No 16
(The Compassion
of Jesus)
The World Book
Dictionary defines compassion as follows:
“…the feeling for another’s sorrow
or hardship that leads to help”.
Compassion is required when there is somebody who needs to be rescued
from circumstances that have brought them into a state of grief or sadness;
otherwise, compassion is not needed. In
our society today, compassion is a rare commodity. Why?
Because people have become so self-reliant and independent, that it is
hardly ever required; except, of course when a person truly faces his or her
sin – then all the compassion in the world will not help. Jesus is the only one who can be truly
compassionate to this person. In the
Bible, we read that whenever Jesus encountered a need in individuals or
multitudes, His emotional reaction of intense concern motivated immediate
action. Jesus fed crowds, He healed the
sick, He taught the ungodly, He calmed turbulent seas, He cast out demons; He
even raised the dead. His compassion was
boundless; His greatest act of compassion was, of course, His sacrificial death
on the cross. During His short stay here
on earth, Jesus was able to pass on the torch of compassion to His Disciples.
Peter says the following words in his first epistle “ For even hereunto were ye called: because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his
steps:” (Ch