When Pam tragically lost her sixteen-year-old son in a car crash, she invited family and friends to the funeral home for a visitation. On that freezing cold December evening, her guests came in with cups of coffee, telling of a mysterious man called Matthew who was giving them out for free. Later she tracked him down to thank him. Not only had he provided the people with much-needed warmth and refreshment, but at a dark time he’d reminded them of good in the world. “I felt so bad for them,” Matthew explained. “I wanted to do something, but all I could do was make coffee, so I made coffee.”
Matthew’s compassion followed by practical action is the same pattern Jesus shows us in the feeding of the four thousand. The story is similar to the earlier feeding of the five thousand, because a few loaves and fish are multiplied to feed the many (Mark 8:5–10). This time, though, the passage gives us an insight into Jesus’ motivation: “I have compassion on these people . . . If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way” (vv. 2–3).
The heart of God is always to care about our spiritual needs and our material needs. We can pray boldly for God to look after us, knowing Jesus loves us. And we can rejoice, too, that even small acts driven by God’s compassion can have a great impact.
By Tanya Marlow
REFLECT & PRAY
Who is God giving you compassion for at the moment? What small action might God be prompting you to take?
Lord of compassion, thank You for caring about us holistically. I bring to You today my thirsty soul, my concerns, my practical needs.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
We can observe two things from the disciples’ response to Jesus’ question, “Who do people say I am?” (Mark 8:27). First, the disciples knew what the people were saying about who Jesus was: “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets” (v. 28 ). They weren’t simply an isolated and insulated group, oblivious to the culture and people around them. His disciples continued to interact with and understand the people to whom Christ was reaching out. One day soon, they’d be sent to continue His message. Second, the people’s various answers to who Jesus was illustrated that even people who heard and saw Him had different opinions about Him. But Jesus wasn’t content with general answers to the question of who He was. He asked His disciples this question directly. Peter answered, “You are the Messiah” (v. 29).
J.R. Hudberg
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