Matthew 14: 14 - 21
14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. 15 When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” 16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. 21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
In these verses of scripture, Jesus was showing through his actions, His genuine compassion for people. He was practically living out His compassion and empathy for humanity. His compassion was evidenced by Him healing the sick amongst them. He understood the pain and discomfort they were going through with sickness in their bodies so He did something. His compassion was evidenced by Him not sending the people away hungry, but by Him feeding them. He did not look at their sheer number and throw up His arms and say; they are too many, how can I feed all of these like the disciples did? He understood that these people must have been physically hungry, haven not eaten all day, and if they were to be sent away like that, some will have fainted or collapsed on the way, so He did something.
We can learn from this. We must learn to be truly compassionate and show true empathy for others. We mustn’t just pity people in need. We must empathise with them. Pity on its own, does nothing. Empathy on the other hand, rises up and does something. A woman of empathy is a woman of compassion like Jesus. This will mean different responses for different situations. Compassion might mean praying for the sick, laying hands on the sick as Christ has commanded us to see healing. Compassion might mean feeding those who are hungry. Compassion might mean visiting someone in hospital or a detention centre with a view to bless them in one way or the other. Compassion might mean adopting a child, for the sake of the child, not for your own sake. Thinking of the welfare of others and doing something about it.
Jesus’ example has shown us we don’t have to have much to live out our compassion. Let’s use what we have, whether small or big. Be that woman that is always thinking of the welfare of others and not just yours or your family. You don’t have to know them. They don’t have to be in your close circle of friends. Jesus did not know these people personally but He had compassion on them and practically blessed their lives. May the lord help us to be more like Jesus.