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Riverside Sept.14, 2025
More About Jesus #10
Compassionate Jesus -The Art of Touch
Text: Matthew 9:35-36
"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."
When Jesus looked at the people following Him He saw harassed, helpless, burdened, troubled, anxious and weary people. He sees the same today, doesn’t He? He had compassion on them some 2000 years ago and He has not changed. Jesus has compassion on us today.
-my hope and deepest prayer for you is that you would catch a glimpse, today, of how much compassion Jesus has for you. Our God and Saviour, this Jesus we follow and believe in -He sees you, He sees your situation, your every burden, your every worry, your every fear and He feels it so much so that He has compassion upon you.
Compassion is more than just feeling sorry for someone, -it is the movement of the heart that leads to action. In Jesus, we meet not only the Son of God but the very embodiment of divine compassion. And that compassion of Jesus is directed straight at you and me.
If Jesus walked into this room right now and saw you, yes, you, if He saw you with all your burdens and difficulties, with all your weakness and secrets would He have compassion on you? Yes, 1000 yeses - Jesus doesn’t just have compassion, He IS, compassion. His heart is touched with our grief.
When He came to Moses on Mt.Sinai He declared and described Himself to Moses, as abounding in love and full of compassion. Listen to the Lord God’s self-description: (Marilyn went to Israel, climbed Mt. Sinai and was at this very spot where God described Himself)
Exodus 34:6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,
YHWH – YHWH -the compassionate One – this is Jesus -Compassionate
The compassion of Jesus wasn’t mere sentiment; it changed lives, restored hope, and revealed the very heart of God. When you meet Jesus this way, in His compassion, when His compassion touches you deeply, it will change you and He will give you renewed hope. Why, because Jesus is compassionate towards you. Remember, Humble Jesus invites you and all your burdens to come to Him for rest. Why? - because He has compassion on you.
I want you to discover afresh the compassionate heart of Jesus, not just as a theological point, but as an invitation to encounter the humble Savior who sees, feels, and cares for you, personally. Jesus had the art of the touch because He was so compassionate. He is even now compassionate towards you SOOOO let Jesus touch you once again.
Jesus touched the blind man, the leper, Jarius’s dead daughter and He has touched me -Jesus wants to touch you in your weakness and in your failures and in your sorrows. It will change you and give you renewed hope. His compassion, His touch is grace like you’ve never known. In His compassion towards you, He can be your dearest and closest friend. Open your heart to Christ’s compassion and invite His touch to whatever troubles your life. Through the fire or through the chill Jesus can deliver you to the other side.
The Greek word used in the New Testament for compassion is splagchnizomai, which literally refers to being moved in the inward parts—the guts. It’s a deep, visceral response. When the Bible says Jesus “had compassion,” it means He was deeply moved, not in pity, but in love and urgency.
In Matthew 9:36, we see Jesus looking out over the crowds—people who are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” He doesn’t respond with anger, irritation, or detachment. No, No, remember Jesus is humble, He doesn’t berate us in our troubles 🡪He is moved with compassion.
The people Jesus was looking at were:
Physically sickSpiritually confusedReligiously burdened
Anxious, worried, fearful, downtrodden and even bewildered at life.
-sounds like us!! -sounds like me!!! -I see Jesus and He’s looking at me -I want to look away but I can’t because He has such compassion for me. I can see it in His eyes. He sincerely loves me and deeply cares for me and beckons me to come close. “Come unto me all you who are burdened and have a heavy load…” Then He touches me and I am no longer the same.
To Jesus, the crowd weren’t statistics or faceless masses. They were souls, each one carrying pain, each one longing, and each one bore the image of God. Just like you and me.
Let’s walk through key moments in Jesus’ ministry where His compassion shines through:
-Marilyn has been studying the book of Mark recently and she pointed out a strange statement made in Mark 6. Jesus’s compassion is evident in His ‘home’ town of Nazareth but He is limited in His healing of others by their lack of faith -He can’t really touch them.
Mark 6 And they took offense at him. (all the neighbors were offended by Jesus because He was just one of them 🡪 they even saw His miracles but wouldn’t believe)
4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.
-THERFORE -if you want Jesus to touch you and your life, you must believe that His touch can make a difference. Have ‘big faith’. His compassionate touch has made all the difference in my life.
