All Compassion, All the Time
When you read through the Gospels, particularly the Gospel According to Mark, you are arrested by the compassion of Jesus.
It is everywhere. He heals a man with an unclean spirit (1.21-28), heals many with sickness (1.29-34), is burdened to preach to the people (1.35-38), heals a leper by touching him (1.40-45), heals a paralytic (2.1-12), forgives the paralytic’s sin (2.1-12), calls a turncoat tax collector to turn coat and follow him (2.13-17), punches the self-righteous, joy suffocating religious cats in the gut with his liberating preaching (2.18-28), calms the storm while his ‘tough’ disciples are making girl noises in their boat (4.35-41), heals a demoniac and then sends him out to be a missionary (5.1-20), heals a girl who was dead! (5.1-43), heals a women who is suffering from an issue of bleeding, he makes bread for hungry people (6.30-44)…and on and on the list goes.
Jesus says powerfully in the second feeding, “I have compassion on the crowd…” (8.2).
Why Jesus’ Compassion is Different
Jesus’ compassion is expressed in that he sees the needs of people and then he goes about meeting these needs.
It is one thing to be sensitive to people’s needs. This is compassion. But Jesus is the compassionate one. He not only sees the needs, but he has the power to meet the needs. This is because Jesus is God in the flesh.
If we were to wring out The Gospel According to Mark, we would have an ocean of Christological beauty. And emerging out of the waters of this beautiful ocean would be the flag of Christ’s compassion. It flies high out of this gospel.
The Greatest Display of Compassion
Of course these early acts of compassion pave the way to the great act of compassion. Nowhere is compassion more pronounced, more vivid, more punctuated than at the cross. It is there that the compassionate God sees and meets the greatest of human needs.
Jesus, having fully discharged his duty of obedience to his Father, said, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” (Jn. 17.4)
Christ had perfectly fulfilled the Law of God. He had submitted himself to every precept and fullfilled every requirement. As he looked forward to Golgotha he held in his very hand the purse full of eternal righteousness that he would give to his people.
Every footstep of Christ has an indent of compassion. From Christ’s first steps as a toddler to his march to Calvary, every tread mark upon the Palestinian dirt was trademarked with Christological compassion. He sees and meets his people’s greatest need.
Jesus the compassionate One sees our need for righteousness so he obeys the Law perfectly, earning our standing. He earns everlasting righteousness for his people.
Jesus the compassionate One sees our need for wrath to be satisfied so he goes to the cross and perfectly pays our debt. He pays an eternal debt that he might give eternal life.
This Compassion Must Affect Christians
Christ’s compassion is refreshing, humbling, and motivating. It refreshes us because it is true. We may be recalibrated by the truth of the gospel daily. This brings joy. It is humbling because it underlines our inability and unwillingness to earn God’s favor. Christ had to be compassionate in order to save helpless rebels like us. It is motivating because true compassion captures our hearts. Through the gospel we see what true, divinely projected love looks like. We know it and we feel it. This motivates zealous and happy service to Jesus.
Chew the Gum!
When my oldest daughter was young she was something of a “gum fiend.” We did not buy her gum but she always managed to get at least one piece on Sunday morning at church. She would then chew that piece of gum all week long! It adorned her nightstand as I tucked her in. Then as the sun would rise she would pop that aged gum in her mouth–complete with 6 year old teeth indents. She never got tired of the gum. It seemed to be an everlasting flavor for her.
It would do us well to learn from the child in this and to put the gum of Christ’s compassion in our mouths and chew it all week! Don’t grow tired of chewing and tasting this truth. It is ever-flavorful! It will never go stale! It will not cease to refresh, humble, and motivate you to marvel at Christ with happiness and loyalty.
So, chew, taste, and enjoy the compassion of the Lord Jesus.
(image courtesy of Shutterstock)
