The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

July 21, 2024

Mark 6:30-34

Meaningful Ministry —

Jesus Models a Shepherd’s Compassionate Heart!

30The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. (NIV1984)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Are you a compassionate person? Before you answer that question let’s make sure we all understand what compassion is. Compassion is defined in this way, “sorrow for the sufferings or troubles of another, accompanied by an urge to help.” Most of us would probably consider ourselves to be a compassionate person. Most of us would probably want others to consider us to be a compassionate person— especially when we consider that the opposite of compassionate is: cruel, heartless, unsympathetic. For most of us it’s not difficult to be compassionate. When someone we know and love is going through a difficult time in their life we naturally have compassion for them. When we watch the news and see people who are the victims of war or the victims of crime or the victims of a natural disaster, even though we may not personally know them, we have compassion for them.

It certainly doesn’t surprise us that our God is the God of perfect compassion! Over and over again the Scriptures reveal to us that our God is filled with “sorrow for the sufferings and troubles” of us poor, mortal sinful human beings. Over and over again the Scriptures reveal to us that our God overflows with an “urge to help” us!

Because our God is the God of perfect compassion, the portion of Scripture that serves as our sermon text for today does not surprise us at all. Not only does Mark highlight the compassion that filled the heart of our dear Lord and Savior, but Mark also helps us to gain an even deeper understanding of what it means to have a Meaningful Ministry. Combining those two truths let’s study our text under the theme: Meaningful Minisstry— Jesus Models a Shepherd’s Compassionate Heart!

Our sermon text takes place between two dramatically important events. Just prior to our text Mark records the execution of John the Baptist. Directly after our text Mark records the miraculous feeding of over 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. In between those two dramatically important events Mark tells us, “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.”

Here we see that Jesus’ heart was filled with compassionate for His disciples. The disciples had just returned from their very first “solo” mission trip and they were eager to “inform” Jesus, to “proclaim” to Jesus all the things they had accomplished and all the things they had taught. Even though the disciples were undoubtedly very tired, they were very excited to share with Jesus that because of the authority that Jesus had given to them they were able to preach a powerful message of repentance and they were able to back up their message with miraculous signs and wonders!

At the very same time, the disciples had undoubtedly heard about the execution of John the Baptist. This would have had a powerful impact on the disciples. You may recall that John and Andrew started out as disciples of John the Baptist and then became disciples of Jesus. All of the disciples were grieving over John’s death. Some of the disciples may have been wondering to themselves, “If this is what happens to someone who faithfully preaches a message of repentance, do I really want to go out and preach that same message?” Jesus’ compassion for His disciples led Him to see just how much His excited and grieving disciples needed to spend some quiet time with Him. Therefore, when the crowds became so overwhelming that “they did not even have a chance to eat,” Jesus knew what He had to do. In compassion He said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Jesus spoke those words to us! We all know that there are times when we are overwhelmed by the events of our life. Here we might automatically think of the not so positive things that can easily overwhelm us. Like the disciples here in our text we might be overwhelmed by grief when someone we love or when someone we look up to and admire dies. There is the grief that can come with the inevitable passage of time. The older we get the more likely it is that our body and/or our mind no longer works the way it was designed to work. A younger person might be overwhelmed with concern about what they are going to do after they graduate from high school or after they graduate from college. Will I find the “right” person to spend my life with? Will I find a “good” job?

What burdens are you bearing, my friends? While our burdens might be hidden from others, Jesus sees them all. He knows all about the hidden hurts, the wounds you keep secret from everyone else. Not only does Jesus know them, not only does Jesus see them, but Jesus’ heart is filled with compassion for you because of them! As your compassionate Shepherd Jesus has the power to heal your hurts. As your compassionate Shepherd you are important to Him. Always remember: Nothing is too big for Jesus to take care of and nothing is too small for Jesus to be concerned about. The One who has conquered death and won eternal life for you can conquer your day-to-day problems as well. The One who knows each and every star by name, the One who watches over the flight of the lowly sparrow is the One whose heart is filled with so much compassion for you that He extends to you the same invitation that He extended to His disciples so many years ago, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Where is the “quiet place” where we can spend some time with Jesus? Where is the “quiet place” where Jesus Himself gives us “rest”? Sometimes it is in the privacy of our own home. Every time we sit down to read and study our Bible at home we have the opportunity to spend some “quiet time” with Jesus and receive the “rest” that only He can give to us. Sometimes that “quiet place” is right here in God’s house. The Sunday morning worship service gives us an opportunity to tune out all the static and all the “busyness” of our everyday life and spend some “quiet time” with Jesus. Even though we gather together with our brothers and sisters in the faith, here in God’s house our compassionate Shepherd spends quality time with us as individuals. He personally forgives our sins. He personally speaks to us through His holy inspired Word. He personally comes to us through His holy Supper. So if ever/ when ever you are feeling overwhelmed by life, listen as your compassionate Shepherd says to you, “Come spend some quiet time with Me,” or as He says in our text, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

