Committed to Compassion

I recently read a description of what compassion is. Here is what it said:

“Compassion is the sometimes-fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live in someone else’s skin.”

We might also describe compassion in this way: feeling with or feeling sympathy for another person.

It can also mean having mercy and showing kindness.

Jesus has compassion for the world’s pain. The keyword of His divine life is compassion.

And, in 1 Peter 3:8 Peter writes:

“To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit.”

A life of compassion has the right view toward human need and human distress.

A life of compassion is not a romantic feeling; it does not exist in an intellectual being.

In Jesus, it is, rather, inclusive—a life of love. A life, in Jesus, where we have seen Him in tears; we have heard the tones of His voice that exemplify compassion.

He expresses a deep desire for God’s greatest creation – humanity – to live a life of devotion and commitment to His Son Jesus Christ.

The sick and the blind - Matthew 14:14   

“When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.”

Matthew 20:32-34 – compassion for the blind:

And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They *said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

These people had most likely heard about the miraculous works Jesus had been doing. The crowd tried to quiet the blind men. Jesus ignored the crowd. But isn’t it interesting – Jesus didn’t immediately heal their blindness.

Instead, He asked them a question: “What do you want Me to do for you?”

They answered: “We want our eyes to be opened.

Looking at that conversation, what do we see happening there?

What I see is that Jesus is willing to heal those who need healing, but He wants us to place our trust in His ability to heal us– He wants us to come to Him and ask for healing because we know He is the Great Healer.

His compassion was for the sorrow of the world.

We find an example of Jesus’ compassion for our sorrow in Luke 7:11-17.

Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!” This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.

This is the account of Jesus in the city of Nain.

This mother was grieving the death of her only son. The Scripture says that when Jesus saw this grieving mother, He felt compassion for her and told the mother – “Don’t weep.” He touched the coffin and commanded the son to raise up, which he did.

Jesus gave this precious son back to his mother.

His compassion for us causes Him to comfort us in times of sorrow.

He was moved to compassion by the hunger in the world.

He cared about the hungry crowds, at the feeding of the 5000 – Matthew 15:32.

“And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.”

In fact, it seems that Jesus was drawn to the crowds.

He called upon His power. No Christian can be content to have too much while others have too little.

The world’s loneliness moved Him to compassion.

Jesus was compassionate to those suffering from leprosy.

1.    Mark 1:31 - The person with leprosy – banished from society – can you imagine being absolutely shunned by everyone around you? As I understand leprosy, it is a visible deterioration of the body caused by the disease. Just seeing the effects of the disease on another person is enough to cause anyone to be sickened by the sight and to turn away from the victim.

2.    People with leprosy lived a life of loneliness and abandonment – just waiting to die and being totally rejected from all of society.

3.    But Jesus saw a life worth saving. He touched the man and made him whole again and acceptable to those around him.

I.             Jesus was compassionate to the world’s bewilderment

Now, what do I mean by bewilderment? A bewildered person is one who lives in a state of confusion or complications.

You know, most people today are constantly looking for something that will cause their lives to be fulfilled – complete – in a condition of perfection.

And they don’t find that fulfillment – that perfection that they seek.

For many of them, they don’t know where or how to find that fulfillment.

And, of course, we know that the only place they will find that fulfillment or that peace they seek is in surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

1.    What people are seeking is what only God, through His Son, can provide. So, they are actually desperately seeking God, but they don’t know that.

2.    The world has nothing that will last to offer anyone.

3.    The world’s people have been duped and blinded to believe that a full life is gained only through material things and personal pleasure.

4.    The world’s people have been treated wantonly – without regard for what is right.

5.    The world’s people are on a journey which has no positive ending.

6.    People in the world have become mortally wounded.

II.            Jesus was compassionate to the world’s bewilderment

People are desperately seeking God.

The world has nothing that will last to offer anyone.

The world’s people have been treated wantonly – without regard for what is right.

The world’s people are on a journey which has no positive ending.

People in the world have become mortally wounded.

It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you.

Jesus showed compassion by actively responding to the suffering of others, both physically and spiritually.

As we read through the Gospel accounts, we find Jesus demonstrating compassion in several events.

1.    Healing the sick - miracles 

Offering forgiveness and comfort to those afflicted with other ailments, He demonstrated

His deep concern for their physical well-being.

For example, he healed a person with leprosy by touching him – a radical act of love in a time when people with leprosy were shunned by everyone around them.

2.    Jesus showed compassion by meeting physical needs:

Jesus fed the hungry – He multiplied a few loaves of bread and a few fish and fed        5000 people.

3.    Jesus showed compassion through forgiveness and love.

           He showed compassion to those who society considered outcasts.

He offered forgiveness; He demonstrated love to all, regardless of their social standing.

He prayed for forgiveness for those who crucified Him.

4.    Jesus showed compassion by comforting those who were grieving.

For example, His compassion was evident when he raised Lazarus from death, as he showed empathy for the sorrow Lazarus’ sisters felt.

5.    Jesus showed compassion when He washed His disciples’ feet.

In doing so, He demonstrated a servant’s heart and humility.

6.    Jesus showed compassion by responding to the Cry of the Needy.

He stopped to heal two blind men after hearing their cries for help.

7.    Jesus showed compassion – His greatest act of compassion by giving His life on the cross for the salvation of all of humanity.           

I believe that Jesus wants us – each of us - to be aware of our surroundings and the people we come into contact with daily, to be the hands and feet of Jesus – that is, showing compassion - finding ways that each of us can show compassion toward a lost and dying world.     

When we do that, we are fulfilling the Great Commission that we, as Christians, have been called to do, exercising the same Compassion that Jesus had toward each of us before we obeyed His call to follow Him.