Matt. 14:14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
What really moves you? Do you have something that really gets you fired up? Maybe it is a political cause, or some sort of social challenge or problem. For Jesus it was people. It was hurting people that grabbed His attention. It was the paralyzed man that couldn’t support his family, it was the hemorrhaging woman that had lost her life, it was also the widow who lost her son or the sisters who lost their brother. Hurting people got to Jesus. Mathew said He was ‘moved with compassion’ Here is how Dick Mills described this phrase.
“moved with compassion, splanchnizomai: To be moved with deep compassion or pity. The Greeks regarded the bowels (splanchna) as the place where strong and powerful emotions originated. The Hebrews regarded splanchna as the place where tender mercies and feelings of affection, compassion, sympathy, and pity originated. It is the direct motive for at least five of Jesus miracles.”
So it was love that got Him. That is the same love that He feels toward you. He is not unaffected by your troubles, He prays for you. He prays for you with compassion. Here is Spurgeon’s thought on this verse.
“When He left the boat and went forth, our Lord found a congregation waiting for Him. In the most emphatic sense He saw the people, and at the sight He was burdened. He was not angry at the great multitude, nor did He show disappointment at being balked in His pursuit of quiet; but He was moved with compassion. The original word is very expressive: His whole being was stirred to its lowest depth, and therefore He proceeded at once to perform miracles of mercy among them. They came unasked, He received them tenderly, He blessed them graciously, and at length fed them bountifully. … To those who needed Him most He attended first: ‘He healed their sick’! Lord, heal thou me, for I am sick in soul, if not in body!”
Do you get the picture? Jesus is not far removed with no concern about our struggles. He is with us, even in us, and what effects us effects Him. He feels the sting of your battles and He stands ready to help. How did the multitudes get help in this story? Why they sat at the feet of Jesus. That’s where our help is.
