Sermons Matthew 9:36, The Compassion of Jesus

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd, MAT 9:36.

The New Testament makes several references to the compassion of Jesus. This word compassion as found in the original has a very special meaning; it expresses the deepest emotion of the soul. "It is to have the bowels yearn with inward affection; it is a yearning of the inmost nature with pity, or sympathy."

In the Book of Psalms we read, "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him," PSA 103:13.

Sometimes your love for your children may be drowned in other affairs when things are going well, but if a child is in a deep set of circumstances, a deep trial, or even on their death bed, the deep inner emotions of the soul are drawn out to that child. Then the yearning of the heart and soul go out unto that child.

Our text speaks of the compassion found in the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ which far exceeds that example. His compassion was prompted by seeing His loved ones scattered as sheep having no shepherd; they were scattered abroad in a wasted wilderness in such a place, and in such a way there was no food or comfort for their souls. They were faint, lost, starving, and in despair.

Jesus came to seek and save just those. Now we see the compassion of His heart being drawn out to them; His inner affection, sympathy, and pity filled His soul for this dying race. They were dying in their sins and miseries as sheep scattered abroad without a shepherd.

"When [Jesus] saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them..." These multitudes were fainting; they were spiritually starving, and He was moved with compassion when He saw them.

This word moved comes from the same word in the Greek as the word compassion which teaches us the extremity of the yearning of our Saviour's inmost soul for those objects of His sympathy.

His heart was so moved that it brought about these very inner expressions of such pity and sympathy of our Savior's soul for those objects of His mercy.

It was the birth of His compassion for this dying human race which had separated themselves from God in paradise. Now they are scattered; the shepherds whom the Lord had sent to care for them were feeding themselves of the flock instead of feeding the flock.

Those shepherds were the scribes and Pharisees, and they were not feeding the flock. The flock was in a deplorable condition.

So what was it that our Saviour saw which excited such deep sympathy? They were scattered. Our text says, "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." Here is Jesus, the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls; He came to lead the flock. His compassion went out to this multitude.

The true flock of Christ was not able to follow those self- willed, self-righteous, legalistic, unloving, in-compassionate pastors who led the Lord's flock. They were not feeding and caring for the flock; they were walking as lords over the flock and ruling by the letter of the law; they taught legalism. They never understood the spirit of the law, rather they taught those things which were self-gratifying. Jesus saw how the true flock of God was being scattered and driven out.

This is not a new situation as we see in EZE 34:2-4, "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them."

You see those who had a spiritual struggle were not being comforted; those who were fainting within themselves, spiritually, were being driven away. The balm of Gilead was not being administered to the wounds of those who were sick.

Those who were spiritually broken, and cast down, were not comforted by the legalistic religion which was filled with do this and don't do that. They ruled by the letter of the law. There was no spiritual balm or healing. There was no drawing by love of those who were driven away; their leaders were ruling over them with commandments of men. They were using the private interpretations of the law to fabricate their own commandments.

Do you realize how horrible it is when those who profess to be God's servants and shepherds use private interpretations of the Word of God? The scribes and Pharisees were interpreting the law saying it means this and this, on and on. They were creating burdens that were heavy, but they wouldn't touch it with one of their little fingers.

They fed themselves and their egos by glorifying themselves and lifting themselves up. This scattered the flock. When the true Shepherd of the flock came to heal these bleating lambs this is what our Savior saw, they were as sheep having no shepherd. Yes, this scattered flock had shepherds, but they were shepherds who fed themselves of the flock and did not have the fear of God within them.

Our text is the fulfillment of what the Lord promised in EZE 34:11-12 and 16, "For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment."

See the context of our text to see the self-righteous, legalistic, unloving, in-compassionate spirit in the pastors who led the Lord's flock--which moved the compassion of our Saviour. I want you to see how the condition of the flock Jesus saw at the time our text was spoken is exactly that described in Ezekiel 34.

Let's look at MAT 9:32-34 to see the context of our text. "As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marveled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils."

