Matthew 9 and 10 reveal:
The people’s condition
Jesus’ compassion
God’s solution
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
10:1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
9 Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts—10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting.
13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you; it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town (Matthew 9:35 - 10:15).
The people’s condition
Jesus went through all the towns and villages of Galilee. According to Josephus, a Jewish historian who wrote not long after the Gospels were written, noted there were 204 cities and villages in Galilee, each with no fewer than fifteen thousand persons.
That means that Jesus was potentially reaching over 3 million people with the Gospel. As He was going, He was teaching, preaching and healing the sick.
He was actively and constantly engaged with people and saw their true condition through His interaction with them.
The religious leaders were so blind that they did not see their own depravity, sinfulness and their need for mercy, forgiveness, or salvation. They did not grasp how compassionate God was with them. To justify themselves they focused on the speck of sawdust (fault, sin, failure) in someone else’s eye and ignored the self-righteous log in their own. They neither helped nor sympathized with the troubles of those they taught.
He was moved with compassion (Matt 14:14)
His compassion didn’t just move Him to teach the people God’s Word and preach the Kingdom but to actually provide for their physical needs.
People had no shepherd - no one to lead them who really cared for their spiritual and physical needs.
Matthew is alluding to God’s promised Messiah, the great and compassionate Shepherd that will come to lead, feed, and protect God’s people (Ezekiel 34:22-23, 31).
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities (Psalm 103:7-10).
It is usually after our conversion, as we begin to grow in our faith that the Spirit of God reveals to us the true nature of our heart. We are shocked to find out that it is more deceptive and sinful than we ever thought possible.
Only in the light of the Word do we realize that many of our attitudes, actions and things that we have said that never bothered us in the past actually offend God.
It is because we now see these things for what they are: sinful, self-promoting, and hurtful to others and then come under conviction of the Holy Spirit.
But at the same time, as we grow in the Word of God, we also are much more aware and amazed at God’s grace, the depth of His forgiveness, long suffering, kindness, and goodness. We begin to understand what God’s grace has saved us from and become profoundly thankful for God’s deliverance and the freedom He purchased for us through Christ.
“Jesus didn’t come to condemn us but to give us abundant life.”
In the same way He calls us to have compassion on others. Compassion does not mean compromising your biblical convictions nor being sentimental with people’s sin, it does not mean enabling people to live in their weaknesses.
The truth is that Jesus exercised His compassion to transform lives. This is why Christ came, to save us from our sin.
Let’s look at Matthew 9:36 - 10:1, 7-8 again:
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
10:1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give (Matthew 9:36 - 10:1, 7-8).
We see in chapter 9 that Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Just like 2,000 years ago, Jesus was saying to His disciples there are so many people around you in the same condition that you were in and are hungry for this message, for truth, and for life. They needed to hear the gospel of the kingdom of heaven and know the hope and redemption that can only be found in Jesus.
“Today’s churches are full of spectators and commentators but few participators.”
And needless to say, spectators never solve the problems or meet the needs of the church. There will always be needs all around us which can be absolutely overwhelming, if not impossible, to handle.
What is God’s solution?
Jesus saw the people’s condition, was moved with compassion, and then provided the solution. He told His followers to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers to harvest the field of people. Then He called them to Himself, gave them the message of the kingdom of heaven; and then empowered them with the ability to perform miracles of healing, gave them authority over the demons, and even to raise people from the dead (spiritually) and then sent them out into the field.
Jesus is saying to the disciples, I have called you, empowered you and equipped you. Now “you” have the answer that will meet people’s needs.
What does this say to us today?
Jesus sees our need and has compassion, and our needs drive us to God. When we turn to Him, He saves us, and then He gives us His Word, and then empowers us with His Spirit, gives us His Word and sends us out to do the same.
He endows us with certain talents, gifts, and abilities and has given us the message of the Kingdom to take to people around us. He says to us, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matt 10:8). This is His world, and God has called every Christians to be a part of it by making a difference in the lives of others.
Even in the Christian community, there are hurting people - sitting right here in church, some who know the Lord and others who don’t but are seeking. Do we step over these people on our way out the door to talk with our friends, do we pass by them as we gather in our little groups or do we stop to see people as Jesus once saw us?
Jesus said in verse 12,
12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you; it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town (Matthew 10:12 -15).
These were Jesus’ instructions as He sent them out into the field. Will everyone be receptive to God’s Word and His deliverance? Does everyone even see their condition and need for a Savior?
No. Jesus told the disciples that not everyone will welcome you, in fact many may turn away. But that does not mean we stop showing compassion or sharing the gospel to a lost, harassed, and broken world. It does not mean that we stop showing compassion to fellow believers in the body of Christ.
“The God who has called us to Himself, saved us, will empower us and equip us for what He has called us to do. ”
Some may look at all the needs around them as an annoyance, but we look at it as an opportunity to express Jesus compassion to others because of all that we have received in Christ.
Whether you are making coffee, visiting the sick, spending time with family or friends, teaching in the Sunday school, working with teens, in a life group, on the AV team, leading worship all of these areas of service seek the Lord. He will by His Spirit empower you, enable you, equip you for the ministry. In what area God has placed you, in whatever area you are serving God.
