LOVING “THOSE” PEOPLE

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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As we get into another example of how Jesus Christ treated those around him, we find the Lord in a time of grief and sorrow. His cousin and mentor, John, had been arrested, imprisoned, and recently executed by Herod for daring to speak out about Herod’s recent crimes. 

When Jesus received news of this loss, it affected him. He needed time alone with the Father in order to process his grief and sorrow. And it is in this place of grief that we see Jesus being called upon to meet the needs of those whom he was looking to escape. 

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” 16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

(Matthew 14:13-21 NIV11)

Lessons

Again we can ask the question, what lessons can be learned from the way Jesus interacted with the crowd of people that interrupted Jesus’ time of solitude and grief? 

1.  Under duress, Jesus showed compassion. 

The way this passage reads, it sounds like the crowds knew that Jesus was seeking to be alone and that they chose this time to go and find Jesus. If that were true, that would be terrible.

There are people all around us in this life that do not seem to have any interest in how you are doing. Their primary concerns in life all center around their own needs and wants. These people will invade your off time, your quiet spaces, and your family activities without any concern for how it might affect you. 

It would have been easy for Jesus to refuse to give these opportunistic people the slip, avoiding them and saving himself further stress. But Jesus did the hard thing when he opened himself up to them and met their needs. 

2.  Jesus set a good example of compassion. 

The disciples, who had failed to keep the crowds away, chose to passively allow Jesus to make a decision and to chart a course of action when the needs of the crowd became too much for them. They looked to Jesus to meet the needs of the crown and to solve their own needs of trying to manage the situation. 

Jesus did not get upset with his disciples. Instead, he set a good example of what it looks like to decisively choose to do good in a time of frustration and challenge. Jesus took stock of the situation, examined their provisions, and then took decisive action to meet the needs of those around them. 

3.  Jesus went above and beyond. 

The hunger of the crowds was not Jesus’ problem. If these people left home without provisions, that was their undoing. After all, a child brought his food, so why did all the others choose to leave home with nothing to eat?

It would be easy, maybe even right, to say that the crowd’s lack of good planning was not the responsibility of the disciples. The hunger of the crowd was certainty not any of Jesus’ business or doing, so why should he be expected to get involved? 

Jesus did not see this situation the way that I might have. He chose to meet the needs of the people in such a way that everyone was fully satiated and satisfied. In fact there were lots and lots of leftovers for the people to enjoy.

Summary

In this situation, Jesus Christ showed us that:

•   He experienced the full range of human emotions.
•   That he had compassion for all people, even those who only act on their own wants and desires. 
•   Jesus was not imbittered or annoyed with the throngs of people. 
•   Jesus completely met the needs of the people. 
•   Jesus was quick to act and generous in his approach.  

Prayer

Lord, help us treat “those” people with your love and compassion.

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Works at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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