The more facts you pack in your brain the easier it is to lack compassion. It is hard to remember how little we knew at one point in time and how little we still know in the grand scheme of things.
Jesus knew everything and yet he had compassion on people.
If anyone could have thought “they should have known better” it was Jesus. They should have known better than to go out in the wilderness without food but that is where Jesus found the crowd and in Mark 8 Jesus said he had compassion for them. They should have known not to crucify him but they did. Jesus had compassion on them.
We need to have the compassion of Jesus even though we lack the knowledge of Jesus. Just because someone should have known better doesn’t mean they do or that they knew and still did something crazy. Even though it defies logic…don’t we find ourselves in that same position – either we didn’t know or we did know and did it anyway? And don’t we hope that in our worst moments (not just our mediocre ones) that someone will have compassion on us?
Did you know the word for compassion is related to the word for guts? That’s because when you feel for someone, your stomach rumbles and tumbles…it twists and turns because you know that this person needs help! For some of us, we talked ourselves out of feeling the rumble in the belly long ago but we need to get it back. We need to listen to those feelings and move to action because compassion isn’t compassion without action. Jesus taught us that.
Compassion for the hungry crowd – he fed them (Mark 8:2)
Compassion for a blind man – he healed him (Matt 20:34)
Compassion for a demon possessed boy – he cast out the demon (Mark 9:22)
Compassion for a youngest child who squandered it all – he welcomed him back, running to greet him (Luke 15:20).
All of those scripture references have two things – compassion and action. They have to go together or else it isn’t compassion.
What is more, Jesus has compassion for you and for me! Let us be people known for our compassion and compassion is not contingent upon agreement.
If this blessed you, give “No One Makes You Angry” a read. Hope you are well!
