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"When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things."
(Mark 6:34, CSB)
I have seen the new Superman movie twice now. I enjoyed it and think it was unlike any other Superman movie that I have seen so far. I will not give any spoilers, but there is a part where Lois Lane interviews Superman. During this interview, it gets heated, and Superman is getting flustered that he is being questioned about his tactics and his decision-making. At the peak of his frustration, he emphatically declares, "People were going to die!" In a moment of frustration at the questioning of his actions, Superman revealed his deepest motivating factor: the lives and well-being of others. Superman cared about everyone and thus didn't want any of them to be hurt. Superman had compassion.
Compassion is a Christlike quality that all of us believers in Jesus need to have. Not a Superman compassion, but a Christlike compassion. In Mark 6, we see a glimpse of the compassion that Jesus has. In this verse, the word compassion is splanchizomai, which is "the strongest word for pity and describes the compassion which moves a man to the deepest depths of his being." So Jesus sees this crowd, has that type of reaction to the people around Him, and immediately begins to teach them. What we see later in Mark 6 is that Jesus feeds this large crowd of five thousand people! Jesus' compassion moved Him to action. What about you?
As a follower of Jesus, are we moved with compassion about a large crowd who doesn't know Jesus, or are we moved with anger and annoyance at them? I know my tendency, as an introvert, is to be annoyed by large crowds and to be bothered by them, rather than be broken over them and look for an opportunity to serve, love, and encourage them. I want to be someone who enters situations with large crowds and is moved with compassion. I want to be someone who has Christlike compassion!
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