Did you ever stop to realize that Jesus had feelings?
And the way he felt about people led him to connect with them and teach them in effective ways.
In Mark 6, Jesus and his disciples were exhausted from an intense season of ministry. Intending to take a boat ride to a remote place to relax, Jesus stepped out of the boat to be greeted by a large crowd.
What Mark records next is remarkable.
Jesus felt compassion for them … so he began teaching them many things.” (Mark 6:34)
Jesus felt compassion before he taught the crowds.
In my experience, many Christians get this backward. We start trying to teach our culture, then we show them compassion if they listen to us.
Jesus showed us a better way.
As followers of Jesus, are we creating empathetic connections with people before we start trying to teach them the ways of the kingdom? In this recent episode, I explore this topic with my friend, Joshua Johnson on the Shifting Culture podcast.
Give it a listen. You’ll be encouraged!
Hi Erik
I listened to the podcast. It is so refreshing. I also made a watercolor painting for this verse after I heared your sharing. Thank you for sending us your pocket guide. It is so cool!
Yan, I’d love to see the watercolor painting you created! Please email me a picture!