HE HAD COMPASSION ON THEM
Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34
The oncologist walked through the parking lot with just one thought: the dire diagnosis he had handed Jim. Advanced pancreatic cancer. He noticed an elderly gentleman handing tools to someone under his stalled car. That someone was Jim! Doc yelled: “Jim, what are you doing?” Jim crawled out, dusted off his pants, and said: Doc, my cancer didn’t tell me to stop helping others.” He waved at the man to start the car. The engine roared to life. The man thanked Jim and drove off. Jim got into his car and took off as well.
His pain did not stop Jim from seeing another’s predicament and reaching out to help.
We have heard about similar stories of compassion. Perhaps we have experienced such compassion.
The greatest story of compassion is about God’s compassionate love for his people, of his constant and caring presence with his people through shepherd judges and kings.
However, as the first reading portrays, some shepherds showed no concern for the needs of their people. God’s response is swift: he will be their shepherd and raise new shepherds for them.
The model of these new shepherds is Jesus, who is filled with compassion for people. In today’s Gospel text, Jesus manifests his compassion twice.
He has compassion on his disciples, who return weary after their missionary travels, but are interrupted by the “many who were coming and going” so that “they had no time to eat”. Jesus takes them to a lonely place. But there is no “lonely place”! The people see where the boat was headed and get there first!
These are the “poor of the land” considered ignorant, labelled sinners, and treated as outcasts by the pharisees and scribes. Jesus has compassion on them. His tiredness does not stop him from seeing and responding to the people’s need. and he tends the flock by teaching them. By not sending the people away, Jesus gives his disciples a profound teaching and an illustration of the tender love of God for his people.
The Lord invites us to have this caring and compassionate love.
To whom and how am I going to be caring and compassionate in the week ahead? How do I handle “interruptions” to my moments of rest/ leisure/ work?
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