January 27 - Compassion of Christ

Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:35-36

Jesus was compassionate. Compassion is simply feeling the pain and plight of others. It allows others to express a deep feeling of love and concern that moves then to meet the distresses, struggles, and needs of those suffering. Jesus was deeply compassionate. Walking the dusty paths between the towns and villages around Galilee He spent most of His three years of ministry caring for the people in that area. He reached out to people that came to Him at all hours of the day and night. There were sick, demonic, grieving, rejected and spiritually lost people who desperately needed Jesus’ touch—His care and concern. People brought their friends and relatives. As Jesus’ path crossed theirs, like the woman who was going to bury her son and Jesus raised the boy up from death, He had compassion. All through the gospels we find Jesus experiencing others distress and unselfishly helping them—giving up His own time and energy. What is your favorite story of Jesus helping people in the Bible? Is it the story of Him…cleansing the leper…raising the young girl from the dead…healing the lame friend lowered through the roof… healing the demoniac…or healing the blind man…or some other miracle? Why is it special to you?  Imagine how these people must have felt at having Jesus touch them and heal them when no one else could do that.    

Training Tip – Discuss compassion with your children. They probably have experienced compassion from others—but it is important for them to express compassion for it to become part of their own character. Remind them about the “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” verse, Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. Luke 6:31. With very small children you may even want to pretend that a baby doll is sick or hurt and have the children help the doll.

Lord – Help us to be compassionate to others—to treat them as we would want to be treated.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.