Matthew 9
December 5, 2022
“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.’” (v36-38)
“When Jesus saw the crowds” (v36), He had a very different response than a lot of spiritual leaders today who gather a large crowd around them. Jesus didn’t proudly puff out his chest, and tell his disciples, “This is how you grow a church.” He didn’t strategize about how to leverage the momentum to keep growing the movement. No, when Jesus looked at the crowd of people, He saw their pain. He had “compassion” (v36) on them. And it moved Him to pray for more workers (v37-38), who would share His heart of compassion, and be willing to join Him in going to the lost and hurting.
Lord Jesus, I praise You for Your compassion, that You see people’s pain. Reading these verses, I can’t help but confess that, too often, when I see the crowd at church gathered and growing, I haven’t seen the pain. My focus has been on whatever I’m about to teach (which isn’t bad, just incomplete). But during this season of personal pain, You are tenderizing my heart to really see and feel the pain of people as I look out into the crowd. And so, I pray for those among Your people today who are hurting - that they would receive comfort, peace and help. And I pray for myself, that my response, as Trinity grows, would be to a compassion for Your people that reflects Your heart.
— Pastor Joshua Brooks
Use the following steps to guide your daily time with the Lord…
-
Start with prayer. Ask God to open your heart to help you understand and receive His Word.
-
Read and observe the passage carefully. As needed, read a second Bible version to help with understanding.
➡️ What does it say?
What does this passage teach me about God? What does it say about my sinful nature and my need for God’s grace? How does this passage point to Jesus?
-
➡️ What am I going to do about it?
Does this passage include a promise to claim, an action/attitude to avoid/embrace, or a principle to apply? How can this truth apply to my life? What could my next step be? How can I share this with others? Is there a verse or section of Scripture I need to memorize?
