One of the most important qualities needed by those who wish to “fish” for people and make disciples is have the heart and eyes of a shepherd.
We need not be dynamic evangelists, but just people who care about people.
Jesus said:
For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ Matthew 13:15 (NLT)
How we see is a function of the condition of our hearts. Hearts filled with compassion see people quite differently from the way hardhearted people look at others.
Mission begins when we understand and embrace Christ’s Great Commission. It gains motivation and momentum when our hearts are gripped by his compassion for the lost and hurting.
How Jesus saw people is recorded in Matthew’s Gospel.
And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:35-36 (ESV)
As Jesus went (the “go” part of the Great Commission), he encountered people who were hungry for what he offered – the good news of God’s family and kingdom combined with forgiveness, healing, and deliverance.
We see that Jesus’ motivation for ministry was compassion for the lost and hurting masses, the harassed and helpless.
The Jewish leaders viewed the common folk as the great “unwashed,” ignorant and relatively worthless crowds, who were not really deserving of their energy and attention. Jesus, however, was willing to invest himself in the most unlikely of characters. He saw past their ignorance, sin, and failures right into their hearts. He offered them what they longed for – love, healing, forgiveness, and someone greater than themselves to follow and serve. If we inject ourselves into the lives of those who live around us, we will encounter the same sort of people.
God wants us to understand, as did Jesus, that every person has a story worth hearing and every life has untold value with God.
Our Lord also understood that he was sent precisely to those whom the Jewish leaders despised, the spiritually defiled and sick.
But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. Matthew 9:12 (NASB)
It is natural for us to desire to put some distance between ourselves and those who are very needy, but a shepherd goes after those who most need him or her. Harassed and helpless people often appear to have little to offer, but that does not deter a shepherd. The spiritually sick may drain our energy, resources, and time, but the potential reward is great. These are the people who may become the greatest advocates for Jesus and the most devoted disciples. Who could have guessed that the woman at the well in Samaria would lead an entire village to Christ?
A local church’s culture of evangelism and mission will be directly connected to its developing the ability to see people through the Great Shepherd’s eyes.