The second portion of our text reveals to us that the compassion that Jesus felt for His weary and grieving disciples also extended to the huge crowd that had gathered around Him. Mark tells us, “But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”

Here is where we find the “heart” of this text: “He had compassion on them.” As a noun the word that is translated here as “compassion” refers to someone’s “inner parts,” the “seat of their emotions.” As a verb it means, “to have compassion, to feel sympathy.” My favorite translation of this word is found in Luke 7:13. When Jesus was entering the city of Nain He came face-to-face with a widow who was preparing to bury her only son. Luke tells us, “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’” Then He raised her son back to life.

When Jesus saw the “large crowd” He had “compassion on them.” He was filled with “sympathy” for them. His “heart went out to them.” Why? Mark tells us, “Because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” Sadly, many of the religious leaders of God’s people were much like the “shepherds” whom the Lord condemned in our Old Testament reading for today. (Jeremiah 23:1-6) In Matthew 15 Jesus condemned the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law by describing them as “blind guides” (Matthew 15:14). In Matthew 23 Jesus described them as “hypocrites” (verse 13) and as “whitewashed tombs” (verse 27).

Because the spiritual leaders of God’s people had failed God’s people what does Jesus’ compassionate heart lead Him to do? Mark tells us, “So he began teaching them many things.” While Mark does not give us any details Luke tells us, “He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing” (Luke 9:11). Here we see once again how Jesus’ compassionate heart is revealed in both the words that He spoke and in the actions that He took.

The example of a meaningful ministry that the Holy Spirit places before us this morning is the example that we need to strive to follow. A meaningful ministry is a ministry that strives to reflect His (Pointing to the cross) compassionate heart to others. How do we do this? Let me give you two suggestions.

First, as we strive to follow the model that Jesus gives to us here in our text, we strive to make sure that our ministry is a meaningful ministry by showing compassion to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Here would be a good time to remember what our compassionate Savior says to us through His servant Paul, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). The meaningful ministry that God has given to us is what enables us to be “kind and merciful,” to be “compassionate and tenderhearted” toward each other— even if or especially when someone sins against us.

The meaningful ministry that God has given to us also empowers us to remember that compassionate words and compassionate actions go hand-in-hand. This means that we don’t simply have love, we don’t simply talk about love, but we openly live our lives in such a way that we reflect God’s love to each other. It is a simple and wonderful truth: We are compassionate and caring toward each other because Jesus is compassionate and caring to us! This compassion and this caring apply on both a physical level as well as on a spiritual level. Our compassion enables us to consciously pay attention to someone, to truly listen to them, to heartfully feel for them and then openly respond in caring ways. Our compassion enables us to share the Good News of the Kingdom, to counsel each other and encourage each other with the counsel and the encouragement we receive from Him (Pointing to the cross) through His holy Word.

Second, following the model that Jesus gives to us here in our text, we strive to make our ministry a meaningful ministry by showing compassion to people who are outside of the family of believers. Like the large crowd that met Jesus on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, there are many people today who fit Jesus’ description, “they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

Many people today are hurting and lost— on both a physical level and on a spiritual level. And as we emphasized last week one way to show people that we care about their spiritual needs is to show them that we care about their physical needs. This includes letting the compassion that we feel in our hearts be revealed in acts of mercy in our life. While that is an easy thing to say, it’s not always an easy thing to do, is it. It means that we set aside our prejudice and get rid of our pride. It means that we overcome our selfishness and exercise our Christlikeness. Very simply, it means that we strive to be like Him (Pointing to the cross)— in both our words and our actions.

Compassion. Compassion is “sorrow for the suffering or troubles of others” Compassion is “accompanied by an urge to help” May God grant that our ministry will always be a meaningful ministry as we strive to follow the model that our perfect compassionate Shepherd has given to us.

To God be the glory!

Amen