April 25, 2017

The “Christian” in Christian Compassion

We open our computers and see a couple of distressing news—homeless families, terrorist attacks, women and children as human shields, innocent lives killed here and there, elevated poverty and epidemic diseases, typhoon victims, orphans longing for love, a widowed cancer patient striving to get through every day with her six children… The list goes on. Try to step out of our rooms and we’ll see more suffering around—from a needy family member to serious international catastrophes.

 

And while we’re sitting on our couches, reading this blog, yes, we can say that we feel the agony of these people. We literally weep with them, as the Bible says, and try hard to put ourselves in their shoes. But, Christians, we are called to show more than just pity, sympathy nor empathy. God calls us believers to demonstrate compassion (Colossians 3:12). The word compassion in some translations means “to love” or “to show mercy.” Other near synonyms are “to show concern for,” “to be tenderhearted,” and “to act kindly.”*

 

One of the core values of GraceDrive Ministries is Christian compassion. We know that being compassionate is not a uniquely Christian response as many non-believers can also show genuine acts of kindness to others with heartbreaking situations. So what makes compassion a Christian compassion? Let’s remember four C’s.

 

Christian compassion is corrective and action-oriented. Because it is a basic love response, it is towards doing than just feeling. Sympathy says, “I understand how you feel and I’m really sorry about it.” But compassion tenderly speaks, “I will help you.” It fuels us to actually do something to alleviate one’s pain. Many passages in the New Testament mention about Jesus being moved with compassion, and notice that He did not end up only crying upon seeing them. His compassion was always followed with an action—“…and He healed their sick,” “…touched their eyes,” “He came up and touched” (Matt. 14:14; Matt. 20:34; Luke 7:13, 14). And it is noteworthy that He Himself initiated going around places and reached out the untouchables. He did not just stay at the clinic and waited for patients. He acted and responded to their needs.

 

Secondly, the biblical kind of compassion is Christ-driven. We can have different motives for helping others, but Christian compassion is always compelled by Jesus’ love. Every kind act of a true believer is spurred by his desire to please the Master above anyone else, knowing that whatever he does to others he first does to Jesus (Matt. 25:40). And his inspiration comes from the perfect model of love, which is Christ Himself. May God’s abounding grace empower us to follow the same love He showed to all people—both the obedient and the wayward.

 

Moreover, Christian compassion is Christ-conscious. It acknowledges that the greatest need of entire humanity is Jesus and Jesus alone, and those who do not know Him are the most miserable among all. Compassion sees the deeper needs beyond what many can see—hunger and thirst not only for food and water, but for the Word of God; ignorance, not just of literacy, but of truth and peace; imprisonment not only in jails, but the captivity of sin. It sees the emptiness despite a full stomach. It recognizes dullness in the shimmering jewelries, the loneliness behind laughter. It distinguishes ugly lies in the attractive ads. It notices death amidst the good health. Christian compassion is aware that even those people who seem to lack nothing actually possess nothing without Jesus. Let’s look around us. There are many who look very okay, but have the same holes as what we had before we met Jesus. What shall we do then?

 

Finally, we have to remember that Christian compassion is costly. To love radically is to give our all. It could cost our money, our time, our comfort, luxury, and maybe even some relationships. God’s compassion towards us cost Jesus’ life. Let’s repeat that—Jesus’ life. There’s no sacrifice we could give that would equal what Christ has done for us who were once His enemies. How much are we willing to give up for the sake of others? May it be our comfort that what we lose here on earth will never compare to the eternal reward God has in store for those who toil for His name’s sake (Matt. 6:19, 20).

 

Jesus, talking about the great compassion the Good Samaritan demonstrated to a stranger, commands us: “Go, and do likewise.” (Luke 10:37) Do we display a corrective, Christ-driven, Christ-conscious, and costly kind of compassion? Who needs to experience it today? What can we practically do for them?

 

 

* http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/compassion/