But Jesus called his disciples to him and said ¨I feel for the crowd, because it is now three days they have been with me and not had anything to eat; and I do not want to dismiss them fasting, for fear they should grow faint on the road.¨ Matthew 15:32 (Byington)
Here in Matthew 15 verses 29 to 39 Jesus feels for the people. His heart goes out to them as they have come to Him for healing and instruction. Now they are hungry and may not make it home in their weak condition. Jesus understands their situation so fully and cannot bear to have them stagger off without having fed them. So He takes the seven loaves and a few fish, offers thanks to God, and then proceeds to feed more than four thousand men along with the women and children.
How great is His compassion! How much He must love us! And how big His heart is!
Now read the story how you will, Jesus feels for the need of those people who came to Him long ago in that far away land, or He has compassion on you and I today. We too have been with Him now for several days. It seems such a short time, but we need more nourishment too. We cannot possibly go on our way without feeling faint along the road.
Jesus cannot stand to leave people hungry and weak. He knows how much we need Him and His great heart is full of compassion. In that day He worked wonders in taking care of their needs. Today is no different. Perhaps we could turn a blind eye and be like the Disciples who look around us and say, ¨where will we get enough to feed all the hungry mouths.¨
Our Savior would work wonders right here in our own situation. He would feed us out of compassion so that we don´t go away hungry and we are not weak. But we must believe. We must look to Him. He has not changed, that is impossible for an ageless being to do. His heart goes out too us. Just the thought of it can start to feed us if we let it.
Dear Lord, when we stop to consider the compassion You have always had for us, we are left undone. We too have been with You for a little while. Please do not send us away weak or hungering for more of You. Continue to have compassion for us, Your people and feed us with the Bread of Life. May we ingest Your bread until You are so inside of us that the strength of Your love holds us up on the Way.
And thanks for having this compassion for us over all these ages.
Amen


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