Steve Biegel

Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV)

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.”

Reflection:

During a recent men’s study group session, our pastor made a distinction between two words I had always considered to be synonyms: empathy and compassion. He noted that although empathy – understanding and sharing the feelings of another person – is a necessary step toward compassion, it is strictly emotional and often painful. Compassion, however, combines that awareness with a desire to alleviate the other’s pain or distress. Put differently, compassion is empathy together with responsive action. In this familiar Bible passage, Jesus empathetically perceives the needs of the people he encounters and responds with action that addresses their spiritual and physical needs.

To perceive the needs of the people in those crowds, Jesus had to truly “see” them. To him, they were not just a needy mass clamoring for help, a burden for him to deal with, but a bunch of individuals who were distressed and dispirited. Jesus was clearly empathetic, but he did not just “feel their pain”; he responded to their spiritual needs with a message of eternal hope and promise, and to their physical needs with healing. The passage ends with Jesus observing that there is no shortage of those in need, only in those serving, and directing the disciples to pray for more people to get engaged.

For years, I was guilty of “paralysis by analysis”, avoiding any number of ministry volunteer opportunities while trying to ascertain my personal “spiritual gifts”. Thinking I needed to figure that out in order to know how and where to serve, while at the same time questioning whether I was even worthy to do ministry work given my many shortcomings, I just did not volunteer. I particularly avoided numerous invitations to get involved with a couple of different prison ministries in which men of my church are active, despite my empathy for the people those ministries serve. However, a couple of friends were persistent, and (with a great deal of trepidation) I finally agreed to join their team for a prison ministry weekend. I can honestly say it ended up being an amazingly rewarding experience and a lesson for me that God does not call the equipped; God equips the called.

Although Matthew 9 ends with Jesus directing the disciples to pray, it is worth noting the very next thing that happens in Chapter 10 is Jesus sending the disciples out to work, telling them “freely you have received, freely give.” Also, note that Jesus clearly states the difficult work – producing the harvest – is the Lord’s business. He invites us to compassionately join in that work by recognizing the needs of people around us, responding empathetically to those needs, and then taking action by contributing our time and talents to address them.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, please open my eyes to see the needs of those around me, make my heart empathetic to those needs, and move me to be your hands and feet by responding in service with gratitude for all you have done for me. Please help me to overcome my reluctance and doubts by trusting that you will equip me to do your work so that my efforts will bless those I seek to serve. Finally, Lord, please inspire others to join me in your work. Amen.