Two blind men call out to Jesus to have mercy on them. He shows mercy and heals them. He tells them not to spread the word, but they do.

It harmed Jesus to have His fame spread. It will come to a point where He couldn’t enter towns anymore, yet He had been sent to preach in the synagogues.

In one account, He and His disciples can’t get a moment to eat because of the crowds pressing in. It made Jesus’ life harder to heal, and He knew it. And He did it anyway.

He had mercy. He showed compassion.

The mute man couldn’t call out for Jesus to show mercy. Jesus shows mercy and sets him free.

The crowds come to Jesus, and Jesus, though He withdraws to be alone with His Father, doesn’t withdraw from the crowds.

Even when He was seeking a place to rest, if the crowds were there, He had compassion on them and ministered to them. He didn’t go off alone until the crowds left. He withdrew from His close companions, not the crowds seeking help.

You need to be alone, but we don’t hide from our own flesh. When there is a reason to show compassion and mercy, we’re to show compassion and mercy, not make sure we are taking care of ourselves.

Jesus had a Father to make sure He was taken care of. He didn’t have to worry about Himself. He could focus on loving others, not self.

When Jesus looks at the crowd, He doesn’t only have compassion on people that need healing. He has compassion because the people were helpless, like a sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus is our Shepherd. Follow Him. He will lead you out as a laborer into the plentiful harvest.

The harvest is there for the gathering. Will you go with Christ to bring it in?