Christ's Compassion - Mark 6:30-44

“When Jesus went ashore, he saw a great crowd and he had compassion on then, because they were  like sheep without a shepherd.”

I think for many people, compassion is a synonym of kindness. Not really. It’s much, much more than kindness. Compassion is mercy put into flesh-and-blood action. Compassion is a visceral reaction, meaning it’s what makes your guts hurt when you see something and just have to respond. Compassion hits you in the gut. In fact, the word evolved from describing the waste after butchering. Compassion is a gut-testing thing and it usually means getting dirty, getting down on someone’s level where they are. Compassion moves you from inaction and into action and it leads you in the dirt – figuratively or literally – down in the ditch in the dust or the muck. Compassion inserts you into their pain, in their misery, whether it’s with a friend in the unemployment office, working in Christ’s kitchen, sitting at the death-bed, or standing in the funeral home as someone stares down the valley of the shadow – getting down eyeball to eyeball with them and be with them in that hard, difficult place and time. Compassion puts you on their level. Compassion says “I’m not better than you…I’m with you, and I won’t let you be alone.” Compassion is visceral.  

The reason I tell you all of this is that it is hugely significant that St. Mark says that Jesus has compassion when he sees the shepherd-less people. Do you get it? This isn’t some distant, far-off and aloof Divinity. This Jesus is God-in-flesh, perfect God who comes to dwell among His own dear people. This same Jesus, who was with God from the beginning, now stands as a man among people and what He sees hurts.  His pain is so deep that His guts hurt. And when Jesus hurts, He must act.

For Jesus, His compassion arises for a different reason than you might expect. Let’s do a simple test – what is the presenting need of the people who are on the hillside? It’s been a long day sitting in the sun. Perhaps their need is shelter. Maybe they need sunscreen or aloe for sunburn. Jesus taught for hours. There were no concession stands or vending machines. The people were hungry. The disciples identify that the need is food.

In fact, Mark lets us know that these kind of first article needs – food, illness, even death – these have all already met the compassion of Jesus. He’s healed a demon-possessed man, heals a woman who touches his robe, and even raises Jairus’ daughter from the dead. All of these needs caused Jesus to act and react. But, none of these things – not even the death of the little girl – cause His guts to hurt.

What makes Jesus feel compassion is this: the people were like sheep without a shepherd. They were a congregation without a pastor – not because the pastors weren’t there. Oh, no – they were there, alright. All of the people whose responsibilities include caring for the eternal souls and welfare of the people, feeding them God’s Word, blessing them with His name, imparting and delivering the gifts of God day in and day out, praying and interceding for them – all of these shepherds stood by and abandoned their flocks to be consumed by the wolves and bears and lions of the devil, the world, and their own sinful flesh. And, meanwhile, as the sheep were devoured one by one by being led to take their eyes off of the promise of the coming Messiah, now fulfilled in Jesus, the shepherds got fat and sassy. They debated the fine intricacies of the Law and argued ways people were guilty of breaking the Law…all the while holding themselves up as high, and great, and holy men. They proffered themselves as near divine with practically sinless lives all the while looking down their pharaisaical noses at sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes. Instead of having compassion of their own for these people of God, these sheep, who were wandering and in danger of being forever lost and damned, they passed by, lest they dirty themselves in the process. They were compassionless for those who needed compassion.

This is what causes Jesus to have compassion: these sheep were shepherdless. Shepherdless sheep wander. They can’t find food, they can’t find water, they can’t find shelter and safety. They are at risk of getting lost and separated from Christ. They are in danger of being picked off, one by one, by the devil, the world and their own sinful flesh. So, Jesus is moved to teach and preach. He fills them full so that the hungry are satisfied by something that lasts into eternity – spiritual food that satisfies.

How Jesus demonstrates His compassion is a bit surprising to us. It’s not just that His guts hurt. His compassion is so powerful that He is moved to do something to help. But how Jesus helps might be a bit surprising.

Oh, yes – He does show compassion in taking care of their stomachs. With just five little loaves and tow hot-dog sized fish, Jesus prays and begins breaking the food up for distribution. From the little comes much – so much in fact that there are 12 baskets left over.

His compassion is found, chiefly, not in miracles, or exorcisms, the raising from the dead or even in feeding 5000 with a boy’s lunch. His compassion is found in the cross. The Kingdom is at hand, Jesus said – the time for His Cross is drawing closer. Because of His great compassion, He will suffer and die and rise for the entire world. His guts will hurt – so much so that he sweats great drops of blood. But it’s not just his guts…it’ll be his back from the whips, and his face from the slaps, and his head from the crown of thorns, and his spirit…his spirit as He realizes that even His Father in heaven has abandoned him in the face of hell on earth as the entire sin-filled burden of the world is emptied out upon Him. He takes it all, out of His great compassion for you.

Our compassion can be misguided. It is tempting to look at a crisis moment and thing that we, too, gotta do something. Don’t get me wrong – there is nothing wrong with being moved into action. In fact, many times it is a good thing. But don’t forget the first action of discipleship is to pray – to lift up our eyes to the heavens and commend all things to God’s hands. Pastors are guilty of this, too: we get so caught up in needing to do that we forget that first, we need to stop not do anything of ourselves. Instead, we are to commend all things to the nail-pierced hands of our Savior. A seasoned friend told me years ago, don’t ever forget your chief duty as the church’s priest and lift your people up in prayer. There is a time for action later. Ground your acts of compassion first and foremost in prayer. Pray for faith to be strengthened, grace to be demonstrated, mercy to be granted, love to richly poured out.

And, then, when you act in compassion, know that even small acts of compassion will be multiplied by Christ. Remember – He used a boy’s lunch to feed 5000. And, remember too that the compassion you share is the compassion of Christ that flows through you. When you reach out to others in love, you do so filled with the hands of Christ. When you speak to others in their time of need, you speak with the words of Christ. When you walk along with others in their weakness, you walk with the feet of Jesus. When you show love, you are showing the Christ’s love that He showered upon you and overflows in you to those around you.  It is not us that we share, but Christ.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me. Amen.