Compassion. Merriam-Webster’s definition of compassion is “sympathetic consciousness of others distress, together with a desire to alleviate it.”
There are numerous references to Jesus’ “compassion” in the Gospels. (Here are a few: Matthew 14:14, 15:32, 20:34, Mark 1:41, 6:34, 8:2). If you take a moment to read those, you’ll notice one thing in those instances of Jesus’ compassion that is not contained in the dictionary’s definition.
Yes, Jesus did have a sympathetic consciousness of the distress of others. And He also had a desire to alleviate it. But the one thing that’s different – He took it one step further and did something about the distress of others. He fed the hungry, He healed the sick, He touched the blind eyes, He cleansed the leper.
We speak a great deal about the compassion of our wonderful Father and Savior. We share the nature and character of our God with others. That is what we should be doing. But let’s not forget that while we remind people of Christ Jesus’ compassion and love for them, that we also remind them of His power to do something about their distress.
Jesus has the power to change lives. He feeds, heals, cleanses, brings life. He sets people free from the spiritual burdens they’ve born all their lives. He releases them from bondages. He sends His Spirit to indwell them to prove God’s love for them and assure them of His presence with them—they are not alone anymore. He woos and loves them into the Kingdom of God where they are no longer slaves but sons and daughters of the King.
Yes, our God has compassion, but even more He puts power into His compassion and sends it to us to set us free from our distress. Bless His Mighty Name. Amen & Amen.
