The Bible shows us that at times Moses struggled with the responsibilities entrusted to him. The Israelites were getting a little tired of the manna that God gave them, and they grumbled over it. They missed the meat and vegetables they ate in Egypt. Moses was upset with God because he had to deal with the complaints of the Israelites.
Moses was pretty irritated with God for dragging him into such a situation. He would instead have faced death than deal with their complaints. Moses’ situation may sound familiar to many of us.
Imagine trying to lead people with selfish motives. Or think of families that have to deal with illness, addiction, and economic poverty. Do we not get irritated or disheartened like Moses?
The Gospel passage tells us how Jesus dealt with his challenging situations. When Jesus’ cousin, John, had been beheaded, He needed solitude to accept that reality, so He went to a deserted place. When the crowds followed Jesus, He did not get irritated over the unexpected intrusion into His privacy. Instead, He had compassion for them because He knew their needs.
So, He did not accept the disciples’ practical solution to send the people away but told them to give them something to eat even though they had nothing but five loaves and two fish. When the disciples obeyed, everyone had enough to eat, and there was plenty leftover.
The compassionate heart of Jesus was quick to notice the needs of the crowds. His compassion compelled Him to forego His own needs and attend to the people around Him.
So, He reached out to them, taught them, healed them, and fed them. He first satisfied their spiritual needs and, later, their physical needs by feeding them.
A compassionate heart cannot turn away from people or run away from responsibilities but must get involved, looking for solutions.
Because of His compassionate heart, God sent us His only Son to us who sees and satisfies our every need, be it spiritual or physical. It may not be according to our format, though.
Each day, as we nourish and depend on God’s compassionate love, let us not forget to pass it on.
Are we ready to be partners with Jesus in showing compassion to those around us in our daily lives?
Just as Jesus expected His disciples to give the crowd something to satisfy their hunger, He expects us to have compassion and satisfy the needs of our family members, our colleagues, and anyone who needs our help.
