August 4, 2025
Compassion - Part 1
Mark 8:1-3
08/04/2025
1 In those days, when again a great crowd had
gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called
his disciples to him and said to them,
2 ``I have compassion on the crowd, because they
have been with me now three days and have nothing
to eat.
3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes,
they will faint on the way. And some of them have
come from far away.'' (ESV)
The two most familiar verses of the Bible, Psalm 23 and John
3:16, speak of God's love, grace, and mercy. This week's Gospel
lesson, the Feeding of the 4,000 as recorded by Mark, builds on
the theme of Jesus' words, ``I have compassion on the crowd.''
This miracle, which is similar to the Feeding of the 5,000, took
place in the region of the Decapolis, Gentile territory. Unlike
the more famous miracle, which led to the famous ``bread of
life'' discourse, the focus of this account is simply Jesus
feeding all people.
In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered,
and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to
him and said to them, ``I have compassion on the crowd,
because they have been with me now three days and have
nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to
their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of
them have come from far away.''
In the same way Jesus fed the 5,000 Jewish followers in
Galilee, He had compassion on the Gentiles in the Decapolis. As
Saint John wrote, and this miracle demonstrates, ``For God so
loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son.''[1] It
didn't matter if the crowds were the children of Israel or
Gentiles, Jesus gave them the good news of salvation by grace.
He showed His deep love and compassion, both for their physical
and spiritual well-being.
May our Lord show you His compassion as you receive your
daily bread and as you hear His holy Word. Amen.
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1. John 3:16