Luke 7:13 The Lord had compassion on her

I thought compassion is a word that should be very common in the Bible.  But it’s not, really.  Mercy is a similar word.  It’s used more often, but it doesn’t convey the same thing as compassion.

In mercy, someone acts on behalf of someone else, someone in great need and who is unable to help themselves.  Mercy suggests too that the person isn’t compelled to do this.  They just want to.  But you can show mercy without showing compassion. 

Showing mercy is just the right thing to do.  If you see a need that you can meet, most of us just do it without even thinking about it.  In compassion, the person thinks about it.  In compassion, the first person feels the pain of the other person before responding.  And that pain is what impels the response even above whether that is the right thing to do or not.  You want to help, because you share that pain.

What I found surprising that when compassion is spoken of in the Bible, it is used most often of Jesus.  And He tells a few parables that involve compassion as either a picture of how God loves us or of how we should love other people.  But it’s a Jesus word.

It’s easy for us to feel compassion for other people, but a lot harder for many of us to believe and feel God’s compassion for us.  Maybe I’m just saying that from my own experience.  Maybe everybody else has no problem with that.  I wish that were true.

I have asked the question in different contexts why humans spend so much time of their lives before adulthood compared to animals, and I’m thinking that it might help us adults to remember childhood more, and that in our relationship with God we are more children than adults.  As we grow older, our parents become more as peers to us in many ways.  They are as likely to come to us for advice than the other way around.  But with God, we are forever children in many respects.

Consider these two passages:

Matthew 23:37 (NASB95)  Jesus speaking: ³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

Mark 10:13–16 (NASB95) ¹³ And they were bringing children to Him [Jesus] so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵ “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will by no means not enter it.” ¹⁶ And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

I’m thinking it can be really helpful if we see ourselves as children when we talk to God and not as that big adult we think we are.

I’ll close by adding here all passages in the Bible that speak of compassion and Jesus or God.

Matthew 9:36 (NASB95) ³⁶ Seeing the people, He [Jesus] felt compassion for them, because they were distressed [weary, harassed, troubled] and thrown on the ground like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 14:14 (NASB95) ¹⁴ When He [Jesus] went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.

Matthew 15:32 (NASB95) ³² And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now 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 18:27 (NASB95) ²⁷ “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

Matthew 20:34 (NASB95) ³⁴ Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

Mark 1:41 (NASB95) ⁴¹ Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be made clean [as in, healed].”

Mark 6:34 (NASB95) ³⁴ When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.

Mark 8:2 (NASB95)  Jesus speaking: ² “I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat.

Mark 9:22 ²² “It [an unclean spirit] has often thrown him [my son] both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You [Jesus] can, have compassion on us and help us!”

Luke 7:13–15 (NASB95) ¹³ When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴  _{. . .}  And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” ¹⁵ The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Luke 10:33 (NASB95) ³³ “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him [a man beaten by robbers and left for dead]; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,

Luke 15:20 (NASB95) ²⁰ “So he [the prodigal son, who left home and squandered his inheritance] got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

Philippians 1:8  ⁸ For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the compassion of Christ Jesus.