Compassion I

Compassion What do you think of when you hear the word “compassion”? I think of images of starving children in Africa. Soup kitchens with long lines at Thanksgiving time. Mother Theresa. A shoulder to cry on. The dictionary tells us that compassion is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. What’s the opposite of compassion? I think of someone who is merciless. Someone who is indifferent to others’ sufferings and feelings. Someone who doesn’t care. Someone who rejoices in making others feel bad. What does the Bible say compassion is? According to the original Greek text, the word used for compassion actually means, literally, “to have the bowels yearning.” When you have compassion, your feelings for the other person run so deep that it would stir your very innermost being. Where does compassion come from? 2 Corinthians 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” NKJV has it as “the Father of mercies.” But let’s go back even further, to the Old Testament. It was compassion that moved God to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. In the Old Testament, the theme of God’s compassion is so central to who He is. The hymn we sing, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”, says “Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not.” The Israelites gloried in God’s compassion – if not for His compassion, they would’ve been reduced to a people in bondage, forever. In the New Testament, out of compassion, God didn’t just deliver a race of people out of a time and place, but He delivers all human kind from the bondage of sin, by offering up His Son as a sacrifice on the cross.

But what does all this mean to us? If God is the Father of compassion, shouldn’t we, as His children, also cultivate compassion? After all, “they will know that we are Christians by our love,” and it is hard to have love without compassion. We will be looking at Timothy as a Biblical example of compassion. According to Acts 16, Timothy was the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, and a Greek man. He was well spoken of, and he served with Paul, who circumcised him. In 1 Corinthians 4:17, Timothy is described by Paul as “my beloved and faithful son in the Lord.” In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he is described as having a genuine faith that he received from his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois. But it is in Paul’s letter to the Philippians that we see compassion attributed to Timothy. Read Philippians 2:19-23. First, notice in verse 22 – Paul testifies that Timothy served with Paul as a son with his father. Timothy was willing to learn, was willing to receive instruction, was willing to submit. That is how we must all start, if we want to be compassionate. There is no room for pride in compassion. Second, verse 21 shows that Timothy is not like others. “For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.” There are many people who claim to be compassionate, but they are not interested in the things of Jesus. But if you’re not after the interest of Jesus Christ, pretty soon selfishness will creep in, and what started out as compassion turns into self-serving motivations. Third, verse 20 shows us that Timothy was interested in others. So many times, we are wrapped up in our own lives and our own needs, and we don’t learn to take an interest in the needs of others. But Timothy, as Paul attests, was able to sincerely care for the needs of the Philippians.

So this is all great and nice for Timothy, but what about us? How can we follow Timothy’s example? First of all, Timothy had a mentor, Paul, who cared for him. What better way to be motivated to care for others than to have someone who cares for you? Find someone you respect and trust who can help guide you and help you to grow. Next, we see in 2 Timothy 2:22 that Paul encouraged Timothy to flee from youthful lusts. When you flee from youthful lusts, you are fleeing from self-centeredness. When you can dig yourself out of self-centeredness, you can learn to focus on other people’s needs. Third, as we mentioned earlier, learn to have Jesus’ interests at heart. When you start to learn to care for the things that Jesus cares about, when your heart breaks for the things that breaks Jesus’ heart, you will very naturally care for others. After all, Jesus live a life of compassion, caring for others, not for himself. The last thing is to just do it. Pour yourself out in serving others. As you start to serve others more, you will focus on yourself less. Yes, you will get tired sometimes, but you will find that as you learn to love others, your tiredness will no longer take center stage, but you will naturally start to think of others first.