Many pastors took turns to minister to a condemned criminal. They preached to him in an attempt to win him to Christ. But the condemned man was unmoved by their "powerful" preaching. At last, a layman visited the man. He entered the death row cell, sat on the camp bed with him, took him by the hand and said, "We are in a bad fix, aren't we?" For that gesture, the condemned criminal broke into tears and shortly after, yielded to Christ. Compassion prevailed. The man was in need of somebody who would understand and care.

It is important to consider the attitude of Christ and His motivation for the miracle in our text. His statement in today's key verse is instructive. The people had had no regular meal through the three days they had been seeking Him in His solitude on the mountain. Christ's attitude just speaks volumes about our need to have compassion and empathy in our quest to win the unconverted to Christ.

We must learn to feel for people in their plight. Our compassion must be deep enough to compel helpful action. Love and kindness are cardinal ingredients in a Christian's makeup. Compassionate action is a language people understand faster than religious jargons. Observe also that the feeding of the people was not the goal of the occasion - the people had continued with Christ for three days feeding on God's word. We must go beyond the satisfaction of the people's physical and material needs to meeting their spiritual needs.

As you reflect on the response of Christ in today's text, think of what you can do to compassionately solve the spiritual and physical problems of people around you.