Matthew 9:36-38 says, “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”
The Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines compassion as “a suffering with another; painful sympathy; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; Compassion is a mixed passion, compounded of love and sorrow.”
When Jesus saw that the multitude fainted and scattered like sheep without a shepherd, His emotions were a mix of love and sorrow. He cared so much for the people, it became painful to see. Just think of us as human beings. Often the only compassion we have is for ourselves. We love ourselves and care only for our own sorrows. It’s a rare emotion to feel both love and pain for another.
Jesus illustrated the situation as a harvest. “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.” I believe one reason that there are few labourers in the Lord’s harvest is because of the lack of compassion. We, as humans, feel little love and little sorrow for a hurting world. The reason is because of pride. We care more about our comfort and agendas than lost, dying souls. Sometimes, it is best for us to examine ourselves. Do we have compassion for others like Jesus had? Personally, that is a sobering realization of my pride and lack of compassion. The best thing we can do is to seek the Lord and pray that He would impart to us this Christ-like attribute of compassion. In other words, for us to have love and sorrow towards the lost, we need to have a heart for souls and to labour in the harvest.
Jesus also said in verse 38 to pray that God would send more labourers into His harvest. My challenge to you and to myself is two-fold. First, pray for compassion. If we have any hope to labor for the Lord we need to have this attitude of compassion. Second, pray that God would send more labourers into His harvest. As believers, we need to strive to be more like Jesus. To be like Jesus we need to have more compassion.
(By Matt Shold)
