The compassion of God is a primary aspect of God's character. In fact it is the first characteristic of God mentioned in his self description in Exodus 34:6,
"The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God..."
Compassion is listed first among God's characteristics, which means it is highlighted and emphasized. God's compassion can be seen throughout the OT in his constant faithfulness to the people of Israel.
Jesus then picks up the mantle and demonstrates the compassion of YAHWEH to those in need. The word for compassion, which we will look at tomorrow, occurs in some of the most notable stories from the life of Jesus, to list a few:
- The feeding of the five thousand (Mk. 6:34)
- The parable of the unforgiving servant (Mt. 18:27)
- The leper who came too close (Mk. 1:40)
- The parable of the good samaritan (Lk. 10:33)
- The parable of the prodigal son (Lk. 15:10)
- The healing of two blind men (Mt. 20:34)
- The raising of the widow's son (Lk. 7:13)
This compassion of God in Jesus was certainly a hallmark of his ministry. Jesus wasn't a Stoic, distant, aloof leader. Instead he was empathetic. He himself, felt the pain of the those who were suffering all around him.
The gospel writers highlight the compassion of Jesus to clearly demonstrate that he carries the same character as God. This brings us to the incarnation. Jesus, as God in flesh, has the same character as God the Father. He has compassion as The Father has compassion.
As we seek to live incarnationally as Jesus was incarnated, we must then live with the compassion of God and Jesus. Throughout the rest of this week we will see this exemplified in Jesus' life and ministry and mandated time and time again by the Apostles.
Additional Content
Henri Nouwen The Return of the Prodigal Son
Perhaps the most radical statement Jesus ever made is: “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate” [Lk 6:36]. God’s compassion is described by Jesus not simply to show me how willing God is to feel for me, or to forgive my sins and offer me new life and happiness, but to invite me to become like God and to show the same compassion to others as he is showing to me. If the only meaning of the story were that people sin but God forgives, I could easily begin to think of my sins as a fine occasion for God to show me his forgiveness. There would be no real challenge in such an interpretation. I would resign myself to my weakness and keep hoping that eventually God would close his eyes to them and let me come home, whatever I did. Such sentimental romanticism is not the message of the Gospels.
“What I am called to make true is that whether I am the younger or the elder son, I am the son of my compassionate Father. I am an heir…. Indeed, as son and heir I am to become successor. I am destined to step into my Father’s place and offer to others the same compassion that he has offered me…. Being in the Father’s house requires that I make the Father’s life my own and become transformed into his image.”
Reflection
What characteristics of God do you tend to highlight and emphasize in your own thinking and in your conversations about God? (How you think about God's character towards you and how you talk about him to others may not be the same btw) Do you emphasize his wrath, his holiness, his love, or his grace. All are characteristics of him but the first thing you think about when you think of someone says a lot about how you view them. Let's view God the way he wants to be viewed—compassionate and gracious first.