Were you aware that compassion was the most referenced disposition of Jesus by the writers of the New Testament? Compassion is the ability to empathize with the suffering and needs of others and then responding in love with acts of kindness. It is compassion that moves the heart toward a response that allows us to feel the hurt and pain in another person’s heart. And this is just what Jesus did on several occasions in the Gospels, and it begins in the very first chapter of Mark as a man with leprosy pleaded with Jesus: “Make me clean.” Mark records, that Jesus was “moved with compassion,” and reached out and touched him, healing him instantly (Mark 1:40-41).

When we consider the disposition of compassion, we see “hardened” hearts becoming “softened” toward the pain of another person and then doing something about it! In Jesus’ case, it was compassion in His heart followed by an act of healing, but for us, it is more often than not an act of kindness accompanied with some form of encouragement.

Check out what Matthew records in his gospel:

When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:35-36).

In this passage, Jesus’ compassion was stirred because He saw the crowds who were like sheep without a shepherd. Being the Shepherd in Psalm 23 and the Good Shepherd of John 10, Jesus was moved because His own people were feeling “harassed and helpless.”

And in the Gospel of Luke, as a widow was walking with the funeral procession of her only son, we see:

When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, “Don’t cry.” (Luke 7:13).

At this point, Jesus touched the bier upon which the son lay and told him to get up, and of course, he did!

And we are all familiar with Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan who was “moved with compassion” when he saw the man on the side of the road who had been beaten and robbed (Luke 10:33). Throughout His ministry, Jesus was constantly “moved with compassion” whenever He saw people in need, and we all need to develop this disposition as well. If you are struggling with this disposition, then begin to ask God to give you a heart that is full of compassion.

In Paul’s letter to the Christians in the church in Colossae, he encouraged them to:

. . . clothe yourselves with compassion . . .

They were exhorted to put on a new set of clothes, and I find it interesting that Paul listed “compassion” first. Quite possibly, it was because Paul felt that compassion was the “top priority” for the church. And may it be for each of us as well!

Let me encourage each of us this week to begin praying, “Lord, develop in me a heart of Compassion. Amen!”

Hope to see you next week.