COMPASSION
Matthew 15:29-32
Why did Jesus have compassion for the people? What kind of miracles did Jesus do
for the people? What would happen to sheep that did not have a shepherd to care
for them? The Bible tells us that Jesus had compassion for people. We know that
Jesus was concerned about those who were sick and hurting, because He healed
those who were blind, crippled, and unable to speak. Jesus was also concerned
about the physical needs of people who were not ill.
In this story, Jesus told His disciples that He was concerned that the people had not
eaten for a long time and might collapse on their way home. So, He fed them before
He sent them home. Jesus was concerned about people's spiritual needs, too.
He saw that the people were like sheep without a shepherd. Why was Jesus able to
do this to so many different kinds of people? Because Jesus did not let situations
get in the way of His compassion and expression of love. He did not look just at
what was apparent 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.
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. When we see someone post a black screen on
Facebook, we immediately sympathize with our friend's loss. But how about the
people who are not in our friend's list? What about those who are suffering
secretly? 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. May we learn
to see them as Jesus does. Let us hear another story from the Bible.
Luke 10.25-37
Did you like the story? How do you feel when you see someone else is hurt? What
do you do? Why did the Levite or priest not stop to help the injured person? Who did
stop? And why do you think they decided to help?
Jesus told this story to help people understand that it is important to show love to
everyone. If we only show compassion to some people, we are not truly sharing
God's love with others. The Samaritan in the story showed love to the injured man
because he had pity on him and cared for him.
The Levite and the priest, although they were considered to be spiritual leaders, did
not show God's love to the injured man. Jesus ended the story by saying, go and do
likewise. We show true compassion and kindness when we go out of our way to help
someone else.
Jesus expects us to share his love and kindness with people we don't even
know. Can you think of a time when you might be tempted to avoid helping
someone? Can you think of anyone in your neighborhood who needs your
help? Thankfully, the Good Samaritan showed compassion to the victim. What if
nobody helped the victim? What if you are the victim? You never know what a little
compassion will accomplish.
Remember, compassion is more than feeling sorry for someone. It is more than pity.
Compassion is a desire to reach out and make a difference in the life of someone
else.
In truth, compassion is a desire to be like Christ to someone else. How about
you? Have you shown compassion to your neighbors?
