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Compassion

Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, exemplified all of the Father’s attributes, including His compassion. When Jesus saw His friends weeping at the grave of Lazarus, He felt compassion for them and wept alongside them (John 11:33-35).

Am I weeping for my friends? Are my actions for my family always compassionate? Is the fruit of the Holy Spirit growing?

Moved with compassion for the suffering of others, Jesus healed the large crowds who came to Him (Matthew 14:14), as well as individuals who sought His healing (Mark 1:40-41).

Compassion needs to be shown in actions — When Jesus saw the large crowds as sheep without a shepherd, His compassion led Him to teach them the things the false shepherds of Israel had abandoned. The priests and scribes were proud and corrupt; they despised the common people and neglected them, but Jesus had compassion on them, and He taught and loved them. Jesus acted on His compassion. As a disciple who is learning, so must I.

  • 1 John 3:17  — But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
  • Isaiah 58:6–7  — “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
  • Matthew 10:42  — “And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
  • Jesus clearly equates compassion with action. I can’t get around this. | Matthew 25:35–36  — ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
  • Acts 20:35  — “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Master Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”