Luke 10:30-37
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

We’ve seen the compassion of Jesus. He draws near to the sinful and the suffering. He sees us here in our neediness and is moved to intervene, to help how only He can. Compassion is an eternal characteristic of God and is evident in His interactions with us. David said in Psalm 145, “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” Life in a sin-cursed world is painful and full of difficulties, but God tends to His creation with an unimaginable supply of grace and mercy, and we are the beneficiaries of His unending love. So we, in response, are to show that same kind of compassion to others.

Consider the story of the Good Samaritan, a supreme example of compassion. Here was someone himself an outcast, despised by others, one of the lowest members of society, maybe even someone the people around him would have gladly left for dead if he’d been the one who was injured at the side of the road. But despite whatever else he may have been, he was a man full of compassion. He does not turn aside and ignore the one suffering, maybe thinking someone else will intervene or not caring if anyone does. He is compelled to draw near, to reach out to the hurting, the weak, and the unwanted, and to alleviate as much of his burden as he can take upon himself. He gives what he has. He seeks to soothe. He recruits the innkeeper to join in on the caretaking. He goes above and beyond, driven by compassion.

So how does your compassion compare to the Good Samaritan’s? How does it compare to the compassion of Jesus? We live in a world that is hurting and broken. We walk among people who are lost and wayward. We dwell in a society that is increasingly hostile, violent, and largely lacking compassion. But that’s not really surprising. That’s sin reigning and ruling here. So how much of a difference compassion can make in a place that is starving for it. How much of a difference we can make when we are willing to be like Jesus and put compassion into action.