Caring about the Crowd

32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan. (Matthew 15)
Jesus always seemed to have perfect vision. When He was passing through a crowd He could pick out an individual needing healing, an encouraging word, or a special touch.  But He could also see the whole crowd, comprehending the vastness of need. Whether it was looking down on a crowd to whom He was speaking, or down the Mount of Olives on the city of Jerusalem, He had a heart big enough for the mass, the whole crowd.  As God the Son, His heart is big enough to do that. Ours are not. We often live life going from one tragic news story to another. Sometimes it involves an individual or family, while others it may involve a community stricken by a natural disaster or shooting spree, but our hearts are never as big as His.  We need His heart of compassion, His ability to always see and care for the crowd, and His perceptiveness to pick out the one He has placed before us to do something about ourselves. May we have the heart and eyes of Jesus today to see, to care, to act.