What is compassion? Compassion is an expected output of true love. “Compassion” = A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for someone in the midst of a tragedy, accompanied by a desire to alleviate the suffering.
It’s the most important thing you put on every morning. Every day, we get up, take a shower, and go through a whole routine to make ourselves presentable to the outside world. Deodorant, brush teeth, comb hair, etc. Some of you (especially ladies) may spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out what you’re going to wear. This week, I hope you add another thought to your morning routine. In addition to all the things we do to prepare ourselves OUTWARDLY, let’s give thought to preparing INWARDLY by what we put on. Colossians 3: 12, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Let’s make a conscious effort this week to prepare ourselves each morning to portray kindness, compassion, gentleness, and patience toward those we encounter each day. 1 Peter 3: 8, “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”
The lessons of the Samaritan
On one occasion, a man came up to Jesus and asked Him what he must do to inherit eternal life. He was an expert in the Old Testament law and likely wasn’t really inquiring for information, but Luke 10: 25 says he was testing Jesus. Jesus replied to him: Luke 10: 26 - 28, “What is written in the Law?’ He replied. ‘How do you read it?’ “He answered: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ‘You have answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’” So they agreed that the essence of the Christian life was to love God and love our neighbor. But the scholar raised an important question in verse 29 when he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus then spoke to the issue of loving our neighbor by telling a story.
A man in desperate need
Luke 10: 30, “In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.” The distance from Jerusalem to Jericho was about 17 miles. The road between the two towns ran through rocky, desert country, which provided isolated places for robbers to hide and lie in wait for defenseless travelers. It was likely that the people of that day had heard reports of similar things happening to unfortunate travelers
Those who passed on by
Luke 10: 31 – 32, “A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” It’s important to note that the people Jesus described as passing the poor man by were RELIGIOUS people. One was a priest and the other was a Levite. That would be the modern day equivalent to a Senior Minister and an elder or an associate minister.
Rationalizations of those who “passed by”
“I’m in a hurry and have important things to do. I just don’t have time to stop and deal with this.”
“Somebody else will stop and help them. I wouldn’t know what to do anyway.”
So they pass on by, perhaps pretending not to see him. Now, before we get all judgmental on these guys, let’s note that we often do the same thing. We see people every day that have needs. The guy that’s trying to support his family off of his and his wife’s minimum wage jobs. The lady at work whose husband just left her and she needs someone to listen. The guy at work that everybody says is an “oddball” and everyone avoids. The kid at school that sits at the end of the table by himself at lunch.
How do WE rationalize “passing on by?” “It’s the government’s job to take care of people who are struggling financially. I pay my taxes. I’ve helped them enough.” “I have enough problems of my own. I don’t have the time or energy to listen to her unload her emotional baggage.” “What will other people think if they see me hanging out with the likes of him? Plus, I’ll miss time with MY friends.”
Compassion is love in action
Luke 10: 33 – 37, “But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
The Samaritan was willing to adjust his plans for a “divine interruption.” Let’s not pretend that the Samaritan didn’t have anywhere he was supposed to be or things he was supposed to do that day. The difference was that he valued PEOPLE more than he valued EFFICIENCY. He realized that the needs of that man, in that moment, trumped anything he had on his agenda for the day.
I bet many of you know what I’m talking about when I say that God sometimes sends us “divine appointments.” People that we find in our path that need something. We call them DIVINE appointments, because it just might be that God has sent them your way for a reason. Hebrews 13: 1 – 2, “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” <
Love becomes compassion when we put it into action
Luke 10: 36 – 37, ““Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” It wasn’t the two “religious guys” that had compassion. In fact, it was a guy you would perhaps least expect. Jews and Samaritans were at odds with each other. Yet, the Samaritan was moved to compassion and proved himself to be the true neighbor to the poor man who was robbed.
The Bible tells us that the purest form of religion involves putting our love into action and extending acts of mercy and service to those in need. James 1: 27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Jesus modeled compassion
Matthew 9: 35 – 36, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Practical ways to demonstrate compassion
1. Reach out to support those in need. All around us, there are people who are hurting and carrying burdens. These situations provide us with opportunities to reach out and impact others with the love of Christ. Galatians 6: 2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
1. Look out for the underdog
Zechariah 7: 8 – 10, “And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah: 9 “This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’”
There are a lot of people in our world today that tend to get pushed to the back, overlooked, or stepped on. Be the person that looks out for those who can’t protect themselves. Take up for the kid at school who is being bullied. Speak up for the rights of the unborn, the aged, the handicapped, the poor.
3. A ministry of encouragement
So many people today are tired, frustrated, and feel defeated. Or they’re just downright tired and weary. We need compassionate people to come alongside people like this and offer them a word of encouragement. 1 Thessalonians 5: 14, “And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” Come alongside that young child that needs someone to believe in them. Pick up that adult friend who feels like a failure and offer them hope of a fresh start and a clean slate.
4. A touch of compassion
Matthew 8: 1 – 3, “When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.”
There are a lot of different ways that Jesus went about healing people. Sometimes He would just speak and they were healed. At other times, they were told to go do something and, after obeying Him, they were healed. But this time, Jesus made a point to TOUCH this leper. There’s no telling how long it had been since someone had touched this unclean leper. There’s something powerful in a touch of compassion. A hug, a pat on the back, an arm around the shoulder.
5. Use your gifts and resources to bless others
1 Peter 4: 10, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” If you have been blessed with financial and material resources, use them to bless others. Or maybe you’re short on cash, but have talents and skills you could use to bless others.
The power of compassion
Compassion as a form of evangelism. Acts of kindness and compassion are great ways to bring down walls of distrust and gain a hearing for the gospel. Many times, people need to SEE the love of Jesus before they’re ready to HEAR about the love of Jesus. Cal Thomas wrote, "Love TALKED ABOUT is easily ignored. But love DEMONSTRATED is irresistible."
This week, I challenge you to unleash a “conspiracy of compassion” upon Mercer County. I ask you to be intentional about looking for opportunities to display the love and compassion of Christ in our community. In your bulletin, you’ll find a list of idea starters, but don’t be limited to just those. Perhaps you can come up with some creative ways to demonstrate the love and compassion of Christ to others.
I have had cards printed up this week – I call them “compassion cards." The idea is for you to do your act of kindness and then just give the person one of these cards. It has a picture of our church on one side with service times and info. On the back it simply says:
“This act of kindness was motivated by the love of Jesus Christ. He loved, healed, and served others. He then died on the cross so we could have our sins forgiven. He loves and cares about you and so do we. We are trying to love the world the way He did.”
If you take this challenge to join me this week in a conspiracy of compassion, I invite you to take the number of cards you plan to give away following an act of compassion. They’ll be available in the lobby after the service.
Give Jesus the glory
I read that actor Denzel Washington was out with friends recently when a homeless man moved in to ask for money. The actor’s entourage ignored the man in the hope that he would go away. But Washington noticed him and was touched by his unhappy plight. He reached into his pocked and handed him a $100 bill. The man began to cry. Soon after that the man grabbed a passerby and said, "Will Smith just gave me a hundred bucks!"
When you do something kind, don’t make a big deal about them knowing YOUR name, but make sure they associate your act of kindness with the love of JESUS. Matthew 6: 1 – 4, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others.
Compassion as a key to revival
We’ve been talking about and praying for revival in recent weeks. Allow me to take you back to a passage of scripture we looked at during our time of fasting and prayer at the first of the year
Isaiah 58: 6 – 12, ““Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
That sounds an awful lot like revival to me!
