slow to anger, abounding in love. PSALM 103:8
The word compassionate and merciful are tied closely together when describing God's heart in the Scriptures. In this verse the Hebrew word is described as compassionate, full of compassion, merciful.
Compassion, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is a "sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it." 1
Mission, Jesus style is having compassion that moves into action.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." MATTHEW 9:36-38
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." MATTHEW 14:14-16
Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. MATTHEW 20:34
How are you and I allowing God's heart of compassion to flow through us to others? For Jesus, it wasn't just a good idea that "should" be done, it was the driving force that moved him and his disciples to step into action!
Today, I'm thinking about how the people you and I meet would describe us? The words along this spectrum came to mind. They are meant to be illustrative:
Do they see us as merely friendly, nice and kind, or do they see us as compassionate? We reflect the heart of God by our words and actions. Will people see a God who feels sorry for the misery of people, or will they see a God who steps into the mess and does something about it? Mission, Jesus style calls for a little less talk and a lot more action! When compassion moves us into caring actions, it truly expresses the heart of God to others.
As I think about the scene in the Feeding of the Five Thousand, the crowds are the recipients of God's provision; they didn't do anything to request or earn his favor. Jesus had the people sit in groups in an orderly way, then demonstrated his connection to the Father as he looked up to heaven, gave thanks and distributed the food. He modeled a life of faith in front of people without any excuses, but never forced them to do the same.
It seems that Mission, Jesus style is living our faith out boldly, teaching the people around us through our openly faithful response in the midst of everyday circumstances, and trusting the Holy Spirit to cultivate those seeds of grace in people's hearts.
Many times in the Scriptures we see that people's minds were
opened by God's compassionate actions that resulted in faith.
Lord, move me beyond compassion to action and from interest to commitment.
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