Radiance Challenge – Compassion

My article called, His Radiance (Jan. 2010), describes the challenge that God put before me: to display Christ’s radiance (God’s glory) through the personal expression of various Christ-like virtues.

Challenge #1 – Compassion

Definition:
Latin: com=with, pati=to suffer
Greek: splagchnizomai = to have one’s bowels yearn; to sympathize, to pity; to be moved with compassion; a gut feeling
Noun: the sharing of/understanding of/concern for another’s suffering or misfortunes
Adjective: compassionate.
Synonyms: sympathy, pity, care, concern, sensitivity, warmth, love, tenderness, mercy, kindness, charity
Antonyms: indifference, cruelty

Some Biblical Examples:
Matthew 9:35-36 “Jesus went through all the towns and villages . . . and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Matthew 14:13-14 “When Jesus heard what had happened [about the death of John the Baptist], he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. Then Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

Matthew 15:32 “Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them . . . Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way . . . Then he took the seven loaves and the fish and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied . . . the number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children.”

Matthew 18:21-35 The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant – Jesus tells the story of a master who is faced with a distraught servant who cannot pay back his debt to the master. After begging for mercy, the master “took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.” (There is more to this story – I will leave it to you to read).

Reflection:
Jesus went to the people in need, ready to respond as appropriate.
Jesus had compassion on the sick, the helpless, the diseased, the hungry and the distressed.
Even when his solitude was interrupted, Jesus still displayed compassion.
Jesus received the needy that came to him, or were brought by others.
When Jesus saw the needs of the people (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) he had such a gut-wrenching reaction that he had to respond.

Our mission:
Let us follow Jesus’ example of extending compassion to others. Look for needs to be met; go to people who are needy to investigate how we can help. FEEL the suffering of others IN OUR GUT and RESPOND in some way to give relief. May the Lord enable us to display compassion.

Focus on Compassion for the next week or so and let us see what God can do through us!