Thursday, January 25, 2007
Compassion
Defined: sympathetic consciousness of others' distress
together with a desire to alleviate it.
In the well-known parable commonly called "The Good Samaritan," Jesus answers
the lawyer's question, "And who is my neighbor?" A priest, Levite, and a Samaritan all
found a man, beaten and robbed, lying wounded beside the road. The priest and the
Levite both had strong religious convictions, but showed no compassion. The
Samaritan, whose religious convictions are not mentioned, had compassion and helped
the man. Jesus' concluding words to the lawyer were, "Go and do the same."
This parable illustrates the message of the judgment scene in Matthew 25:34-40:
"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was
hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something
to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was
sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will
answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give
You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or
naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The
King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to
one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'"
Both are necessary: religious convictions and compassion.
Be compassionate! "Go and do the same."
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of
love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make
my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in
spirit, intent on one purpose.
Philippians 2:1-2
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