Vol. XXXIX, No. 12
December 3,
2007
DEVELOPING A HEART OF COMPASSION
by Tom
McLemore
The
church is the body of Christ (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 10:17; 12:12-27;
Ephesians 1:23; 2:16; 3:6; 4:4, 12, 16; 5:23, 30; Colossians 1:18, 24; 2:19; 3:15). There is only one body of Christ, and it is
his church. That indeed is a scriptural
doctrine, but it is far more than a doctrine.
That is both a truth which must be recognized and a responsibility which
must be realized.
Being the Body of Christ
One vital part of being the body of
Christ is to continue the ministry of Christ where we live. Among the many traits of Jesus as he
conducted his ministry, compassion predominates. This means that a key feature of our service
to God in Christ must be compassion.
Consider the following statements in
the Gospels. “When he saw the crowds,
he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36 || Mark 6:34). “When he
went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured
their sick” (Matthew 14:14). “Then
Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for the crowd,
because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and
I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way’”
(Matthew 15:32 || Mark 8:2). “Moved
with compassion, Jesus touched [the blind men’s] eyes. Immediately they
regained their sight and followed him” (Matthew 20:34). “When the Lord saw [the widow of Nain whose son had died], he had compassion for her
and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’” (Luke
7:13).
Our Focus as the Body of Christ
We may receive direction for our
task by considering these statements. We
must have compassion upon those who are lost, who do not know the way,
oppressed by sin and Satan. We must have
compassion upon those who are sick and hungry.
This includes those who are physically sick and spiritually sick. It embraces those who hunger for physical
food and for the food which does not perish but endures for eternal life, the
food which the Son of man has to offer (John 6:27). We must have compassion for those who are
blind, both spiritually and physically. We must have compassion for those who
have suffered loss, those who mourn and grieve.
Stop and consider the power of a
congregation (and the individuals making it up) exhibiting this kind of
compassion every day, in every way, everywhere any of us went. You have heard “People don’t care how much
you know until they know how much you care.”
Jesus obviously believed something along that line, because he was big
on exhibiting compassion. When Jesus
first announced his program and procedure, he declared, “The Spirit of the Lord
is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has
sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim
the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18, 19).
Can we not see the compassion that is at the heart of this
procedure? Can we understand that
without compassion, not one of these things is possible?
When our Lord desired to portray the
heart of our heavenly Father, he did so by describing a true Father’s heart
upon seeing his wandering child coming home: “So he set off and went to his
father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled
with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Just as we are to be followers of Christ in
manifesting his compassion, Jesus followed his Father in manifesting God’s
compassion. For us to be children of God
includes manifesting the heart of God, namely the compassion of God.
Making His Compassion Ours
How can we develop compassion? Perhaps one way is to think about times when
we were the recipients of great compassion, when we were in need and someone
felt for us and came to our aid. God and
Christ certainly have done that, and perhaps the most urgent task is to
consider “God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved
us even when we were dead through our trespasses” (Ephesians 2:4, 5).
The apostle Paul recommends this
approach: “[A]nd be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you”
(Ephesians 4:32). The disciple whom
Jesus loved concurs in this way: “How
does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or
sister in need and yet refuses help?” (1
John 3:17). None of us deserves the love
that God has lavished upon us, and yet because of his compassion, he loved
us. None of us merits the unspeakable
gift of Christ’s having died for us, yet because of his compassion he went to
the cross, bearing our sins.
Let us dwell upon this love. Let our hearts be filled with the wonder of
the love of God in Christ and the compassion which motivated it. Surely this will so deeply affect us that we
will be moved with compassion for others who are in the same need as we.
Another angle is to learn to view
others as Christ. Surely, no true
Christian would fail to have compassion on Christ if he were hurt or in
need. If we can see others as Christ, we
will have compassion on them. Christ
recommended this approach in Matthew 25:31-46.
The basis of the judgment in this passage: “I was hungry and you gave
food/gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me something/nothing to drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me/did not welcome me, naked and you gave
me/did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you visited/did not visit
me.” Then they will answer, “Lord, when
was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in
prison, and took care/did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly
I tell you, just as you did it/did not do it to one of the least of these, you
did not do it to me.”
This approach is securely grounded
and deeply rooted in the gospel. God
allows us to enter his fellowship because we are in Christ, and he views us not
on the basis of our own merits but on the basis of the merits of Christ. So, we may learn to be compassionate if we
view others as God views us, namely, as if we were Christ.
What Then?
There is no calculating the impact that this church would have if all of us were moved with compassion and showed compassion as Jesus did. As the multitudes were moved to follow Jesus, surely today many would be moved to investigate a people who were so Christlike. They would want to know why, in such an increasingly impersonal world, there are people who are concerned and who care. And we would then be able to say with Paul, “ it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
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