See how Jesus is doing all the things a good Shepherd does for His flock. Jesus was healing the sick and preaching the gospel to the poor! They are the things referred to in Ezekiel 34, but the Pharisees who were the pastors of the flock took exception to this compassionate care of the Savior. They accused Him; they were hard-hearted and lacked compassion because it didn't bring them any glory. They wanted to feed upon the flock; they wanted to feed their own ego.

The compassion of Jesus was intensified by the unloving spirit of the pastors of the flock. In keeping our text in context we continue reading, "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd," MAT 9:35-36.

That is the very fulfilling of Ezekiel 34:10. His heart was so drawn out to the people because they had such an unloving leadership.

Under such circumstances we see our compassionate Mediator fulfilling what Ezekiel prophesied. MAT 9:35-38 says, "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. [Jesus is fulfilling the prophesy.] But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted [There was no healing balm, no love, nothing to bring about healing.], and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few."

The laborers were not true servants of God; they were serving themselves for their own gain.

The church today is languishing in the same spoil. Today those who go forth as pastors and shepherds of the flock are feeding themselves.

They are after the paycheck. They've got their education and are looking for full coffers; they really don't have a heart for those who are fainting. They don't go out to the individual to find out where they are hurting and wounded.

Their hearts can be bleating and crying, yet the pastors do not go out to them with loving sympathy. Compassion is missing. Therefore, the Lord says, "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."

It is important to note that Jesus did not give to those pastors who were feeding themselves of the flock a pastor's heart. The Lord did not alter the Pharisee and turn them into true pastors and shepherds of His flock.

Our Saviour said in MAT 9:37-38, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest." So who did He send? It wasn't someone from the Pharisee's school who knew the law as it was interpreted by the Pharisees.

He took His people out from under their cruel rule and replaced them with pastors according to His will. As we see, it is the fulfilling of EZE 34:10. "Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them."

Jesus sent His disciples who followed His footsteps; those whom the Pharisees despised, Jesus sent out to feed His flock. They would go out and gather the people and feed them with a loving spirit. "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease," MAT 10:1.

Do you see the "medicine" Jesus gave to His disciples? It was the same "medicine" He had been using; the disciples are following in Jesus' footsteps in feeding and caring for the flock. They were to cast out unclean spirits, to heal all manner of sickness, and to feed the fainting, feeding them with the bread of life and the way of salvation.

FOR OUR FIRST POINT let's consider, our Saviour's compassion is eternally the same. That compassion was from eternity, but is also to eternity.

It was out of loving compassion that our Heavenly Father gave His dear Son as the propitiation for our sin. That love and compassion, that yearning from the inner most depths of Jesus soul began with the Father's love. The Father gave them to His Son as His reward for the propitiation for our sins.

1JO 4:9-10 says, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

The Father's love is so great that He sent His own Son into the world that by His death, we might live through Him. God did this because He loved His children; He did it to appease His wrath upon our sin. Look at the love and compassion of the Father.

That love of God which stems from the compassion in His heart for lost sinners predates time; it began before man was even created. 1PE 1:18-20 says, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you."

Do you see the compassion and tender love of God? He loved His own before the beginning of time. It was the redemptive love of the Lord Jesus Christ that redeems us from all iniquity and sin. It was the tender Fatherly love with which He loved us from all eternity.

Think of the compassion in our Saviour's heart for sinners when He covenanted, before the foundation of the world, to leave His throne in glory to come down into this sin-stained world by being conceived in the womb of a fallen descendent of Adam's race.

Think of the sympathy and pity in the loving and compassionate heart of our Saviour when He saw the evil progress of sin fouling and defiling every page of history. He covenanted to come down and suffer their shame, the shame we deserve, for all the sins and iniquities done by His people that He might bring them into His glory!

JOH 17:24 says, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." Jesus willed that those fallen in sin and polluted themselves with the iniquities of this world would be with Him to see His glory.

He left this glory to redeem and snatch His people as one would snatch a brand from the fire, and bring them back into the glory that He has with His Father.

