Jesus Cared About Lost Souls, And Empty Stomachs

What Did Jesus Do?

“I have compassion on the crowd…
And I am unwilling to send them away hungry.”
Matthew 15:32


Empty bellies were as much of concern to Jesus as lost souls. It was as much against Christ’s nature (which he of course shares with the Father) to overlook the very real physical needs of the multitudes who came out to see him and hear him, as it was to ignore their spiritual needs. The Lord recognized the need for the stomach to be filled with food just as much as he did the heart with love. Certainly, Jesus knew that “man does not live by bread alone.” But he also understood that man can only live so long in this world without bread.

You see compassion is more than concern. Compassion is concern converted into action. The clueless don’t see the need. The callous see the need, but could care less. The compassionate see the need, and do something about it. I believe the dominant characteristic of the incarnate Christ was his compassion, his unwillingness send the hungry away empty, to walk away and leave those who were broken in pieces, to pass by the sick and the lame and ignore their infirmities, to leave the lost with no option but hopelessness.

The Apostle James would warn the Church to test its faith by the measure of its compassion, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” (James 2:15-16) Translation: For Christ’s sake, have compassion! That’s what Jesus did.

Be unwilling to send any away hungry, ill-clothed, cold, homeless, friendless. Whether confronted with a crowd, or just one knocking on our door, we are to care about the lost souls and the empty bellies, and show them, spiritually and materially, the compassion of Christ.


S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4