Does Anyone Remember Compassion?

The Christian conquest of the Roman Empire came not by the sword, but by the preaching of the gospel joined with acts of compassion. In the middle of the 3rd century A.D., there was a terrible plague and many died. The pagans and doctors left the cities to avoid this disease. However, the Christians stayed behind and helped those who were ill and dying.

Eusebius, a church historian, states that because of the Christians compassion in the midst of the plague, the Christians' "deeds were on everyone's lips, and they glorified the God of the Christians. Such actions convinced them that they alone were pious and truly reverent to God."  -Eusebius on Christian compassion

What comes to mind when you hear the word "compassion?" Honestly, many people don’t have any idea at all what it means. Some people think of "weakness" when they think of compassionate people. Men especially are guilty of viewing compassion as something “weak, soft people do." Seriously though, expressing compassion towards others reveals a strength of character that few people possess!

Truth be told, we live in a compassion-less world. Most people place themselves and their family above any other consideration in the world. The sad reality is that most people simply don't care what happens to others! They don't possess compassion. In fact, I would propose that most people don’t even know what it means to have compassion!

Let's break this word down, shall we? The word compassion, as it's used in the Bible, means, “To be moved inwardly; to yearn with tender mercy, affection, pity and empathy.” It refers to the deepest possible feelings. The phrase, “moved with compassion” means to be moved in the “inner organs." It has the same idea as our modern expression, “From the bottom of my heart.”

Someone else has defined compassion as “Sympathy coupled with a desire to help.” Sympathy means “The capacity to share feelings, to enter into the same feelings, to feel the same thing." Therefore, compassion is “sharing the feelings of others and possessing a desire to help them in their trouble.”

The Gospels talk about Jesus and His great compassion for mankind. We see that our Savior was moved deeply in His inner being by the needs of those around Him. Today, I'd like to deal with this matter of compassion, i.e., the compassionate Christ. In order to do this, let's focus on a couple of things. First, what motivated Jesus to be compassionate? And secondly, how we can become more compassionate ourselves?

I don’t know about you, but I sure need all the help in this area that I can get. Like many others, I find that I can be selfish and self-centered, but I don't want to be; I need to be more like Jesus. So, join me now while we examine Christ's secrets for caring about the needs of others. This message is based on Matthew 9:36-38 if you'd like to bookmark it, and refer to it.

Origins are always a good starting point. Therefore, we begin by checking into the origins of Christ's compassion. In the forefront, it originated in His essence. After all, how could Jesus reach out to all the people He did? How could He care about so many different people with so many different problems. What motivated Him? Think for a moment about Who Jesus is. He is God in the flesh! He's not weighed down with a fallen nature. He's not selfish. He's not self-centered. He oversteps all the faults and flaws that mark humanity!

Many people read the Old Testament and come away with the idea that God is mean, wrathful and harsh. Yet, Jesus, in the New Testament, reveals the exact nature of God (John 1:18; John 14:9). He is holy. He is a consuming fire. He is a God of wrath and judgment. But, He's also a God of infinite love, grace, mercy and compassion.

Secondly, Christ's compassion originated in His experiences. One reason Jesus was able to express such sympathy for others was His own experiences in life. Jesus didn't come into this world to live an idyllic life! The life He lived was difficult at best. He grew up, lived and died in ignoble poverty (Luke 2:24; Matthew 8:20). When He died, His worldly belongings consisted of just the garments on His back (John 19:23-24). He was familiar with loneliness (Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:47). He was despised, hated and rejected (John 1:11; Mark 14:50). He even endured a time of severe temptation (Matthew 4:1-11)!

Let's now turn to the objects of His compassion. A brief study of the gospels reveals the truth that His compassion knew no boundaries! Jesus felt the need of all classes and kind of people. For example, He feels compassion for the "scattered," or rather, "lying about," "abandoned," or "neglected." ones (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary). As sheep, having no shepherd, if you will (Matthew 9:36; 15:32).

Christ feels compassion for the sinners; or as men perishing for lack of knowledge (Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary).  In addition, He feels compassion for the sick (Matthew 14:14; 20:30-34; Mark 1:40-45); the suffering (Luke 7:11-13); and the seeking ones (Mark 10:17-22).

You might be wondering, "Why was Jesus able to do this to so many different kinds of people, in so many different settings and situations?" Because, even though He knew all their faults, Jesus did not let that get in the way of His compassion and expression of love! He didn't just look just at what was obvious on the surface, He was able to look at these people and see their deepest need! He loved them at the deepest level of His being, as a result, He was never impatient with them or offended by their needs.

Now, how do we see people? We often base our evaluation of a person on what we see with our eyes, or hear with our ears. What we need to learn is to look past a person’s exterior to see them as they really are. We must see their needs before we can express compassion to them! We must learn to see them as Jesus does!

The third, and final secret of Christ's compassion is the objectives of His compassion. For this, we will turn to the objective of His instruction, or teaching. A brief look at the gospels reveals that the disciples knew nothing of compassion. James and John wanted to call fire down from heaven to punish a Samaritan village that refused to receive Jesus (Luke 9:54). On another occasion, the disciples wanted to send a hungry crowd away with nothing (Mark 6:34). I suppose you could say that the disciples had no compassion for the people. Perhaps it was because:

•    They did not really see them at all.
•    They were too caught up in the lives they were living.
•    They were not concerned for the people.
•    They had no thoughts of reaching outside their circle and helping the people around them.

Does this sound all too familiar to you? Aren't we often self-centered and selfish, too? We feel that if it doesn't touch our lives, or the lives of our family and friends, then it's none of our business! Why are we that way? Why did Jesus have to teach His disciples about compassion; and why do we still need the lessons today?

Maybe, the answer lies in the fact that compassion is against our very nature. We are selfish and concerned only with ourselves! If it doesn't touch us personally then it doesn't matter! That's why Jesus had to teach His men about compassion. And, that's why we still need these lessons today!

Don't get me wrong!  I'm not saying that we're beyond help. Unfortunately, It may be against our human nature to be compassionate, but it's not against our new nature! When we're saved, we're given all the resources we need to be sensitive to the needs and burdens of others (Ephesians 4:32; Galatians 5:22-23).

The final objective of Christ's compassion includes the objective of His involvement. Not only did Jesus want to teach His men about compassion. He wanted them to become involved in the ministry of showing compassion to others. He wanted them to start seeing people as He saw them. He wanted them to be moved by the needs of others. So moved, in fact,  that they were compelled to do something about those needs. Yes, He wanted them to become involved!

In conclusion, remember that compassion is more than feeling sorry for someone. It's more than pity. So much more. Compassion is a desire to reach out and make a difference in the life of someone else. Simply put, compassion is a desire to be Christ to someone else!

Scripture: Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:12-13; Galatians 6:2; 2 Peter 3:9; Psalm 103:2-4; 1 John 1:9; Psalm 86:15    

Prayer: Dear Father, Praise be to you. With love and kindness I pray that today be full of joy and wonder. Amen

May your day be blessed!

Bonnie