Compassion for Many, Compassion for One

[Joselito Cruz Music]

Compassion for Many, Compassion for One

When I study the life of Jesus, I realize that He spent a lot of time in the presence of multitudes. Occasions like the Sermon on the Mount where He preached in the midst of thousands. The people He was around: The common people, the Pharisees and Sadducees, His disciples, the Seventy-Two, in the Temples, Courts, Homes, Feasts, before Pilate and the Jews. You realize that Jesus’ life was constantly in the public eye and portrayed the reality of God’s love and grace to all.


There was something about Him, Jesus, that while living a pure, holy life before God, He was still approachable by men. Men sought Him. They wanted to be around Him. In Matthew, it mentions how even the Pharisees, with all the doctrinal clashes between them and Jesus, still invited Him to their homes for feasts. Yet, we also see in other passages how He gracefully carries a one-on-one conversation when it’s only Him and one other person.



In John chapter 4, Jesus was on a journey to reach Galilee after being around many believers. It had been a long day and He had only reached a city called Sychar. So He decided to rest near a well in that city. Tired from walking, He asked a Samaritan women for a drink, for she was drawing water from the well. She replied, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan. How can you ask me for a drink?”



Tradition established that Jews and Samaritans do not associate, at all. Yet, here was the Pure Lamb of God gracefully conversing and expressing such a deep teaching through a one-on-one encounter. Jesus is so wonderful! We see the grace and compassion Jesus has in the multitudes and also when it’s one-on-one.



I believe now, more than ever, God is calling the Church to “Go out into all the world and preach the good news.” We’ve been commanded by God to be fruitful and multiply. To dream big! To do like Jesus did and preach to the multitudes. Be the voice of salvation to thousands and millions. Therefore, we do crusades, conferences, seminars, concerts, everything under the sun to preach to these multitudes. This is awesome! This is great! Glory to God, we’re going to see thousands come to God! I’m all over the calling to the nations, that’s my passion!



Yet, we’ve forgotten the power of one-on-one, the little things. I pray that, like Jesus, we maintain the balance between the multitudes and personal relationships; to maintain a balance between multitudes and the importance of a friend; that we may never become bigger outside than we are inside. Let’s not forget that a million dollars starts with a penny – and that multitudes start with one person. I cannot pretend to be mindful of entire nations if I cannot even be mindful of a neighbor.



We see that while Jesus walked in the midst of large crowds and followers, He would never fail to detain Himself for an individual; Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree to see Him in the crowd, the woman who said ‘If I only touch His cloak’ and squeezed her way to Jesus, the woman who was caught in adultery - and in the end only her and Jesus were left - and He said I do not condemn you. All of these instances show Jesus’ tenderness and compassion for the individual.


Let’s not be like the Pharisees who long for the attention of everyone but neglect personal responsibility for their brother. Let’s be like David who, despite being anointed as king of an entire nation, first honored his best friend, Jonathan, even in his death.



My question is: What would it say about me to preach in front of thousands yet hesitate to help a homeless man on the street? How can I have compassion for many and lack compassion for one?


-Jose
http://www.myspace.com/joselitocruzbeats