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Daily Devotions

Matthew

Matthew 
Day 
Day 135

Just One Person Doing All the Work!

Text: Matthew 9 : 32 - 38

Matthew was very candid when He wrote the following words.

“Then Jesus went about all the cities and
villages, teaching in their synagogues,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and
healing every sickness and every disease
among the people.”
Matthew 9:35

The author wrote honestly, and noted that though there were disciples who attended Jesus, He was the principal character doing the work of teaching, preaching and healing. The disciples were not quite ready to assist Him yet. They would have to first raise their level of knowledge and faith to serve alongside Him. They would have to find the strength necessary to cope with the amount of work that had to be done each day!

COMPELLED BY COMPASSION

What drove Jesus to do all that He did? What compelled Him to attempt what must seem like an impossible gargantuan task? Matthew had this to say.

“But when He saw the multitudes, He was
moved with compassion for them, because
they were weary and scattered, like sheep
having no shepherd.”
Matthew 9:36

“But when He saw the multitudes…”

There were multitudes in every city and in every village, not just Capernaum! Hundreds, thousands flocked to Jesus whenever they knew that He was in the vicinity. He saw more than just a sea of nameless faces.

“He was moved with compassion for them…”

As Jesus taught and preached, each message He brought was accompanied by a deep sense of compassion. No matter how many people He healed, He always felt deeply for each one. Yes, though they did not understand Him and told all their friends about how they were healed, despite strict instructions on the subject, He still cared for those who were brought to Him for healing. The compassion that He felt in His heart was so real and deep, it gave Him the impetus to minister as He did.

“Weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd…”

No matter how weary Jesus was at the end of each day, He knew that the weariness felt by the multitudes was even worse. His weariness came about because of hard work. Their weariness came about because they were “scattered like sheep having no shepherd”.

Where were the shepherds of Israel? We are sadly reminded of what Zechariah wrote in his prophetic book.

“Woe to the worthless shepherd,
Who leaves the flock!”
Zechariah 11:17

How did the “worthless shepherd” do his work? He didn’t! A description of the work that the worthless shepherd did not do is found in the following text.

“A shepherd in the land who will not care
for those who are cut off, nor seek the
young, nor heal those that are broken,
nor feed those that still stand. But he will
eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves to pieces.”
Zechariah 11:16

Jesus saw many scribes and Pharisees. Instead of shepherding Israel with compassion, they separated themselves from the sinners. When they too came to Jesus, it was for ulterior reasons. They came to find fault!

A SHEPHERD AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART

Jesus had a true shepherd’s heart. He would be familiar with this text from the pen of the prophet Isaiah.

“Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand,
And His arm shall rule for Him.
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.
He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.”
Isaiah 40:10-11

This text was truly fulfilled in Jesus! His work was truly before Him. It was a great work. It was exhausting work. It was work that saw Him get up a great while before dawn. It was a work that saw Him fully occupied till late at night! How could the true and great shepherd think of rest when the flock was in such need!

HOW DID THE DISCIPLES FEEL AS THEY FOLLOWED JESUS?

One of the reasons why Jesus got His disciples to follow Him was the hope that they would catch a vision of the work that He did. They must not only catch the same vision, they must also be deeply moved with compassion too. Vision without compassion cannot be sustained.