The compassion of God.

As I read the gospels (Matthew, Luke, Mark and John), I am amazed at how much of Jesus’ life is a reflection of God. In Jesus, the world was able to see God, comprehend God, demystify God, show His character. Jesus made the ‘idea’ of God possible, what others had complicated, he simplified; what others had confused, he clarified; what others sought to restrict or constrict, he amplified and showed that God could not be put in a box. Of all the things Jesus revealed about God, I would like to focus on His compassion. The life of Jesus is filled with compassion, in fact, his entire ministry is about compassion otherwise he would not have come down to earth where he would be bruised, rejected, scorned, shamed, and killed. His compassion is fully displayed in the things that he did, the interactions he had with people, the miracles he performed, as well as his teachings. I will attempt to show you this based on a few passages from the gospels.

When it comes to the miracles, Jesus showed God’s compassion by simply responding to the cries of the people. There is not a person that Jesus refused to answer. Even when tired, he always put the needs of others before his. In Matthew 8, after Jesus had finished his sermon on the mount, a man with leprosy came to him and said “if you are willing, you can make me clean” and Jesus responded “I am willing, be cleaned”. That is direct compassion right there. Jesus did not reject the man’s cry for healing. Moreover, in Luke 7, we are told of the widow’s son whom Jesus resurrected out of compassion. It says that “when the Lord saw her (the widow), his heart went out to her and he said don’t cry” and then proceeded to resurrect her dead son. Again, compassion fueled that miracle. Furthermore, you have the miracle of the multiplication which is found in Matthew, Luke, Mark and John. It is out of compassion for the crowd that Jesus decided to feed it. In fact, the crowd had followed Jesus for three days according to Matthew and Jesus, thinking about the welfare of the people knew that they were hungry. So, he decided to do what a good father would do to his children, which is provide for them when in need. He did that by feeding them out of five loaves of bread and two fishes! Once again, Jesus’ compassion propelled the many miracles he performed. What is even more impressive is the fact that, in many cases, Jesus often initiated the conversation or provoked the situation that would lead to a miracle. Like in the case of the man in the town of Gerasenes or Gadarenes. Jesus went into that town specifically to heal that demon-possessed man. It is also interesting to note that this town was the only I believe non-Jewish town where Jesus was asked to leave. Usually in gentile’s towns, Jesus was more welcome than he was in Jewish towns but not in this one. The miracle Jesus performed there caused the town to be afraid and to fear him to the point where they asked Jesus to leave. What I find incredible is that when the healed man, the once demon-possessed man begged to go with Jesus, Jesus simply said “return home and tell how much God has done for you”. This is incredible compassion because out of the life of this man, salvation would be available for that gentile town even though they had rejected him, he still had hopes and wanted them to have life and have it abundantly.

In terms of showing compassion through his teaching, Jesus displayed that in the sermon on the mount and the many parables. Yes, it is true that parables were designed to be understood by a few and hidden for many but that does not negate the fact that Jesus still showed his compassion through them. Think of the parable of the sower, something that I had never seen in that parable is the compassionate heart of God. His heart is one that is willing to sow anywhere as long as there are results. I often wondered why a farmer would not be careful with his seeds as he was sowing? Or why would a farmer worry about seeds that fell on bad soil when his focus is the good soil where he is certain he will obtain results? What I was able to see through the parable of the sower is that God really has a heart for every man to be saved regardless of his condition or circumstance. God is concerned about his seed and seeing it grow and produce fruit, so wherever it lands, He is hopeful that fruit can be born out. We often put limits on what God can or cannot do but this parable shows that God is willing to grow any type of soil. Indeed, God in his compassion does not give up on his children rather it is often his children that give up on Him. As explained by Jesus, the seeds that do not grow fruit are the ones who hear the word of God, yet the enemy takes it away or pleasures of life, worries and the likes kill the word in them. This shows that the word would have born fruit had these things not been there. For the enemy to take the word from your heart, it means your heart was not protected; the same is true of the worries and pleasures of the world. But in the good heart, the word is retained, preserved and by perseverance produces a crop.

Our God is a compassionate God who is willing to take whatever you give him to work with. Just like He used the five loaves of bread and two fishes to perform this giant miracle, He can do today with the little faith you give him. He is faithful enough to actually do more and above what we can think or imagine. Is He not the one who said to whom more is given more will be required and to him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him (Matthew 13:12)? Therefore, it is our duty to ensure that we safely guard what was deposited to us like Paul told Timothy (1 Timothy 6:20). We must guard the word of God planted in our lives so that it produces fruit and others are blessed by it. Thereby perpetuating that compassionate heart of God to the world.