The Heart of Compassion

There's a powerful difference between sympathy and true compassion. Sympathy feels sorry from a distance. Compassion moves us to action from the depths of our being.
The dictionary defines compassion as "suffering with"—to feel deeply, viscerally, from the gut. It's a yearning, a longing for something more. When we look at Scripture, we discover that Jesus embodied this kind of radical compassion in ways that challenge us to completely reimagine how we engage with the world around us.

Imagine a stray cat running frantically with a mayonnaise jar stuck on its head. It can't see where it's going. It crashes into fences, unable to escape the yard, trapped by something that blocks its vision entirely. When someone finally catches the cat and removes the jar, it runs free—unrestrained, liberated, able to see clearly for the first time.

This is the condition of so many people in our communities. They're running through life with metaphorical jars on their heads—no vision, no sight, unable to see what life truly is or could be. And when the jar comes off, when they encounter the freedom found in Jesus, they run freely without restraint.

The question is: Do we have the compassion to help remove those jars?

Matthew 9:36 tells us that when Jesus saw the multitudes, "He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." This wasn't a casual observation. Jesus felt a deep internal suffering at seeing people living without hope, without direction, without the restoration He came to bring.
Consider the scene in Matthew 14. Jesus had just received devastating news—John the Baptist had been killed. He needed time alone, time to process, time to pray. He departed by boat to a deserted place. But when the multitudes heard where He was going, they followed Him on foot.

What would we do in that situation? We'd probably be justified in saying, "Not today. I'm dealing with something." But what did Jesus do? When He saw the great multitudes, He was moved with compassion and healed their sick.

Jesus showed compassion even on His worst day. He demonstrated that compassion isn't dependent on our circumstances or how we feel. It's a choice to see people as God sees them and respond accordingly.

Later in that same encounter, evening came and the disciples suggested sending the hungry crowds away to buy food in nearby villages. But Jesus said something remarkable: "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

With only five loaves and two fish, Jesus fed over 5,000 people. He operated in signs, wonders, and miracles to meet the needs of the people so they would follow Him.
Interestingly, just two chapters later in Matthew 15, Jesus faced a similar situation with 4,000 people who had been with Him for three days without food. When the disciples asked where they could get enough bread, Jesus asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They had seven loaves and a few fish.

Why would Jesus ask this again? He was teaching them. He had already shown them it was possible. Now it was their turn to imitate Him, to step into the same compassion-driven ministry He modeled.

This is God's pattern: He shows us how, then invites us to do it ourselves.

Jesus gave us the Great Commission in Matthew 28—to go and make disciples of all nations. But we cannot participate in this commission without loving God and loving people. Compassion is the fuel that drives disciple-making.

When Jesus looked at the harvest, He said it was plentiful but the laborers were few. The harvest is ready. People are looking for hope, for purpose, for freedom from their jars. But are we willing to be laborers?

Are we willing to:

• Love sacrificially?
• Come alongside someone in their struggle?
• Operate in the spiritual gifts God has given us?
• Have those Jesus conversations?
• Simply be available when someone wants to talk?
• Invite people to experience God's presence?

We shouldn't keep Jesus a secret. When we discover a great restaurant or an amazing deal, we can't wait to tell everyone. How much more should we share the transformation we've experienced in Christ?

The story of Joseph provides a stunning example of compassion in action. His brothers hated him, threw him in a pit, and sold him into slavery. They faked his death and broke their father's heart. Joseph had every worldly right to be bitter.

Yet years later, when famine brought those same brothers to Egypt where Joseph had become second-in-command, he said to them: "Do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life."

Joseph understood something profound: God had sent him ahead to show compassion, to ensure restored life—not just for his brothers, but for future generations.

Compassion takes forgiveness. Or said another way: unforgiveness kills compassion.
We've all had people say or do hurtful things. But we cannot see them through the lens of what they did. We must see them as Jesus sees them—with compassion, as people who need life restored.

Ephesians 4:31-32 calls us to banish bitterness, rage, anger, and malice, and instead become useful, helpful, kind, tender-hearted, and compassionate—forgiving one another readily and freely as God in Christ forgave us.

Look around. In our homes, workplaces, stores, and communities, there are thousands of people suffering without hope. There are countless opportunities for people to experience the compassion Jesus showed us.

This week, this month, this year—we need to see our unchurched family and friends as Jesus does. See them as struggling, wandering without vision, living without hope. Let us be moved with compassion for them. Let us have that deep internal suffering to see their lives restored.

The harvest truly is plentiful.

The question is: will we be the laborers who step into the field with compassion?