In Luke 15, Jesus tells the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. These stories all reflect the compassionate pursuit of God toward the lost. God has compassion for you and pursues you, remember God’s description of Himself -full of compassion and abounding in love 🡪towards you. The father runs to meet the prodigal son, embracing him. As God runs to you, He wants to embrace you and welcome you home 🡪 He is compassionate towards you.Do you need the Master’s touch?
Jesus doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up. His compassion meets us in our mess. He eats with tax collectors and sinners—not to affirm sin, but to restore the broken. His heart aches for those far from God.
In Luke 19:41, He weeps over Jerusalem, longing for its people to turn to Him.
Jesus knew suffering firsthand. At the tomb of Lazarus, He wept (John 11:35). Though He would raise Lazarus in a moment, He still entered into compassionate grief for him.
In Gethsemane, His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow. On the cross, He bore not just physical pain but the full weight of humanity’s sin. In His darkest moment, He had compassion:
On His mother: “Woman, here is your son.”Compassion.
On the thief: “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” Compassion.
On His enemies: “Father, forgive them.” Compassion.
Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10. Unlike hired hands, He doesn’t run when danger comes. He lays down His life for the sheep. He knows each one by name, He knows your name, 🡪 you.
Psalm 23, the famous shepherd’s psalm, finds its fulfillment in Jesus:
Compassionately He makes us lie down in green pastures to give us rest
He walks with us through the valley of the shadow — He is compassionately present in our suffering, in the shadows and in the night. Compassionate Jesus walks with us always -through the fire and through the rain -He never leaves us because He is compassionate.
As followers of Christ, we are called to reflect Jesus, all of Him including His compassion. We have ‘to get over ourselves’. It’s not enough to admire Jesus’ compassion; we must embody it, let it shine through.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” — Ephesians 4:32
(APPLICATION)
Compassion starts with seeing. Jesus “saw the crowds.” In our busy lives, we often overlook the hurting around us. Compassion slows us down. It listens. It notices.
-above all, please see other believers with compassion like Christ does
… -many brothers and sisters are hurting, wounded -be compassionate
(APPLICATION)
True compassion involves empathy—feeling with others. Weep with others, laugh with others -get your hands dirty with the emotions of life and be humbly a beacon of hope and joy to others. Life isn’t all about me -no, no, Jesus came to serve others and He entered that service fully and Jesus was emotionally engaged. -He was compassionate. Like the Good Samaritan, we must allow our hearts to be interrupted and in-convenienced by someone else’s pain.
(APPLICATION)
Compassion moves us to act. It might look like:
Helping a struggling neighbor
Forgiving someone who wronged you
Supporting someone in grief 0r Taking money out of your pocket for others
Let’s be honest, compassion isn’t always easy. We often face internal obstacles:
Judgment: “They brought it on themselves.”
Fatigue: “I’ve helped enough already.”
Fear: “What if I get hurt?”
Busyness: “I don’t have time.”
But Jesus overcame all these. His compassion was without restrictions, endless mercy -thank God He was compassionate to me. Be like Jesus.
The cross is the greatest act of compassion. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
God didn’t abandon humanity in its suffering and sin. God didn’t abandon you in your sin and storms. He entered into it. He bore it. And He conquered it. The Gospel is God’s compassion in action—saving and restoring all who believe.
Perhaps you are here today feeling broken, rejected, or far from God. Hear this: Jesus sees you. He knows you. And He is moved with compassion for you.
Come to Him. Not with perfect faith or cleaned-up righteousness—but with your need. He will not turn you away.
“A bruised reed He will not break, …— Matthew 12:20
Jesus is not harsh. He is gentle. He is lowly in heart, humble. And He compassionately invites all, including you, all who are weary and burdened to come and find rest in Him (Matthew 11:28-30). Let Him touch you. Walk with Him every day, all the way. Let Him touch you.
(Prayer)
Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your compassion—a love so deep it moved You to heal the sick, feed the hungry, forgive the sinner, and die for the lost, for me. Touch us Lord and help us to touch others. Help us to see others as You see them, to feel with them as You did, and to act in love. Give us hearts that break for what breaks Yours. And for those who feel far off today, let them know Your nearness. In Your name we pray, Amen.
