Before the Miracle: Why Jesus' Compassion for the 4,000 Matters More Than You Think

There’s so much beauty in revisiting the stories you’ve read many times before. Recently, I re-read the story of Jesus feeding the 4,000—an incredible moment in Scripture of God’s miraculous power on display. There is a detail about this story present in both Matthew 15 and Mark 8 that I missed in the past.

“Jesus called his disciples and said, ‘I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with me three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, otherwise they might collapse on the way.’

The disciples said to him, ‘Where could we get enough bread in this desolate place to feed such a crowd?’

‘How many loaves do you have?’ Jesus asked them.

‘Seven,’ they said, ‘and a few small fish.’

After commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They collected the leftover pieces—seven large baskets full. Now there were four thousand men who had eaten, besides women and children.” Matthew 15:32-38 (CSB)

In the past, I had been so focused on the physical miracle of feeding thousands of people that I missed an important component of this story: Jesus’ compassion for the people preceded the miraculous. Because Jesus had compassion on the crowds, he instructed the disciples to feed them. It’s such a simple detail, but I think this compassionate and collaborative miracle has profound implications for us today.

Compassion and Imagination

Jesus didn’t use his compassion to unilaterally feed everyone, but he invited his disciples into the process. His disciples were no doubt tired and hungry too—it’s safe to assume they probably didn’t feel like distributing the food. 

In verse 33, they wonder if it’s even possible for them to feed all of these people (a completely logical response). Perhaps they didn’t have the capacity due to fatigue and hunger to think outside of the box. Though they had seen miracles before, including a miraculous feeding of thousands of people, they could only see what was in right in front of them.

The disciples were focused on what they could see. But Jesus was calling them to tap into his compassion and see the situation differently. 

We should all respond to Jesus’ call of a renewed perspective. Just because things have always been done a certain way doesn’t mean they have to continue on in the same way. Maybe God wants to do something new in a situation of your life—but it requires a renewed imagination to see things differently.

What situation do you see in front of you? Where is Jesus’ compassion in it? And how might Jesus be inviting you to experience renewed imagination?

Compassion and Cooperation

I love that Jesus’ compassion becomes a group project. Verse 36 tells us that Jesus gave the food to the disciples who then gave the food to the crowds. Those same hungry and tired disciples had to walk through crowds of people, working together to ensure that everyone got the food they needed. 

What a beautiful illustration of what it means to be a follower of Christ. We’re not responsible for doing everything ourselves—we are partnering with God and others to bring his kingdom to earth. Jesus invited the disciples into his compassion, taking the time to explain to them what was motivating this massive feeding. Then, from that place of compassion, Jesus invited the disciples to act. Their compassion and cooperation combined glorified God and cared for the people.

Compassion doesn’t have to be an isolated experience. It can motivate us into closer community, and from that place, we can bring change to our communities.

How do you feel God is inviting you to compassion? How can you cooperate with others and act on that compassion?

Compassion and the Miraculous

The Bible makes it clear that God is a compassionate God. He feels deeply for people, but it’s not just a feeling; that emotion leads God to act. And it prompts us into action, too.

We are invited to participate in the miraculous that God wants to do today. But I believe that showing compassion for those that God is compassionate toward is an important part of it. Do we have the compassion to participate in God’s miracles?

Is there a person or a group that you have compassion for in your community? How can you allow that compassion to move you to action, joining with God and others to do the miraculous?

Jesus’ compassion helped to ignite the imagination of the disciples, welcomed them into cooperation, and set up the miraculous. What if we felt God’s compassion and allowed it to challenge and change us in the same way?