthew 14:13-21 

 

One of the most noteworthy traits of Christ is His compassion. He completely identifies with our needs and He is always willing to act on that kindness in a way that personally engages himself. Not only is this an estimable trait; it is one we must desire; we need to make compassion a daily part of our lives. Regrettably, we must battle our own selfishness and our indiscipline to say no to our predisposition to disregard the needs of others around us. 

 

In this influential circumstance, Jesus is mourning the loss of his cousin John the Baptist and is certainly aware that John's death signals that He, too, will be facing His death on the cross of Calvary soon. Yet instead of parting from the crowd behind, he cares for them and His disciples as well.  

 

We know quite often that Jesus took time away from the crowds to spend time alone with His Father in prayer and that He spent much of his ministry away from the crowds in order to teach His disciples, but he repeatedly kept the interaction  with the crowds- always offering His compassion and sharing the love of God.

 

 

Let us learn from Christ’s example that at times of great distress or sadness there is no greater comfort than to allow ourselves to be used by God to care for others. This is not only for their good, but for ours as well!

 

Kerry  L. Marsala is a commentator on social, cultural and political ideologies. She is co-publisher of Sarah's Seed Christian Woman's Journal (www.sarahsseed.freeservers.com).