Matthew 9:27-38 Compassion

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" When He entered the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then He touched their eyes, saying, "It shall be done to you according to your faith."...As they were going out, a mute, demon-possessed man was brought to Him. After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."...Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." [Matthew 9:27-38 NASB]

Jesus felt compassion for the people. That's what motivated Him.

The blind man called Jesus "Son of David". This wasn't a term that was used loosely, and it wasn't simply an acknowledgment of His lineage. The "Son of David" was to be the heir of David's throne. It was expected that the "Son of David" would raise an army to overthrow the Romans, drive out the Gentiles, and win Israel back for the Jews. He was to be their Messiah. When they called Him "Son of David", it is likely that they had this secular viewpoint, and the expectation that Jesus would rise up become an earthly king.

When Jesus heard them call Him "Son of David", he ignored them and kept on walking. He knew what the people expected of the heir of David, and didn't want to encourage that line of thinking.

It wasn't until He entered the house that Jesus healed the blind men. By moving indoors, he was away from the crowds, thus making the event less spectacular. This demonstrates the character of Jesus, that He wasn't motivated by fame or spectacle. He didn't grasp for power. As King and Creator of the universe, Jesus had the right to take power, and claim authority over all the earth. Instead, he chose to humble Himself.

When Jesus encountered the demon-possessed man, he changed how he operated. In the previous healings, He said to those who were healed that it would be "according to your faith." He makes no such requirement of the demon-possessed. Perhaps He knows that the demonic influence prevents the man from making a statement of faith. Nonetheless, His compassion is such that He delivers the man from the demon, allowing him to speak again.

Jesus walked to cities throughout the region, preaching and healing every kind of sickness. But as a man, He was limited, and could only reach a small portion of the people. But, having compassion for them, He wanted to reach them all. And He had a plan.

Jesus told His disciple to pray to "the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." He did this knowing that He was going to send out His disciple to do the same work that He was doing. I find it interesting that He asked them to pray, then made them the answer to their own prayers.

"Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd." The world around us today is like that. Just as Jesus had compassion for the first century people in Israel, so He has compassion for the world today. Let's pray together that the Lord will send workers into the harvest today.