The Spirit Of Compassion

The Spirit of Compassion

Read: John 14:16-18

“You know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

John 14:17

“Every act of compassion done by anyone for his fellow Christian is done by Christ working in him.”

—Julian of Norwich

IN WORD How often we read of Jesus having compassion on others. In Matthew 9:36, He had compassion on the crowds, who were like sheep without a shepherd. In Matthew 14:14, He had compassion on the sick. In Luke 7:13, He had compassion on the widow of Nain, whose only son (and means of support) had died. In John 11:35, He wept with Mary and Martha over the death of their brother. Mark 1:41 says He was “filled with compassion” for a leper. The sick, the hungry, the prodigals of this world are all objects of His concern.

In Jesus, we see the compassion of an infinite God in the heart of a human body. What an overflow of emotion! We feel the physical stress from our finite emotions and are overwhelmed by them. How much more does the compassion of God exceed the limits of human expression! We are amazed at the implications of boundless love incarnate. The infinite is expressed by the finite. The Son of God and the Son of Man are one.

IN DEED The amazing thing about Jesus’ compassion is not just that it is an expression of God’s emotions in a human form. What is really amazing is that His emotions are also expressed through us when His Spirit reigns in our hearts. We have access to a love beyond ourselves. When we come across the really unlovable, we may ask Him to love them through us. When our human nature recoils at the offensiveness of others, we may trust the Holy Spirit to minister to them in spite of our own impulses.

Jesus’ compassion reaches into lepers’ wounds. It goes to the side of the road where victims lie. It sees needs and seeks to meet them. It welcomes offensive prodigals back home. If Jesus is love incarnate, and His Spirit is in us, we will love with His kind of compassion. This compassion will come from beyond ourselves. All we have to do is ask Him for it.