The All-Encompassing Compassion of Christ
Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, warning them not to tell who he was. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he leads justice to victory.
In his name the nations will put their hope.” (Matthew 12:15-21)
The Pharisees were hot on our Lord’s trail with murder looming in their minds. Totally aware of their malicious thoughts, Jesus withdraws from that place. Still, the crowds kept following, seeking and pushing forward towards a healing touch from the. Mark records they flocked in not only from Galilee but also Judea, Jerusalem, and Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the region of Tyre and Sidon. In a day where travel was done by foot it is impressive that such large numbers of people would come bringing their sick from over 100 miles around–north, south, east and west. And Scripture tells us, Jesus healed them all!
Take It to Heart
“It is rare that Christians earnestly seek the Lord’s face when things are going swimmingly, when material blessings abound and we seem to be protected from the vicissitudes faced by others. But in the blackness of discouragement, when we are harassed and downcast, we may indeed turn to the Lord and acknowledge our helplessness apart from his grace; we may do so knowing that God is a compassionate God and that Jesus’ compassion was particularly directed toward the harassed and the helpless.” (D. A. Carson)