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)

“Jesus, Thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love Thou art.” -Charles Wesley

Twelve times in his Gospel Matthew reminds his readers of prophecy presented in the Old Testament that is now a reality. The particular Old Testament passage Matthew is quoting from here is found in Isaiah 42:1-4. Clearly, this proves to be a powerful testimony to the divine origin of Scripture as well as its accuracy in even the minutest of details. The passage Matthew brings forth today summarizes our Lord’s quiet ministry as well as a ministry which ushers in justice and hope to the nations ending in covering the whole earth with songs of praise and joy. Hallelujah!

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!

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! (Isaiah 30:18)

Such compassion and kindness Jesus shows to the helpless and hurting; mending the broken lives that come to Him. Always willing to show compassion, Jesus was and is the broken life mender. Just read the testimony of the woman at the well or the woman caught in adultery. Sickness does not always have to be a physical condition. It includes of the pain of collateral damage; damage done incidentally, damage that takes place in our families, damage as a result of when we have been hurt by something or someone else even long ago.

He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up. See, they will come from afar–some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan.” Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. (Isaiah 49:10-13)

Shattered trust or being unloved or negative words can cause pain in the here and now. Jesus is able to fully heal our pasts.

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)

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