Read Matthew 9:35-38
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
This passage marks an important transition in the narrative of Matthew’s gospel. In chapters 6 and 7, Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Mount, laying the foundation for everything that his ministry is going to be about. Then, in chapters 8 and 9, Matthew tells us about all the people that Jesus healed, provided for, and restored. It’s in these chapters that we see the full extent of Jesus’ compassion for others.
At the end of chapter 9, in the section we are looking at today, Matthew summarizes everything Jesus has been doing, and then in Chapter 10, we read about how Jesus sent his disciples out to replicate everything they had just seen.
Do you see the pattern? He tells them what to do and how to live (Chapters 6-7), shows them how to do it (Chapters 8-9), and then sends them out to do it for others (Chapter 10). The core feature that holds everything together – compassion. As his disciples go out, he wants them to know that compassion is at the core of everything he says and does. If they go and do his work without compassion, they won’t be doing his work at all.
Pray: God of compassion, thank you for extending such love and grace to me, your child. As I seek to love and serve you, I ask that you would help compassion to take root in me, that others may see your kindness through me.
