Matthew 9:35, “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.”

Here, we see Jesus in full, active ministry. He wasn’t confined to one place; He “went about all the cities and villages.” He was tirelessly engaged, not just teaching and preaching by healing “every sickness and every disease.” This verse shows us that His work was consistent across the entire Galilee region. 

What drove this relentless activity? The scripture tells us that as Jesus encountered the depth of human need, He was profoundly “moved with compassion” for them. The Greek word used here is the strongest word for pity in the Greek language. It describes a compassion that moves a person to the deepest depths of their being. 

In the verses just before this, Jesus had been terribly and unfairly criticized. He was not deterred, He simply ignored the negative noise and “got about His Father’s business.” Jesus’ work was not driven by external validation or stopped by unjust criticism. It was fueled by a deep, internal wellspring of compassion for humanity. When we feel overwhelmed by the needs around us, or discouraged by unfair criticism in our own service, we are called to look to Jesus’ example. Let our motivation for ministry and outreach be rooted in that same deep, heart-stirring compassion, allowing us to press forward with the Father’s business, just as He did. 

(Today’s devotion was authored by Bro. Joshua Soliz, a LIFE Group leader and preacher at RBC.)