Think of the sympathy and compassion of a blessed Redeemer that will come so low and condescended to do such a thing! The eternal King of kings came down to earth in the form of an infant. Think of it; an infant totally dependent upon His human mother where she is the source of His sustenance, His food.

Why? "...when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." This is not the first time Jesus has seen this multitude. He saw them from eternity; He saw their dying condition before the foundation of the world. Throughout Scripture we see Christ's beloved sheep left in the care of a leadership where there is no Shepherd.

What was Jesus doing among this multitude? What was His commission? MAT 9:35 tells us, "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people."

He was preaching and teaching the spirit of the law; it was the law of the gospel that love must be restored. It is the law of love upon which hangs all the law and the gospel. Jesus went out teaching a tender, loving spirit that cannot walk under the pharisaical doctrine that was based on the letter of the law and traditions.

Every move of His entire ministry was a move of love. He moved with love, compassion, and pity to heal every sickness and disease among the people.

Seeing that all these diseases and infirmities were the reward of sin, how was Jesus able to heal them without violating His Father's justice? He came to glorify His Father. It was through His Father's justice that all this misery came upon the human race.

MAT 8:16-17 tells us, "When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." We need to understand how He was able to do this.

The Lord Jesus Christ was able to heal all these sicknesses and diseases because He "took our infirmities" and "sicknesses" upon Himself. He took our curse of the broken law upon Himself; "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him," 2CO 5:21.

What does it mean to see the crucifixion of a perfect man on a felon's cross? When we are asked, all we can reply is, "He was moved with compassion." There is such a blessedness in that love that was willing to bleed and die to cleanse us from all our sins.

ISA 53:4-5 says, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

When we see the affliction that was laid upon our Savior in the right light, we know it is for our sins and transgressions. He was healing us with His own stripes and blood; that was the healing balm given for the appeasing of God's wrath.

Our Saviour was so moved with compassion that His enemies could truthfully say, "He saved others; himself he cannot save...," MAT 27:42. He could not save Himself from such an ignominious, degrading death and still redeem His church. He could not save Himself because in so doing, you and I would have been damned.

He was there as the propitiation of our sins; the compassion that filled His heart is what held Him to the cross. Out of the compassion of His heart He was able to lay down His life that He might take it again. The Father had so commanded Him.

Our Saviour was utterly consumed with love. He died in the flames of His own love for His friends. To see how great His love is we need to go to JOH 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

That is what He did; He died in the flames of love that consumed Him as He laid down His life in the way of obedience to His Father, for His friends. Now think how reasonable it is when He says "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you," JOH 15:14.

Isn't this proof enough of the tender loving compassion of our Saviour? May our faith come within the veil, that our hearts may join those who stand upon the sea of glass as our harps are tuned with the never ceasing melodies of that song of Moses and the Lamb, REV 15:2-3.

May our hearts be truly filled with the melodies of those phrases, singing the songs of redemption that tell we are redeemed by His blood. Oh, beloved, that we might be able to sing forth those praises throughout all eternity.

Beloved friends, now think of the compassion of our Saviour as He perpetually intercedes for His people. He has entered into the highest heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father. There He now intercedes for us. He never holds His peace before His Father, pleading His own blood, and His finished work as the Advocate for His bride until the last one whom the Father has given Him shall be with Him to behold His glory.

What a compassionate Savior; think of the tender love with which He now intercedes for us daily, every day and night, unceasingly.

Think of that intercessory prayer as a sweet smelling incense before the Father; what a precious thing it is that He is interceding in our behalf so the Father will redeem His people from the power of sin.

He is continually beseeching the Father on the basis of His own blessed redemptive love, asking that the Holy Spirit might work regeneration in the hearts of His loved ones to redeem them from all iniquity.

FOR OUR SECOND POINT, let's consider the meaning of His being moved with compassion.

The fact that Jesus is no more present with us in the flesh has not altered His compassion for our every weakness. You and I are still in this life, in this veil of tears. Let's consider the meaning of His being moved with compassion for you and I, when we are faint.

HEB 4:14-15 says, "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens [where He is sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding for His people], Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession [look at the encouragement we have here!]. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."

