Christian Compassion: More Than Pity

What Is Christian Compassion?

One of the many characteristics of God is compassion. Compassionate people have the ability to put themselves in another's place and care so much that they are moved to action. Pity, however, can sometimes keep us at a distance. We can pity the poor for example, but not be moved to do anything about their poverty. Christian compassion draws us closer. It sees the suffering of another, feels it deeply, and asks what can be done to help. When Jesus has compassion for us, He is moved to act.

Jesus Was Moved With Compassion

Probably the best known passage about the compassion of Jesus is Matthew 9:36.

"But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd."

Compassion in Greek has a physical meaning. You are so touched that you physically feel it in your gut. You are quite literally moved from your innermost being. But what does it mean when it says the reason for His compassion was because they "were weary and scattered"?

Jesus sees a multitude of weary and harassed people. They were weary from trying to follow all the religious rules the Pharisees placed on them. They were likely burdened by their Roman rulers and harassed by their religious teachers who in essence told them they were never enough.

Have you had this thought in your life before, that you were never enough? That no matter how much you gave of yourself or how much you struggled you never measured up? Jesus understood their feelings and their needs. He went out of His way to take care of those needs. Are we willing to let compassion inconvenience us?

He saw they were scattered. When sheep have no effective shepherd to care for them, they scatter about, each to his own way. They don't know where to go. They can't find shelter or water. Lost sheep can't defend themselves against danger. These people were like that. Without an effective shepherd who truly loved and cared for them their needs were not met. They didn't know which way to turn. The religious leaders of the day had failed them. But Jesus doesn't just stop at recognizing their condition—He acts.

Compassion Moves Us to Action

We are told that He healed the sick, cast out demons, and brought back the dead because of His compassion. The widow of Nain's son was brought to life because Jesus was moved by her sorrow. As the funeral procession passed by, Jesus gently told her not to weep. Hers was the sorrow of a mother losing her only son. Jesus told the young man to rise, and when he did, Jesus presented him to his overjoyed mother.

In the story of the feeding of the 5,000, His disciples were concerned about sending the crowd away hungry. So in His compassion, He miraculously provided for the needs of the people. There were even twelve baskets of left overs. This shows how our Lord provides abundantly, often above what we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

His compassion led Him to physically touch lepers, an act that made Him ceremonially unclean and also made Him vulnerable to contracting the disease. Ultimately, He becomes the Good Shepherd to the people. And as our Shepherd, He has given us a task.

Called to Be Laborers for God

In the next verses Jesus says,

"Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'"

You and I as Christians are those laborers. We labor to point people to the Good Shepherd as their Savior. We are to be compassionate people, showing God's love to others, not just with words but with our actions. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is the best example of this. We don't just walk by those who suffer, we act like the Samaritan to help. The priest and the Levite saw him, but they still ignored him. Perhaps they feared his attackers could be close by. Whatever the reason, they did not go out of their way to do anything for him. But you may say, "I'm not around suffering people."

What Does Compassion Look Like?

Our compassion is not just for the sick and injured but for those who suffer mentally, for those who suffer mental or physical abuse at the hands of others, or for those who have no knowledge of Jesus. Nothing is more compassionate than sharing Jesus with someone who doesn't know Him. People suffer in many ways. They often hide their pain by not sharing what is really happening to them. They don't want pity. What they want and need is compassion. We serve others because Jesus served.

When we drive by a homeless encampment on the side of the road what do we see? Often, they are people who have lost their way because of drugs, mental illness, or any number of problems. They need more than our prayers, they need our labor. What can we practically do for them?

Possibilities could include preparing a care package of hygiene items, food, and a change of clothing. You might help someone access a place to wash their clothes or find somewhere to get a shower. Offering to take them to a barber for a haircut and shave if they're interested is another idea. Treat them like you would want to be treated, as someone with worth.

Pray that God gives us the wisdom to see how we can show compassion to the people we are around. At first, we may have the feeling that, "I am just one person, what can I do?" But we can plant a seed, we can show them that there are people who care for them. Maybe it's as simple as speaking to someone who has no friends, asking their name, and getting a coffee for them. This is love in action.

God's Compassion for Those Who Lose Their Way

Jesus shared another story of compassion in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). In this story, the prodigal finally sees the foolishness of his decisions and decides to go back home and beg His Father's forgiveness. He is expecting nothing in return.

“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him." Luke 15:20

In this parable, his father represents God. God has compassion on us when we lose our way and run off to do our own things, often sinful things. But when we come back He shows compassion for us. In this story the father throws a big party and welcomes his son home. He acts. God has sent His Son to die for our sins out of His great compassion for us. He knew our need and He acted.

When we see others who have lost their way for whatever reason, how do we respond to them? Is it with pity: "Too bad for poor Charlie, he got in with the wrong crowd"? Do we shake our head without doing anything? Or does our compassion lead us to do something? Compassion takes many forms because human suffering takes many forms.

We can show compassion to those who have lost loved ones by providing for their needs or sometimes just by being a good listener when they need to share their grief. We can be compassionate to someone who has just gone through a painful divorce by not judging them, but being there for them when their loneliness becomes too much. In so many ways we have opportunities to be a laborer for God.

Compassion Is Part of God's Character

The compassion of God is not just limited to the New Testament. In the NIV translation of Exodus 34:6 the Lord is described as being "compassionate and gracious." And in the Psalms we are told, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love" (Psalm 103:8 NIV). We see His tender compassion for His enslaved people in Egypt (Exodus 3:7) and for the people, and even the animals, of Nineveh (Jonah 4:11). His compassion never fails.

So we see compassion is a part of who God is. Because we are part of His family compassion is now expected to be a part of who we are as well. Paul says it well in Colossians 3:12 (ESV),

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,"

Do you have a compassionate heart? Can you feel the suffering of others as Jesus did, almost viscerally? A compassionate heart goes beyond feeling sorry for someone to giving of yourself to someone as Christ gave Himself for us. Pray for that compassionate heart. Put it on when you get up in the morning. Make it your prayerful habit to be a laborer for God.