A Life Of Compassion

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ ” Luke 10: 30-35.

Jesus Christ is the master story teller. We remember stories because they come alive, they are the windows into our soul. He tells us in the Bible a story of the good Samaritan and how his compassion is the type of compassion that each one of us needs to follow in our daily lives. We have heard the good story countless times or heard the words “Good Samaritan”.

Jesus Christ is our good Samaritan. The story of the good Samaritan shows us that there are no barriers in the eyes of God. No barrier to God’s love. No barriers in God’s love for us. God’s grace does not give up on you. He climbed over ethnicity, does not matter whether you are black, white, brown or yellow.

What do we learn from Jesus’ story? How do we be a good Samaritan? How do we be compassionate? To help others in a split second without thinking of pay back and having something in return? Do we feel burdened when we see a homeless person searching through the trash can for food or sleeping on the sidewalk in the cold? Do we look the other way?

Compassion is about the moment. What is in my hand that will help another person? Acts of compassion do not expect to be paid.

Principles of compassion

 1. Compassion is not academic.

  • We can read extensively about compassion and even research on the topic. Compassion is not learned through reading or research from books or the Bible. The priest and the Levite are well read in the concept of compassion but did not do a thing to help the person in need.

2. Compassion is not abstract

  • People do not care how much we know but how much we care. Compassion is not afraid. It is a conscious decision to confront the problem without thinking of what people will say about you.
  • “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” ” 1 John 3:17-18.

3. Compassion is not analytical

  • The Levites in the Bible serves as singers and worship leaders in the temple and like the priests are religious people with a high degree of visibility in the temple. The Levite and priest analyzed the situation and were not willing to risk the outcome of  helping the person. What would happen if the robbers are still around?

4. Compassion is action

  • During Jesus’ time, the Samaritans hated the Jews and vice versa. They were taught by their religious leaders that it was wrong to have any contact with the opposite group, and neither was to enter each other’s territories or even to speak to one another.
  • The story tells us that this Samaritan saw the Jew by the roadside, and without analyzing the reprecussion of what would happen as a result of helping a Jew, “took pity on him”.

5. Compassion is about what you see

  • Compassion is being deep moved within your spirit with what you see. Jesus touched lepers. He has compassion for the dying thief that was hanging next to Him.  The more difficult His life became, the more compassionate He became.
  • We teach ourselves not to see the homeless people in our community. You cannot help or act upon what you don’t see. Never stop seeing them.

6. Compassion is about what you do

  • The Samaritan risked everything to do how he felt – sympathy for the beaten up man.

7. Compassion is about how you do it

  • The Samaritan showed mercy. “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” 1Peter 3:8.

8. Compassion is not about what it costs to you

  • The Samaritan did not worry about cost or whether he would be paid. As Christian, we are the body of Christ and we are the ones that require to show compassion. Give our time, money and our expertise without considering the cost.

Listen to Dr. David Jeremiah, Pastor of Shadow Mountain Church, San Diego and New York Times Best-Selling Author full message on A Life Of Compassion here.