Showing compassion has never been my strong suit. Have you ever taken one of those online spiritual gifts tests? I have—multiple times—and I tend to score very low on the gift of mercy. I’m not quite sure why this is. I’ve never been much of an empathetic person, and I’ve never been one to feel or be in tune with others’ emotions. Compassion just doesn’t always come naturally for me, which can make biblical commands like “put on compassionate hearts” and “bear one another’s burdens” particularly difficult (Galatians 6:2, Colossians 3:12).
But showing compassion is something that I—and every other Christian, for that matter—ought to strive for. Why? It’s not just because Christians are expected to be very nice people, and it’s not just because a couple Bible verses say so (though, that is a good enough reason). We are called to be compassionate because Christ is compassionate. Multiple times in the Gospels, we see Jesus being moved by compassion for the people He ministered to (Matthew 9:36, 14:14; Mark 6:34). As Christians, we ought to imitate our Lord and Savior and show compassion as He did.
Let’s look at three Gospel accounts of Christ’s compassion and what they teach us about Jesus, as well as ourselves.
The first account is in Matthew 20, and it occurs shortly before Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus and those who followed Him were leaving the city of Jericho when two blind men cried out to Him, begging for Him to have mercy on them and heal them. Though they had never seen Jesus or the miracles He performed, they evidently had heard of Him and His great works, and they knew He must be the Son of David, the Messiah who was prophesied during the reign of King David in Old Testament times (2 Samuel 7:12-16). After all, it was written that the messianic age would bring healing for those such as themselves, so Jesus had to be their promised Savior (Isaiah 29:18, 35:5).
“Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed him.” Matthew 20:34, CSB
The next account is found in the first chapter of Mark. This takes place earlier in Jesus’ ministry, when He was traveling across Galilee, teaching and healing and casting out demons. One day, He was approached by a leper who fell on his knees before Jesus. Lepers were considered unclean in this culture, which meant they were not allowed to be a part of society. They couldn’t live in their homes. They couldn’t worship in the temple. They couldn’t even come too close to another human being, lest they also make them unclean. Their condition left them very isolated. And yet, this leper knew of Jesus, knew of His miraculous works, and knew that Jesus could heal him, if He was willing.
“Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. ‘I am willing,’ he told him. ‘Be made clean.’ Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.” Mark 1:41-42
After this encounter, Jesus warned the man not to tell anyone about the healing. But the former leper was too overjoyed by the fact that he was no longer unclean, and he told everyone about what Jesus did to him. And hordes of people from everywhere started coming to Jesus to seek their own healing.
The final account is recorded in Luke 7. Jesus was coming to the town of Nain with a group of His followers when He came across the funeral of a widow’s only son. In this culture, women often didn’t have the means to provide for themselves. If a wife’s husband died, it was the responsibility of her eldest son to care for her, but if she had no sons or her sons died, she would find herself in a very desperate situation. This is the situation of the woman Jesus met on his way to Nain.
“And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’ Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.” Luke 7:13-15, ESV
After Jesus resurrects the widow’s son, the mourning townsfolk were gripped by fear and awe, and they cried out that Jesus was a prophet. This is likely because this miracle closely resembled a miracle the prophet Elijah performed in the Old Testament when he raised a widow’s son (1 Kings 17:17-24). And the people glorified God and spread the report of this miracle all over Judea.
In all three of these accounts, we see how deeply Jesus cares for the most downtrodden and vulnerable of society. Blind men with no hope of ever seeing the sun rise or the stars sparkle in the night sky. A leper who was an outcast, barred from seeing or touching his loved ones. A woman who’d lost her husband and son and had no idea how she would get her needs met. Jesus loved them all, and their lives and stories moved Him to compassion. The Greek word for “compassion” used in these accounts is splagchnizomai (I know, what a mouthful). It literally means to be moved by sympathy, pity, compassion as to one’s bowels.[1] This is a deep compassion, a great love that these individuals did nothing to deserve. They received the compassion of Christ simply due to His mercy and grace.
And yet, the compassion of Christ is not the only thing we witness in these three passages. We also see the confusion of the people. Even after these great miracles, the people could not see Jesus for who He was. They saw him as a healer who would do away with all their physical ailments or a prophet who performed great speeches and even greater works. But Jesus was not just a healer. He was not just a prophet. Yes, He healed them and did great wonders, but that was only to point to the spiritual healing He had in store for them, the greatest wonder of all—our salvation from sin. But the people never quite understood this during His ministry on this earth, which led to Him being rejected by His own countrymen and crucified on a Roman cross.
Let these three stories of Jesus’ deep compassion lead you to do two things. First, praise the Lord for the compassion He has shown you. You may not be blind, or have leprosy, or have just lost your only source of provision and income. But you are a sinner, and that means Christ lived on this earth and died on the cross for you, to save you from your sins, because of His great love for you. Let us be in awe and glorify God for the grace and mercy He has lavished upon us.
Second, be compassionate to everyone around you and show them who the true Jesus is through your actions. Tell them of what Christ has done for you and the deep compassion that is available to them if only they believe in Jesus. Preach the good news of the gospel, the good news of our salvation. Preach the true Christ. Not the good teacher, or the miraculous healer, or the wise prophet. But the living Son of God, the prophesied Messiah, the compassionate Christ.
[1] “G4697 – spagchnizomai – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV),” Blue Letter Bible, accessed September 12, 2024, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4697/kjv/tr/0-1/,