Jesus is our high priest; He sits at the right hand of God the Father to intercede for His people, and He so intimately understands the feelings of our infirmities.

We have no reason to faint now; we must lift our eyes to that blessed Redeemer. We can come boldly to the throne of grace and receive mercy for He was tempted in all ways and knows the feeling of our infirmities. We can come boldly in our time of need because there is the blessed interceding prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Heavenly High Priest's tender heart pities all our grief; He understands our every weakness. There is not one pang in His body of the church which is not known to Him as head.

The church is the body of Christ, and since He has been in this world and has personally been among those who were fainting and perishing in sin, there is not one pang, trial, or tribulation that He doesn't intimately relate to. He looks upon that with compassion because He is the Head of the body.

You cannot have a sore finger or a pain in your foot but what the head knows it. He knows each pain and longing desire. Our heavenly High Priest understands so intimately; think of such compassion. Now see how reasonable His law of love is! Jesus says, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you," JOH 15:14.

Oh, beloved, we are His friends if we do as He commands! Then we find we come so short; bitterness springs up in our heart or some little vain thought will carry our hearts away, even if it is for just a moment; do you see how this pains our Saviour? He is the Head of the body, His church.

Those pangs of love are excited, not with anger or a loss of patience, but with gentleness. It is our gentle Savior who sees these things. He understands how these things grieve us. With patience and sympathy He is moved with compassion.

When you and I understand how short we come of doing His will, that brings our heart fainting before Him pleading, "Oh, blessed Saviour, how is it that I could still have such a wretched attitude in the face of so much love?"

Our spiritual blindness moves Him with compassion when we cry under a felt sense of it. We are often so blind that we do not see something that was so basic, so logical, and such a principle of Godliness. Don't we often have to mourn over these things.

MAT 20:30-34 says, "And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him."

Sometimes we do such stupid things. We look in the mirror of God's Word and think what a fool we have been; yet He has compassion on us. Why? He knows our heart; He knows it is the desire of our heart to do what is pleasing to the Lord, but we come so short. He sees and looks upon us with compassion, not with anger or impatience.

Our leprous condition moves Him with compassion when we cry under a felt sense of it. By nature we are all under the leprosy of sin, but when we learn to feel it and know what an incurable disease it is and have a hungering desire to be cleansed from it, we see that our Savior has compassion.

I remember so well the sins of my youth, but as David did, I cry out, "Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD," PSA 25:7.

David saw those sins of his youth, and he saw his leprous condition that caused his heart to faint to think of what a wretched sinner he had been.

MAR 1:40-41 says, "And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean."

See the significance of Jesus' actions. He reached out and touched the leper. Remember how a few moments ago I pointed out how he cleansed that person?

How did He heal the leper? Lepers were never allowed to touch anybody lest they defile that person. Jesus took his leprosy and put it on His account; now the leper could go home clean.

He was made to be sin even though He knew no sin so we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. When we learn to truly understand our leprosy of sin and that touch of compassion that He took that sin upon Himself so we might be made clean, we must ask what prompted Him to do that? What so moved Him?

He was moved by compassion. From the inner pangs of His heart, seeing the miserable condition of His loved ones caused Him to reach out and touch them.

Have you been touched? Do you understand what it is to be touched by the compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ? It means our sins have been placed upon His head; in the crown of thorns we see the misery that we have placed upon His head. Then sin becomes so exceedingly sinful.

Our Saviour has compassion on those who have become burdened by their load of sin. We must not only come before Him to acknowledge our sin, but we must turn from it.

Sin becomes so grievously sinful unto us. Sin becomes the greatest enemy we have, and we want to turn from it.

If we can comfortably live in sin, if we can cherish and enjoy sin, if we can live with a heart filled with bitterness against our brother when Jesus highest command is to love one another as He has loved us, then we had better take a sober look at the word "IF" in JOH 15:14. "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

"If" you do not qualify as one of Jesus' friends on such an account, I must admonish you as the Apostle Peter cautioned Simon in ACT 8:22-23, "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity."

