Oct 20, 2019, | Pastor Nathan Elms
At the heart of Christianity is giving--
"For God so loved the world, he gave . . ." (John 3:16). We are never more like God than when we give. Jesus said, "I did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life" (Matt. 20:28). The world's thought is to get all you can. But to be like Jesus, we must give.
"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 have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come away with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest'" (Mark 6:30-31).
This event took place as the disciples were returning from a short-term mission trip. Jesus had sent them out two-by-two to heal the sick, cast out demons, and proclaim the Good News of the kingdom.
Apparently, it had been a successful and exhausting trip. In fact, it had been so successful that the people kept coming; they wanted more.
Jesus knew how tired and hungry his disciples were, so he hustled them into the boat, and they attempted to escape the madding crowd. But the crowd would not be denied. They followed the boat along the shoreline, spreading the news as they pass through towns and villages so that when Jesus and the 12 disciples finally landed, the crowd was already there waiting for the—5,000 men, along with women and the children.
The disciples' hearts must have sunk when they stepped out of the boat. But Jesus' heart did something else. Verse 34 tells us, "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd."
A flock of sheep without a shepherd would be as odd as a bus full of people without a driver; a football team without a quarterback; a third-grade classroom without a teacher. Seeing sheep without a shepherd would be as distressing as seeing a village without clean water; AIDS orphans without parents; a hospital without medicine; a nursing home with no visitors; teenagers with no role models; a convenience store clerk who doesn't know he matters.
