Hope for the Dispirited

In Matthew 9:36-38 Jesus does not just see a crowd, he is moved with compassion for them. He senses their need, their yearning for something better. They are distressed as verse 36 tells us (NASB). The Greek word for distress describes it as “to give oneself trouble (Strong’s 4660).” They are searching for something better. They are hungry and thirsty for God’s truth. 

The NASB also describes the people as being dispirited (36), “like sheep without a shepherd.” They are looking for someone to lead them to the truth, to the hope God offers. What’s interesting is that the Greek word for dispirited describes it as “to cast” or “throw down” (Strong’s 4496). This tells me these people have been actively rejected by society.

It’s not hard today to find people who are distressed and dispirited, who feel actively dismissed and judged by people. They are struggling inside to find answers, distressed at not being able to find true hope. We can look upon them as causing their own troubles, but Jesus had compassion for them.

There is a plentiful harvest in the world of people hungry for Jesus. They want someone to walk with them, not away from them. They want compassion, someone who will listen to them and show them God is alive and present now. They need to be filled with the Spirit of God, not dispirited. They are parched and in need of a drink of living water.

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” – John 4:10, NASB