Misfortunes of Others

Matthew 14:13,14 “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

Jesus had just been told that John the Baptist had been beheaded. Hearing this Jesus must have felt anger, sorrow he just wanted to be left alone. So he got into a boat and went to be by himself. The crowds saw where he was going and they were there waiting for him when he arrived. This verse says that upon seeing the sick and hurting people he had compassion on them and healed them. Compassion is defined as concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.

I was driving home from work the other day and I was having one of those days that I just wanted to be left alone. Anger was bubbling inside me, I wasn’t sure where it was coming from but I knew I wanted to be by myself. I then noticed a man trying to change his tire on the side of the road. I could see that he could not remove the wheel. I thought that’s too bad I’ve been there, done that. I kept driving.  About a 1/2 mile down the road I stopped, I had a bar in my trunk designed to remove stubborn wheels. I turned around, pulled up behind him and asked if he needed help. He said, “Ya another guy just left and he couldn’t get this off either.” I went to my trunk grabbed the bar, crawled under his car and within a minute we had his wheel off the car.  I saw the relief on his face when he heard the pop and the wheel was off.  He thanked me and I left. I was about a mile down the road when I realized my anger was gone and I was smiling.

I told my daughter this story and she said that is what the Pastor spoke about the past Sunday. She said he read the above verse about Jesus and the verses that follow in Matthew 14, about Jesus breaking the five loaves and two fish and handing the pieces to the disciples who then gave them to the people. The bible says 5,000 men plus women and children ate and where satisfied that day.

God has handed each of us gifts and resources that we are to use to bless the people around us. It can be something as simple as a crow bar that was lying unused in my trunk. Yet it was the exact tool that was needed to help a man stranded on the side of the road. It was lying unused and useless until I had felt the compassion, concern for his misfortune.

I was so blessed to have stopped that day. It also made me think; What gifts has God given me that are lying unused and useless locked away inside of me?