If you know the loving touch by the compassionate hand of our loving Savior who has such pity for repenting sinners, then sin is truly grievous. Therefore we must not only come before Him to acknowledge our sin, but also forgive those who have sinned against us.

See what we read in JER 3:13-14, "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion."

The Lord wants us to acknowledge and confess our sins. Do not be like the person who can sit and moan over his sins and miseries, but be highly insulted if anyone names one. There is no acknowledging of anything in such a case. It is nothing but the whitewash of hypocrisy.

When we acknowledge our sins and iniquities, it means we are willing to name them one by one. We are willing and able to acknowledge that we have transgressed.

Where the Lord complains, "thou hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice," He is saying we have sinned against the Lord at every opportunity; we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord. We must come to the point where we acknowledge our sins and not attempt to defend them. The Lord is pleading, condescending so low, saying we are His bride; stop spotting your wedding garments with such iniquity. "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you."

Our Saviour has compassion on those who are enslaved by the things of death. There is no check list or recipe that fits everyone. There is no formula of this experience first, then that one, etc.

You see, the Lord comes to each person in exactly the place that person is, in that station, to be redeemed and brought back to the Lord. One has seen his ignorance, another his blindness, and another has learned to see the leprosy of his sin. We see in MAR 5:2-6 one who was taken captive by the things of death. That is where he, in his weakness, fell in sin.

"And when [Jesus] was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him," MAR 5:2-6.

That was a case that was incurable. Some people become so enslaved to the things of this world and in sin that they cannot be reached.

It would not make any difference what you might say to them; they would never acknowledge how illiterate and stupid they were for they were too preoccupied with consuming themselves over the things of this life.

You could not bind them with the Word of God or with any form of love. It would not make any difference how you talked to them, they are so enslaved to the things of death. Telling them the letter of the law will not bind them.

The love of God, the compassion of our blessed Saviour is the only thing that can reach such a one! "But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him." When we confess we are taken under the power of the things of death, when we feel our need of Him, then He has compassion on such a one . When such a one turns their eye unto Him, He will deliver them.

After Jesus shows this compassion in our heart we are commanded to show compassion to his praise with our feet as well as our mouth. It is our walk of life that must be a preaching of compassion.

We are to walk in the Spirit of Christ, a spirit of compassion. Our walk as well as our talk, must show forth His praise for His compassion to us.

MAR 5:18-20 says, "And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. [It was this maniac who had been so connected to the things of death that was set free. Now he wanted for his own blessed consolation to be with Jesus.] Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends [Doesn't that show that he had friends?], and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel."

Jesus set this mad man free, but He did not let him stay there. He was to go to his friends and tell them of the wonder of Jesus' healing. Yes, he had friends. Now he could go fully clothed and in his right mind, (or attitude where he could sit at Jesus feet) because he was delivered from all the Satanic power of serving the things of death.

He had been delivered and wanted to be with Jesus, but that was not the will of Jesus. You see, Jesus also had compassion on this man's friends. "And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel."

This man was to go forth as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ to show how the Lord had compassion on him. He had to share with others the fame of that blessed compassion and inner soul of the Lord that yearned with such love for His people. Jesus wanted others to know they could come to him for deliverance.

That lunatic saw all of a sudden what a fool he was, "But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him," MAR 5:6. He realized he was possessed with many devils, in other words, many wrong attitudes and spirits.

All of a sudden he wanted to be delivered from them. He wanted to sit at Jesus' feet to be His servant. However, he had to serve Jesus by going forth with his changed attitude and walk of life and ministering to his friends. He had to minister in the Spirit of Christ, and he had to go forth to tell what great things the Lord had done. He had to go out and preach to them about the compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ and His blessed love for His church. "And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel."

Take notice; it matters not what it is that has taken us captive, or the circumstances that trap us. It might be a heart full of bitterness, or the power of sin in any other form.

It does not matter where we are trapped, when our eyes are taken off of ourselves and lifted to the Lord Jesus Christ, we find that He has compassion on us. He is moved. We are delivered. It changes our attitude, and all men will marvel. Amen.