Compassion is Essential
I've made a few trips through the Bible using the Bible Recap reading plan on the Bible app (highly recommend!). I usually listen to the Bible while doing housework and I have learned so much from the commentary. Each time through, though, about when the kings turn wicked and Isreael is reaping the consequences of their disobedience, I start to get such a hunger for Jesus. I think God designed the Bible this way. Things get so dark and you are just yearning for the light.
Then, I am so happy to get to the gospels that I gobble them up quickly and before I know it we are approaching Jerusalem and the crucifixion and I start digging my heels in (slowing down on my reading) because I don't want the time with Jesus to end. I love the rest of the Bible, of course, but I so wish we had more time with Jesus than just four books. John says that if all the things that Jesus had done were written down, it would fill all the books in all the world. I wanna read those books! Anyone else?
This trip through the gospels I have really been struck by Jesus' compassion. There are so many examples of how He showed compassion (His whole coming to earth was an act of compassion), but I'd love to share some of the ones that really stuck out to me:
In Matthew 10:34-39, we read about Jesus going around and healing EVERY sickness and EVERY disease, and even though He knows a lot of people are following Him just because of the healings, He looks at the people and has compassion for them because He can see how they have not been taken care of by their religious leaders. They don't have a shepherd, that is what the religious leaders were supposed to be for them. He doesn't get angry with them and tell them how they should figure things out on their own. He knows they have a need that has not been filled. That is a big part of compassion.
Matthew 14:13-21 is a pretty well known passage as it is the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. What is not well known is that the reason Jesus goes away by Himself is because He is mourning the death of John the Baptist. His cousin has just died a horrible death, He's trying to get some quiet time alone, and along come a whole lot of sick and lost and hungry people. Does He tell them to go away and give Him some time to grieve? No. He looks at them and cares about their pain (not just thinking about His own) and provides for their physical and spiritual needs (in abundance!).
Jesus comes across two blind men in Matthew 20:29-34 who repeatedly ask Him for healing, in spite of others trying to keep them quiet. Does Jesus look at them and say, "This problem is just a physical problem, it shouldn't bother you because this life on earth is only temporary."? No, though it is true. He knows that this healing will change their lives completely, so He does it and they immediately follow Him. Compassion is life changing.
I know this is turning long, but I can't stop. The miracle in Luke 7:11-17 is the only one that is recorded in the city of Nain. It's like Jesus came there just for that widow. He knew that her life was completely changed by the death of her only son. As widow in that culture, with no one to take care of her, her future was very bleak. Jesus did not look at her and chew her out for mourning and not trusting in God. Instead, He compassionately comforts her and them brings about God's provision by restoring her son to her. He cares for her broken heart and her future. We don't know if that is the only miracle that was performed in that city, we don't know if Jesus did more there, but we do know that it is the only event recorded. I think this is God's way of telling us that He cares about our grieving. He cares about those in need.
The story in Mark 9:14-29 is a difficult one for me to read. As a parent, it is so hard for me to watch my children with their struggles: OCD, ADHD, Tourette's, dyslexia, anxiety, low self-esteem, and temper tantrums are just some of the obstacles that we battle here. I can only imagine how horrifying it would be to have a child oppressed by a demon who causes seizures and foaming at the mouth and convulsions and tries to kill him. That is the stuff that nightmares are made of. But Jesus, as a member of the Trinity, knows exactly how this man feels. Since the Fall, He has watched mankind allow itself to be controlled by the enemy. He has watched mankind flail and fail to turn to the Father for deliverance. So when this father with the possessed boy asks Jesus for compassion, He gives it. Not only does He free the boy, but He also reveals that He was preparing to do this ahead of time. He tells the disciples that this kind if demon can only come out by prayer and fasting, which leads me to believe that Jesus had been sacrificing His time and physical comfort so He could help this family. That is compassion in action!
The parable of the good Samaritan is about how Jesus has compassion on us, rescues us, heals us, and pays our debts (Luke 10:25-37). The parable of the unforgiving servant tells us how God compassionately forgives us and expects us to forgive others (Matthew 18:23-35). The parable of the lost sheep lets us know that God thinks each one of us is valuable and will risk all to save us when we are vulnerable (Luke 15:3-7). And the parable of the running father (aka the parable of the prodigal son) shows us that no matter what we have done, the Father runs towards us with open arms and throws a big party when we return to Him (Luke 15:11-32).
These parables that Jesus told reveal the Father's heart to us. He loves us and is filled with compassion for us. Many who read the Old Testament form a different view of God the Father. They see the judgments and consequences doled out by the Father and think Him mean and cruel. Without mercy and certainly without compassion. But Jesus paints a different picture, and so, in fact, do the prophets.
The prophets lived during the time that God's judgement was being poured out on Isreal and Judah because of their unfaithfulness, and yet, because they had a relationship with God and knew His heart and character, they had a few things to say about His compassion:
My heart's prayer every day is that Holy Spirit will make me more like Jesus. Compassion is an essential ingredient in a Christian's life. Here are just a few verses to encourage us to be compassionate towards others:
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