The disciples had a problem.  They had hard hearts (Mark 6:52).  Despite being with Jesus, hearing His teaching and witnessing His miracles, they were operating like roadies, the support team for Jesus: they helped Him but did not realise that He wanted them to become like Him (1 John 3:2).  They served Him but did not know Him, incapable of appreciating the wonder of being with the Creator of the universe (Colossians 1:16).  Hardness of heart was the recurring problem of God's people in the Old Testament.  They knew the truth but did not want to obey (Zechariah 7:12).  In the same way, the disciples heard what Jesus said but did not realise that He was training them as He taught the people.  In different ways they stubbornly refused to believe Him (Mark 16:14).

Even Jesus' teaching did not make sense to them (Mark 8:31-33).  It was only after the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost that they could understand what Jesus meant (John 16:12-13; Acts 2:33).  By contrast, the sick and their carers had no doubt that Jesus could change their lives.  The text indicates the urgency of their faith "... as soon as ... people recognised Jesus ... they ran ... carried the sick to wherever ... they begged ... all who touched were healed". So why were the disciples so slow to connect?  How easily they became like the hypocritical Pharisees, knowing but failing to trust and obey - the sure route to hardness of heart.  The disciples' hearts needed to become soft if they were to become usable in the gospel.

There is nothing so powerful as loving kindness to melt a hard heart.  Jesus' outpouring of compassion to those in distress was remarkable.  All who came with need and faith were healed.  The healings demonstrated how much God loves broken people who are unable to help themselves.  It was a parable of how Jesus would save everybody who comes to Him in repentance (Romans 1:16).  He showed mercy to the sinner and was willing to serve the most underserving.  The Sovereign God became a Servant to become a Saviour.  It was the model for the trainee apostles.  They could never be anyone's saviour, but they had to become servants to the broken (2 Corinthians 4:5), to win their hearts to the Saviour (1 Corinthians 9:22).  

Stubborn disobedience produces hard hearts, but love breaks down barriers allowing the broken to come for healing.  But believers can also become hard when we know the truth but fail to do it.  Even those with hectic ministry schedules may deliver truth without delivering the self-sacrificial love of Christ.  Do not forget that Jesus was full of grace and truth (John 1:14).  He wants us to be like that too; and to be obedient as He was to His Father.  It is time to repent and ask the Lord to soften our hearts to His love, and then learn to obey what He says!