March 10th, 2026
by Ryan McAllister
by Ryan McAllister
Matthew 9:36
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Compassion is an emotion that moves us toward others. The word comes from the Latin compati, meaning “to suffer with.” True compassion does not remain distant or detached. It draws us near to those who are hurting and stirs us to care for them.
Jesus is compassionate. As John Calvin observed, “Christ put on our feelings as well as our flesh.” He did not merely appear to experience human emotion; He truly experienced it. Again and again in the Gospels, Christ’s compassion moved Him to heal the sick, restore the broken, and care for those in need.
Yet Jesus’ compassion reached deeper than physical or emotional relief. While He cared for bodily suffering, He also saw the greater need beneath it: the spiritual condition of the human heart.
Consider the paralytic whose friends lowered him through the roof (Matthew 9:1-8). Before addressing the man’s inability to walk, Jesus spoke the greater word: “Your sins are forgiven.” To those watching, this must have seemed strange. Surely the man had come to be healed. But Christ knew that the deepest need before Him was not the man’s legs, but his soul.
As we move toward Resurrection Sunday, may we grow in Christlike compassion. May we see the visible needs around us and respond with kindness and care. But may we also see what Christ saw: people harassed and helpless, sheep without a shepherd, in need of the Good Shepherd Himself.
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Compassion is an emotion that moves us toward others. The word comes from the Latin compati, meaning “to suffer with.” True compassion does not remain distant or detached. It draws us near to those who are hurting and stirs us to care for them.
Jesus is compassionate. As John Calvin observed, “Christ put on our feelings as well as our flesh.” He did not merely appear to experience human emotion; He truly experienced it. Again and again in the Gospels, Christ’s compassion moved Him to heal the sick, restore the broken, and care for those in need.
Yet Jesus’ compassion reached deeper than physical or emotional relief. While He cared for bodily suffering, He also saw the greater need beneath it: the spiritual condition of the human heart.
Consider the paralytic whose friends lowered him through the roof (Matthew 9:1-8). Before addressing the man’s inability to walk, Jesus spoke the greater word: “Your sins are forgiven.” To those watching, this must have seemed strange. Surely the man had come to be healed. But Christ knew that the deepest need before Him was not the man’s legs, but his soul.
As we move toward Resurrection Sunday, may we grow in Christlike compassion. May we see the visible needs around us and respond with kindness and care. But may we also see what Christ saw: people harassed and helpless, sheep without a shepherd, in need of the Good Shepherd Himself.
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