Compassion vs. Selfishness

This morning I have been meditating on my own selfishness - not a pretty picture. The Lord led me to these verses in Matthew.

(NIV)Matthew 14:13-18
When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. [14] When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. [15] As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” [16] Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” [17] “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. [18] “Bring them here to me,” he said.

These verses follow the death of John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin. His response to this news was to want to be by himself, but the crowds followed Him. When He saw the crowd, rather than being perturbed, as I would be, He had compassion on them and healed their sick. We know from the following verses that this was a huge crowd, more than five thousand, so when it says He healed their sick that is a huge understatement. This was potentially hours of ministry, if not all day.

By the evening, His disciples were getting tired and hungry and wanted to send the crowds away, but Jesus didn't want to. In fact, He invited them to come to Him. He is such a great example of complete unselfishness. His concern was for the people. His heart was moved by their need for healing and their hunger.

Lord, help me to get beyond my own perspective of my needs and wants and see the people as You do! Help me to have compassion that overrides my own selfish view and actions.