The Miracle Of Compassion

The Miracle Begins with Compassion

How do you define a miracle?

There is, of course, an official definition. Some event out of the norm that meets certain criteria. And then there is this whole spectrum of things we sometimes call miraculous—the sun setting every day, the meal set before you.

In Matthew 14, Jesus performs one of the most familiar miracles in Scripture. He takes five loaves of bread and two fish, gives thanks, breaks the bread, and gives it to the crowd. More than 5,000 people are fed.

That is certainly a miracle.

But I think the miracle started much earlier in the story.

Before the Bread Was Broken

Matthew tells us that Jesus had been with a huge crowd of people, teaching them. He needed a break.

So Jesus went out on the lake to rest, and the crowd followed Him on foot along the shore, searching for Him and wanting more of Him.

It's absolutely understandable that Jesus needed time to rest and recuperate from the exhaustion. It also makes sense that the crowd followed Him.

But the key moment comes when Matthew tells us:

“Jesus saw the crowds and had compassion on them.”

That's the starting point of the miracle.

The miracle of the food is a miracle about compassion.

Compassion Begins with Seeing

Think about what compassion actually is.

It begins with seeing.

Jesus saw the crowd. He saw the individual people in it. And then He was moved to care for them.

Even though He was exhausted, what He saw moved Him toward the people rather than away from them. He didn't respond with frustration. He had compassion.

When Jesus saw the crowd, He cared—and then He took action.

Maybe compassion has three pieces:

Seeing. Caring. Taking action.

If we have only the first two, perhaps that's closer to empathy. We see someone, and we care about what they're experiencing.

Apathy is different. We see, but we don't allow what we see to move us to care.

Compassion goes further.

Compassion requires action.

What Do You Notice?

What do you notice in your life that stirs you to care?

Is there a person you see?

A hurt?

A need?

Someone in distress?

Maybe you've already noticed something in someone's life, and it has moved you to care. That next step—taking action—is really where compassion resides.

And the action doesn't necessarily have to be extraordinary.

It might be making the phone call.

Writing the note.

Bringing the meal.

Taking someone out to lunch.

Scheduling the walk.

Or something else entirely.

The important movement is from seeing, to caring, to actually doing something with that care.

Where the Miracle Starts

We often look for the miracle at the end of the story—the moment when five loaves and two fish somehow become enough for thousands of people.

But perhaps there is something worth noticing about where it all began.

“The miracle starts with seeing, and then being moved to care, and then to see what's next in action.”

We see.

We care.

We take the next step.

And then we see where God takes it from there.

Sometimes one of the best things we can say when we notice someone who is hurting or carrying something difficult is also one of the simplest:

“I just want you to know I care.”

Maybe that's where compassion begins for us this week.

Notice the person in front of you. Allow yourself to care. And when there's a next step to take, take it.

May God bless you this week as you see, care, and are moved to action—and moved to compassion.