When it comes to compassion, I can’t help but think of the following story…
While pulling out of her driveway, Georgene noticed a mangled ball of fur laying in the street. She pulled the car back into the driveway and walked over to discover that her son’s cat had been run over by a car. Not wanting to upset Billie, she decided to dispose of the “remains” and deal with the demise of the cat when Billie noticed it was gone. The next day, Billie asked about his cat. Georgene patiently explained to Billie that his cat had died and was in heaven with God. Billie looked at her with disbelief in his eyes and said, “What does God want with a dead cat?”
We are going to continue to discuss things that we as human beings want more of…things like joy and freedom…but today we are going to talk about something that we not only want more of, but we seem to expect more of others when we are hurting or in trouble…compassion
A general definition of compassion is sympathy and concern for the sufferings of others and a desire to alleviate such suffering.
The Hebrew and Greek words translated “compassion” in the Bible mean “to have mercy, to feel sympathy and to have pity.”
We know that, according to the Bible, God is “a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15).
Like all of God’s attributes, His compassion is infinite and eternal. His compassions never fail; they are new every morning
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23).
We are called as people who call ourselves Christians…to strive to become more and more like God and His nature…putting aside our own desires to become like Jesus…
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, demonstrated all of the Father’s attributes, including His compassion.
John wrote in his gospel account
When Jesus saw His friends weeping at the grave of Lazarus, He felt compassion for them and wept alongside them 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept. (John 11:33-35).
Jesus is the ultimate example of compassion…How do you measure up in the compassion arena?
Are you compassionate to those that are affected by this pandemic, or are you simply worried about you own feelings?
Do you consider the thoughts and fears of others or are you one of those with fears and concerns that are throwing evil eye stares at those that are not wearing mask?
Each one is suffering in different ways.
Some are suffering because they are now at home with their children all day and feel trapped by this madness. Others have had the virus hit home and have lost loved ones because it, yet others with underlaying conditions that put them in the high risk categories are paralyzed with fear and dread if they were to contract it.
So who deserves the compassion of others?
Everyone does!!!
Jesus wasn’t picky on whom he demonstrated compassion…
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).
When He 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.
When asked what was the greatest commandment, Jesus responded that it is to love God with all our heart, mind and strength.
But He added that the second commandment “is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:34-40).
The problem is that we find ourselves like Linus from the peanuts saying
I LOVE MANKIND ITS PEOPLE I CANT STAND…
You cant fully feel like you have the love of God in your heart if you find yourself not loving people…even the people that you find it hard to love…
We have those people in our lives and some are in our family or a coworker or even a neighbor…so maybe we should be like the Pharisee and ask Jesus and see if His response has changed…I really doubt it has!!!
The Pharisee had asked Him which single command of God is the greatest, but Jesus provided two, stating not only what we are to do, but also how to do it.
To love our neighbor as ourselves is the natural result of our loving devotion toward God.
1 John 3:17 asks, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need, but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” Originally made in His image, man is to exemplify God’s traits, including compassion. From this it follows that “If anyone says, ‘I love God’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).
The Bible is clear that compassion is an attribute of God and of God’s people as well.
God is compassionate. He is sympathetic to the suffering of His people.
He sees our distress and takes pity on us.
However, His compassion is more than mere sympathy and pity.
God's compassion is related to His mercy, kindness, patience, grace, forgiveness, and love.
In fact, some of these attributes are so related and interwoven as to make clear distinctions between them difficult.
God's compassion compels Him to take action.
He is no powerless observer, but the omnipotent sovereign ruler of the universe In Romans 9 Paul writes
14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses,“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. (Romans 9:14–16).
God's sympathy for our lost and miserable state led Him not only to feel our pain, but to provide an atoning sacrifice for our guilt; this He did by sending His Son to die for our sins…
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus is the Father's most compassionate gift to mankind.
It is only by and through faith in Jesus Christ that we are forgiven of our guilt and rescued from our deplorable condition
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
And of course we remember John 14:6 and this one verse that everyone who calls themselves Christian should have in their memory…the way the truth the life and no one comes to the father except through me…
Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:14).
He experienced human life and is able to sympathize with us fully
Hebrews 4:14–16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
He lived a perfect life and modeled things like compassion for us. By observing the compassion of Christ we catch glimpses of the compassion of the Father and see how we ourselves can show compassion to others (Philippians 2:1–11).
In this time of crazy thoughts driven by our isolation or our perception of isolation…it is not the time to be like the people Leslie and I encountered downtown Woodstock over the memorial day weekend…there was no social distancing as the people were everywhere.
Leslie and I are in the high risk category so we wear our mask. Leslie loves the bubble tea place so she places our order to pick up and we pull up and she gets out and we see the stares and how dare you not feel like I do about this virus…then I stopped by Kroger and I put on my mask to go in and buy some milk. I encountered a family with two small children shopping just like I was and I saw the mom point to my mask and her kids said oh no hold you nose and they laughed and made fun of me…now I could care less and my feelings are not hurt, but my heart hurts for the kids whose parents would teach their children to poke fun at someone who doesn’t have the same feelings as they do…
We sent out a church survey and the elders will meet Monday to discuss the differing results…I ask you each to consider the feelings of everyone…even the ones that don’t feel like you do…and if your in the majority don’t you dare gloat or thumb your nose at those that are in the minority…likewise if your in the minority I pray you will have compassion and respect the feelings of those that are in the majority…we are in this thing together…
Jesus died for us all and his love and grace is enough to ensure us a place in heaven…then for heavens sake please be gracious to those that call you brother or sister in Christ…
